Blurb Blitz - Codex of the Cosmari by CD Clark

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.D.Clark will be awarding a digital copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Jordan Blue works to survive on the oppressive, corporate colony world, Shoar. A random, near-fatal encounter puts her in the company of Kuvett, a space faring creature of the stars. While Jordan tries to figure out the inscrutable Cosmari, Kuvett sneaks about the dilapidated Outskirts to find out just what happened to the planet, what secrets the impenetrable Meritopolis hides, and why it is there.

Read an Excerpt

Kuvett let go and hovered back to let Jordan continue.

“Yet, the reason why I have such a hard time accepting it is because—” the tears returned as she looked out to the doorway—“there was a time when I didn’t live here alone.”

“I assumed as much. Their presence still lingers here and on you.”

Jordan nodded. “We were together for about six years until one day, she just up and vanished. I don’t know where she went to, I don’t know if she is even still alive, but the fact she never told me where she even left hurts. It hurts a lot.”

“And you fear it may happen once more.” Kuvett leaned against the wall.

“Yes,” Jordan looked to the floor while she sobbed, ashamed. “That, and I don’t know how much time I have left before my lungs give out. Why would anyone want someone whose body’s falling apart? I don’t know for certain, but that’s what it felt like when Violet left.”

Kuvett was silent a moment before she reached up and wiped away the moisture on Jordan’s face. When she opened her eyes, Kuvett pressed her forehead against Jordan’s. “There is much I wish to tell you and how I disagree with how you see yourself. But for now, we are not safe here. If there is anything I can do to assist you, tell me and I will.”

Jordan sniffed again, nodding as she disengaged from Kuvett’s touch. There was still much to do.

About the Author: From his youngest days, C.D. Clark has always loved stories and the worlds they could take him to. His writing career began with original, fan-based fiction which led to his passion for writing. Over the past twenty-five years, C.D. Clark has developed his craft, all the while celebrating his successes and reveling in any spectacular failures, using them as learning experiences. Ever eager to learn, he continues leaping towards the future while creating fantastic new worlds and passing along poignant messages through his books.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CDClarkNovelist
Mastodon: https://mas.to/@CDClarkNovelist
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bass_prefect
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cdclarknovelist
Website: https://www.cdclarknovelist.com/

Blurb Blitz - Unladylike by Regina Louise

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Regina Louise will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on a tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love is a lyrical collection of poetry and prose exploring love, survival, embodiment, and the journey of returning to the self. Blending literary poetry with personal reflection, Regina Louise examines relationships, identity, trauma, healing, and the process of reclaiming one's voice after loss and betrayal.

Through intimate poems and essays, Unladylike maps the emotional terrain between heartbreak and self-discovery, inviting readers into a deeply human exploration of resilience, self-love, and personal transformation. Her work speaks to readers interested in emotional healing, spiritual growth, women's voices, and the reclamation of dignity through storytelling and creative expression.

Rooted in mythopoetic inquiry and lived experience, this collection moves through memory, desire, grief, and repair, offering language for those navigating change, recovery, and the search for meaning. Unladylike is both an artistic work and an invitation-to witness oneself honestly and to return to what was always there.

Read an Excerpt

Teeth Jewelry

I didn’t take it lying down—
my legs spread eagle, leaking,
like a broke-back Aphrodite,
or Erzulie Freda dispossessed of her longing.

The way you uninvited me
to the wedding—
I’d planned for two months to attend.

Fresh out of a group home,
I was certain I would arrive.
I showed up at your front door.
My hair set in Jada curls—
edges swooped in,
baby hairs laid down—
two hours under a hot-ass dryer
to get them right.

Your brother answered,
fraudulence jutting from his eyes,
said you weren’t home. Yet.
What about the black and champagne
Bentley in your driveway?
Your hubcapped feet, your only wheels.
It belonged to the girl from Baldwin Hills.
Eyes same color as mine.
Her daddy was a doctor.
Yours ran a dojo.

I took my financial aid money,
got myself a crepe de chine
Norma Kamali mini dress—
on sale, sale, sale at I. Magnin.
Fishnet pantyhose.

My first manicure—
to dig desolation from beneath
my dirty fingernails,
just to look respectable.

In pointed-toe flats,

I kicked and scratched my way
through the door,
two stairs at a time.

I followed my knowing into your lair.
My right hook, a javelin.
I threw a punch at your face—
a black belt trophy, barely missed.
You were fifth degree.

My jaw dislocated instantly
from the butt of your palm.

She ran for her life.
I ran into your fury.
And then—
my skin tore
you bit my face,
my arms,
the tops of my hands,
my wrists
my neck,
my bicep,

my shoulders,
the soles of my hands.

Clad in a blusa campesina,
a peasant shirt, off-the-shoulder,
in technicolor—my flesh on parade
fresh with the imprint of your
Central, lateral incisors.
Canines.

I returned to my social work theory seminar.

I wore your teeth jewelry
like a queen.

A gypsy skirt sashayed my hips.

I wore ankle bracelets
with fake gold coins
and fabricated seashells.

Everyone heard me coming.

I returned from Spring Break
baptized in a pain so exquisite,
one might mistake it
or all of who I was.

No matter.

I got my licks in, too.
Not just for me—
but for Tina Turner.
And all the rest of us
who stayed—
wired to do so.

About the Author:

Regina Louise is a poet, writer, teacher, speaker, executive coach, whose work explores the intersection of memory, belonging, identity, and emotional liberation. The author of three books—two of which have been adapted for film: Somebody’s Someone, Someone Has Led This Child to Believe and Permission Granted: Kick Ass Strategies to Bootstrap your Way to Unconditional Self-Love—she has spent more than three decades helping people transform adversity into authorship through story, self-inquiry, and radical compassion.

A senior teacher with the Hoffman Process, Regina is known for guiding profound conversations about restoring dignity, resilience, attachment, and the art of becoming fully oneself. Whether on stage, in classrooms, behind a microphone, or in intimate workshop settings, she invites audiences to reimagine the stories that have shaped their lives and discover the freedom that awaits beyond them.

Her forthcoming collection, Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love (September 2026), marks her debut poetry collection. Blending poetry, lyrical prose, and aphoristic reflections, it is a fearless meditation on love, loss, self-possession, and the sacred work of returning home to oneself.

Regina Louise lives in California, where she continues to write, teach, and create work that honors the transformative power of language to restore dignity, deepen connection, and reclaim what has always belonged to us.

Website: http://www.therealreginalouise.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealreginalouise
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regina.louise.5/
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/unladylike-a-mythopoetic-reclamation-of-love-regina-louise/b4379cc65cf1293b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IQXN7M

VBT - The Call to Authorship by Tim Lindsay

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tim W. Lindsay will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tours.

Embrace the call to authorship: 10 steps to leverage the power of a book!

Books help people—they inform, inspire, and engage. Books are also a powerful force for those who write them. Publishing a book builds your authority, sharpens your thinking, and opens doors to media exposure, speaking engagements, partnerships, and more.

Despite the greater accessibility of publishing than ever before, many would-be authors hesitate. They get stuck with self-doubt or believe producing a book is incompatible with a busy life. They may start writing but don't finish. Or they finish but don't publish or market their books.

The truth? With a little dedicated time, consistent effort, and the right guidance, anyone can publish a book that changes lives for the better. And they should.

Put down your phone. Take the leap from consumer to creator!

This step-by-step guide will show you how to:
- Use a one-page tool to clarify your goals, target audience and plan.
- Craft an outline that drives your manuscript forward.
- Overcome mental roadblocks and craft habits to finish your first draft in months, not years—even with a busy schedule.
- Select a publishing model, refine your manuscript, and make informed design and distribution decisions.
- Employ promotional strategies to achieve goals that transcend royalties.

Become more than you are. Have courage. Commit to growth by authoring a book, strengthening your ability to serve. Write with purpose. Publish for impact!

Bonus for book professionals: Special content for book coaches, editors, and ghostwriters—those helping ordinary people become extraordinary authors.

Read an Excerpt

We live in an age of swipes, scrolls and soundbites, where attention is fragmented and surface-level engagement is the norm. In such a world, choosing to sit down and write is bold indeed.

Writing a book is an act of meaning-making. It’s how we wrestle with ideas, make sense of experience, and speak into the noise with words that are considered and enduring. It takes courage to believe that your words matter. It takes character to see them through and shape them into a book.

That journey often begins with a spark. Maybe you’ve been through something, built something, learned something—and now you feel the quiet tug: This should be a book.

But with that tug often comes hesitation: Who am I to write this? Will anyone care? I’ve heard those doubts from countless aspiring authors through my work at Tellwell, where we’ve helped thousands turn that first spark into a finished book. And I’ve watched them write anyway. What followed was often extraordinary.

For Cindy Cherry, that moment came unexpectedly. For years she resisted writing a book about her father, Don Cherry, the outspoken hockey commentator who became a household name in Canada. She feared a memoir about her dad might seem biased, or worse, opportunistic. But everything changed when a Google Alert lit up her phone screen: a news organization was praising the Western Hockey League for cutting ties with Don following what she calls “Poppygate,” and for erasing his name from an organ-donation campaign he had helped champion, raising nearly half a million dollars. This cause was close to Cindy’s heart. As a teenager she had donated one of her kidneys to her younger brother.

She realized that the public narrative was being written in a way that dishonoured the man she knew and loved.

About the Author:

Tim Lindsay founded Tellwell in 2015. Since then, he and his team have guided some 5,000 authors including entrepreneurs, professional speakers, coaches, consultants, experts, course creators, community builders, religious and nonprofit leaders, Indigenous organizations, athletes, influencers, and everyday citizens.

Website: http://www.Tellwellpublishing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellwellpublishing/
Tellwell - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tellwellpublishing
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834180422

Blurb Blitz - The Engine in the Sky by VG Harrison

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. V.G. Harrison will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When Professor Meridia Vail’s space station is hurled across time and dimensions, she and the rest of the Bridgeway crew wake on an alternate Earth that's only five years into the future but looks like it's a century behind her technology. Their goal is to reclaim their crippled station, return to their dimension, and hope that a mysterious interdimensional illness doesn't kill her and her people first.

Stuck on a backwards version of her own planet, Meridia must deal with governments who want her technology and intelligence agencies who want control. Nobody trusts anyone, and the longer they delay, the closer the Bridgeway gets to a catastrophic reentry.

However, the greatest shock comes when Meridia meets her doppelganger, a brilliant mechanic with a loving family that leaves her heart aching for the life she could have had.

As time is running out for her crew and New Earth, Meridia faces an impossible mission: return to the station, save her crew, and prevent a global disaster. Duty first. Family second. When Meridia is thrust into a situation where the two become synonymous, she must decide how much she's willing to risk for a world she's sworn to save and a life she can never have.

Read an Excerpt

I followed her down the semi-busy hall until we arrived at a first grader’s room. Meridia peeked her head inside, smiled at the teacher, and motioned for a little girl to come into the hall. She beamed when she saw her mother and ran into her arms. When she saw me, she stopped, her dazzling light-brown eyes enlarged.

My heart swelled to the point that my gaze blurred with unshed tears. She was beautiful. She had olive skin and frizzy hair that barely stayed in place with two green barrettes to hold back the curly onslaught. Her smile was perfect, even with the one missing tooth in the front. I didn’t believe in instant love, but this little girl made me feel nothing less than that. Meridia—the other me—had a child. I mean, I knew she had a kid, but nothing prepared me for actually meeting her.

"Who’s that, Mommy?" she asked.

Meridia knelt. "Remember when I told you I had a twin sister who came from space and that’s why the reporters were at our house? Well, this is her. This is Astronaut Meridia. Meridia, this is my daughter Felicity."

The little girl let go of her mother before rushing to wrap her arms around my waist.

"I have two mommies now," she declared. "Best day ever!"

Oh. My. God. It took everything inside me not to cry happy tears. Her little arms spewing with love for someone she had just met was incredible. Who would ever deny this beautiful little girl?

  About the Author: Amazon best-selling author, V.G. Harrison enjoys creating smart heroines who are more comfortable dealing with things like Fine-structure constant and quantum entanglement than the fallout from their conflict. She loves to write stories that leave her audience so engaged they can't sleep at night, thinking about the possibilities.

V.G. holds a Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering and a Masters in Information Technology. When she's not writing, she's an IT manager for a healthcare information systems company.

Her ever-growing list of hobbies include astronomy, attending comic cons, keeping an eye on the cryptocurrency and stock markets, hydroponics gardening, hiking, and connecting with her daughter, Collie, on a cool level.

Publisher: https://mochamemoirspress.com
Website: https://www.vgharrison.com/
Blog: https://www.vgharrison.com/blog-1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/booksbycoletteandharrison
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marciacolette

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Sky-Dyson-Bridge-Book-ebook/dp/B0H3LWYKRZ/ref=sr_1_1

Book Blast - Move Me by Lynn Crandall

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour orgainzed by Goddess Fish Promotions.Lynn Crandall will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

An Aeon by birth, Diane Butler knew when she walked away from her fellow Aeons that she wanted certain things: wealth, power, acceptance. But she'd come to realize she didn't belong with Dark Sides and joined in the battle to save Auralia from darkness. But when her past comes after her, she understand that she can't escape it with a simple name change.

A surprise encounter that turns ugly pits lone Emmett Forrest against thugs determined to hurt Cassie. With each threat out cold on the ground, he believes he's done. But when the men report the incident to the Auralia Police Department, he can't avoid the drama or the intrigue surrounding her.

Read an Excerpt

“Anyone else bored as sin? We stopped the Irish mob and Dark Sides from taking over Auralia in December. January and February, we took some time to recover from Dark Sides’ Project Reckoning. I know you all have been tending to your personal lives, your relationships, and your careers, but for me, those two months were the epitome of boredom. Now March is almost over, and still boredom reigns.”

“Diane—” Braden started.

“Cassie,” she interrupted. “Try to remember, Braden. I’ve told you so many times that I’m using my middle name now. I’m not Diane anymore.” She pouted her lips.

Braden nodded. “Yes, sorry. You’re Cassandra Butler now, not Diane Butler.”

“Cassie. I told you, Cassie for short.” She swept her gaze around the living room at Braden and Payson’s house and flung her hands up. “I swear, it’s not that hard to remember my name. I made a change, I’m not Diane. I’m not that woman any more. I’m aligned with light and love. I’m Cassie. Cassie. Cassie Butler. Gauzy, gossamer, and open, not rigid, harsh, or angry Cassie.” The rock lodged in her gut weighed her down. Was she different? Truly? She’d been putting in the work with her counselor, Claire Eve Kelly, to make the change permanent. But with the chaos of the past not far behind, she ached for the excitement of the life she had. The parties, the conniving to get what she wanted. It had all been so mesmerizing.

About the Author After cutting her writing teeth as a feature writer for commercial and trade magazines, a reporter for newspapers and radio, and an executive editor for a communications company, award-winning author Lynn Crandall tuned her voracious appetite for stories to writing contemporary and paranormal romance, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense. In her books, she enjoys taking readers on emotional journeys with relatable characters who refuse to back down, and face challenges and tribulations with heart and soul. She believes every love has a story, and hers is with one handsome husband and a large, beautiful circle of family, including her cat Winter.

Website https://lynn-crandall.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lcrandall246
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LynnCrandallAuthor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lynncrandallwriter/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lynnkelynnwriter
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2FMSG8H

Book Blast - The Super Seeders by Miles HIllmann

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Miles Hillmann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Super Seeders is based on first-hand accounts from the scientists, breeders, and curators who have built the seven pillars of today's plant genetics revolution. It begins with the guardians of global gene banks, conserving the rare and diverse crop genes that form agriculture's safety net. From these collections, plant geneticists are now unlocking hidden traits with fast-moving genome technologies, transforming the possibilities of crop improvement.

International research centres and the groundbreaking Plant Treaty have opened the floodgates for the free exchange of genetic material, enabling a new wave of discovery. Crop breeders are translating these breakthroughs into reality, delivering drought-tolerant, disease-resistant, and higher-yielding varieties for farmers.

The book raises a pressing question: will this revolution reach the 70 percent of Africans who still depend on subsistence farming? The answer will shape not only the future of food in Africa, but the future of food security worldwide.

A story of ingenuity and urgency, The Super Seeders captures the hopes and challenges of the women and men driving a genetic transformation of agriculture—and the farmers whose lives depend on its success.

Read an Excerpt

In the cool, rolling hills of southern Ethiopia’s Wolaita Highlands, the sun crested the teff and barley fields and coloured the red soil with long shadows. Selam, widow and mother of four, wrapped her scarf around her tightly and came out into the morning light from her thatched tukul house, her hands clasped around a woven basket.

She headed for the community seed bank, a mud-brick hut just outside the school, amidst the eucalyptus trees. Inside the hut, the scent of dried grain and neem leaves filled the air. Wooden shelves ran around the room, where clay jars and gourd containers were labelled neatly in Amharic: Aba Dula wheat, Dabo barley, Red sorghum of Wando. Each had a history, some passed down from grandparents, others brought by farmers like her.

“Selam, good morning!” said Abebe, the seed bank coordinator and the village elder. His weathered face creased into a smile behind his grey beard. “We’ve just finished processing the new batch of the sorghum seed. Strong stalks. Early maturation. Your father preferred this variety.”

Selam smiled. She remembered sowing that very same red sorghum as a child alongside her parents. It had been gone for years only to reappear thanks to the gene bank.

About the Author: Miles Hillmann is a lifelong entrepreneur with a career that bridges scientific curiosity and hands-on innovation, from his early work at the Kabanyolo Agricultural Research Station in Uganda during Idi Amin's fall to experiencing food shortage and famine in the Ethiopian Central Highlands. His work encompassed everything from agricultural development to building flash flood irrigation food-for-work systems.

His first company developed processes for food industry materials. Concurrently he pioneered real-time organic material analysis. He then created one of the UK's major pollution control companies supplying specialist materials to companies in Europe, Nigeria and the Middle East. This led him to establish companies in e-commerce, accredited pollution control training and flood control.

This book is the story of the scientists, curators, and plant breeders leading this movement, told in their voices, through his lens.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834188350
Articles: https://superseeders.co.uk/articles-insights/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/70074419.Miles_Hillmann

Book Tour - What Remains After by Pamela Grabia

 

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Pauline J. Grabia will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SOME STORIES DO NOT END WHEN THE DANGER PASSES.

Beth Clark has not returned to her hometown in decades, since the childhood she survived there nearly destroyed her.

When her estranged mother dies, Beth comes back to rural Alberta for a funeral that feels carefully rewritten. The eulogies are tidy. The past is sanitized. But inside the abandoned bungalow where she and her brother once lived, Beth finds objects that shatter the illusion—and awaken memories of abuse, neglect, and the systems that failed to protect her.

When Beth's younger brother is critically injured in a sudden accident, the present collides with the past. Keeping vigil at his hospital bedside, Beth is drawn back into the summer that changed everything: the violence in their home, the silence of those who should have intervened, and the foster family whose quiet faith offered the first real safety either child had known.

Told across dual timelines, What Remains After is a literary psychological suspense novel about trauma and memory, belief and betrayal, and the long, unfinished work of survival. It asks what it truly means to forgive—and what remains when the truth is finally spoken.

Read an Excerpt:

Coverville Baptist Church smelled musty and old, like the memories trying to escape the recesses of Beth’s mind. That’s all that remained now of her mother. Like her life, nothing at the church had changed in over forty years. It had simply aged, with splintered oak pews and grubby carpets that had been there when she was growing up.

It was unnaturally quiet in the church, which she remembered used to almost roar after a service with the lively voices of congregants discussing the sermon or what was coming up in their week. Children used to run around, shrieking and squealing in both joy and frustration. Now, it was still. Eerily so.

Beth ignored the stares from the other mourners who had arrived early for the service. When she tried to meet their gazes to say hello, they looked briefly, with pity, before looking away. She stopped looking at people. She had only arrived when she had to so she could find Otto and talk to him before it started. He wasn’t in the lobby. Maybe he was in the sanctuary.

She waited in line at the guest registry, attended to by one of the funeral directors. When it was Beth’s turn, her hand trembled as she picked up the ridiculous feathered pen and hesitated before writing down her name. Should she use her married name or her maiden name? Her ex would have a conniption if she wrote down his, and she was changing her name back anyway, so she entered “Elizabeth Clark.”

When Beth had seen her mother’s obituary on Facebook, she’d realized that, despite her hesitation, she would go to the funeral. The only other attendees were townsfolk—mostly members of Virgie’s church—and family. She suspected that most came out of curiosity rather than grief. Beth’s reasons were less clear. Her hatred for her mother had lessened over the years, but had never completely gone; still, she felt an odd urge, almost a duty, to attend. She told herself it was just an excuse to see her brother, Otto, not the urn.

About the Author

Pauline J. Grabia is a Canadian novelist whose work explores trauma, memory, faith, and the moral consequences of silence. Writing under the Stories of Consequence banner, she is drawn to stories that face difficult truths without spectacle and seek light without sentimentality. What Remains After is a literary psychological suspense novel rooted in rural Alberta and shaped by questions of survival, forgiveness, and what endures.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinejgrabia/
Website: https://paulinejgrabia.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/70032333.Pauline_J_Grabia

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834384516

Blurb Blitz - Unmasking the Marquess by Pamela Gibson

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Pamela Gibson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

He was a licentious rogue, or was he?

Aubrey St. Clair, Marquess of Leisterbridge, a notorious rake and society fribble, abandons his bride on their wedding night to spite his father, the man who coerced him into the marriage. When his intrepid bride turns up at his personal estate to quash the scandal, they call a truce and finally get to know each other.

Lady Catherine Sturbridge considered ending her betrothal. But a threatening letter sent to her by a convicted criminal whom she chanced upon in London, changed her mind. Marrying the powerful Duke of Gresham’s heir would keep her loved ones safe, even if she must tie herself to a frivolous rogue.

When, despite her silence, her enemy abducts her godchild, Catherine is forced to confide in her husband who agrees to help her. But can she trust him to know what to do when a child’s life is at stake and they’ve been warned not to go to go the authorities?

As they work closely together, they succumb to the passionate side of their marriage. But Catherine is wary, despite finding a different man under the guise of a society dandy, and when Aubrey reveals a long-held secret, she must protect her heart because betrayal is the enemy of trust and their fragile, new-found love is about to shatter.

Read an Excerpt

“A bit solemn, are you not, my dear? If you keep biting your lower lip, I shall have to offer you my handkerchief to staunch the blood, and I would hate to soil it. Smile. This is, after all, your wedding day.”

“And yours, as you now have access to a considerable dowry to fund all of your bad habits.”

The rogue put his hand on her chin and turned her face toward him. A broad grin lit up his face as if taunting her brought him the greatest of pleasures. “Now, now, Catherine. I am not as bad as all that. You might be pleasantly surprised once you get to know me. Gossip would have me sporting horns and a forked tail.”

“I remember seeing a poster with you seated on a bed surrounded by well-endowed, unclad ladies in various positions. Your face, horns, and tail were well-drawn. The only thing missing being signs of the pox.”

The laughter did not leave his face when he clutched his heart. “You wound me, wife. I do not now, nor have I ever, had the pox, if that is the cause of your sour expression.”

“I am relieved to hear it. However, this conversation must be put off. We are nearing my father’s house.”

Horses were drawn to a halt, and the marquess alighted first then turned and grabbed Catherine around the waist, swinging her in a circle before setting her on her feet.

“Milord, are you mad?” she squealed.

He tilted his head and grinned. “Perhaps. Shall we make our grand entrance through the stately front doors?”

Oh lord, what have I done?

About the Author:

Author of eight books on California history and twenty-three romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives in Southern Nevada. Having spent several years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of her latest rescue cat, Lady Diana, a dignified senior. She loves red wine, all kinds of chocolate, old Jimmy Buffet sailing songs, and curling up with a good book.

Thank you for reading. If you are so inclined, we would love for you to leave a review or rating.

Website: https://pamelagibsonwrites.com/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/pamela-gibson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamgibsonwrites/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@authorpamelagibson
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/pamgibsonwrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pamela-Gibson/e/B00MKVB4XE

Blurb Blitz - Twinkle of Doubt by Patricia Leavy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

For fans of Colleen Hoover, this inspirational follow-up to Shooting Stars Above continues the love story between internationally best-selling novelist Tess and counterterrorism agent Jack as they both fight to overcome their deepest fears.

Tess Lee is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist whose inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack Miller is a federal agent who has spent decades working in counterterrorism—a violent world that has left an inevitable residue on his psyche. Two years into their marriage, as Tess and Jack both heal from past trauma, their epic love, fostered by their ability to truly see one another, has brought them profound happiness. When an anonymous threat is made against Tess’s life, however, everything changes. Will they learn to lean on each other, or will they fall apart into the darkness?

In Twinkle of Doubt, the second Celestial Bodies Romance, Tess, Jack, and their chosen family explore the nature of doubt and the struggle to feel worthy of love.

Read an Excerpt

The next morning, Tess and Jack were snuggling in bed. Jack was playing with Tess’s hair and teasing her. “I’m serious. You’d look good in a tiara; maybe you should have gone for that royal.”

“First of all, everyone looks good in a tiara.”

“That’s your first of all?” he said, tickling her mercilessly.

She giggled uncontrollably until he stopped.

“Okay, I should have said, ‘In no particular order.’ But my other points were that royalty is absurd, and that man was dull and uptight. And furthermore, Omar is out of his mind. He wasn’t in love with me.”

“Well, that’s where you lose all credibility. I trust Omar on this one. It’s impossible not to fall for you.”

She slid her hand behind her head, pulled out her pillow, and walloped him in the face.

“You did not just do that,” he said through laughter.

“That’s what you get for saying such silly things,” she said, now lying flat on the bed.

“Hey, I’m just grateful you’d give up a crown and palace for a guy like me,” he said.

“Jack, there are no guys like you. There’s only you.”

He leaned over, caressed her face, and kissed her.

“Give me my pillow,” she said.

“Oh, now you want it back?” he teased, holding it in his hand as far away from her as he could stretch. “You’re gonna have to come and get it.”

She started to crawl over him when his cell phone rang. “Ah, you’re in luck,” he said, handing her the pillow. “It’s Bobby.”

“See if they want to go to the movies with us later,” Tess said, propping herself up against her pillow. “If Gina’s there, we can persuade you two to see a romantic comedy and not one of those killing spree monstrosities.”

Jack laughed and answered the phone. “Hey, Bobby. What are you guys up to later? Save me from a chick flick.”

About the Author:

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She is also the publisher and CEO of Paper Stars Press. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book awards. Her novel Shooting Stars Above was featured on People “10 Romance Books to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry” and was the 2025 Firebird Book Award First Place Winner in Contemporary Novel, Romance, and Summer Beach Read. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

Website: http://www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
X (Twitter): https://x.com/PatriciaLeavy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Doubt-Celestial-Bodies-Romance/dp/B0FCYS6Y8Q
She Writes Press: https://shewritespress.com/product/twinkle-of-doubt/
Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Twinkle-of-Doubt/Patricia-Leavy/The-Celestial-Bodies-Romances/9798896361329
The Celestial Bodies Romances: https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/The-Celestial-Bodies-Romances

Book Blast - My Friends and I Spot... by TX Troan

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. T.X. Troan will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, these interactive puzzle picture books encourage creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in these places? Get ready for unforgettable adventures filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!

Fantasyland (Book 1) Blurb:

Join Evan and Page on an enchanting adventure in My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland: A Puzzle Picture Book! From creepy spiders lurking in shadowy corners to shimmering butterflies fluttering through sunlit glades, this captivating search-and-find journey invites readers of all ages to step into a vibrant world brimming with delightful surprises and mysterious wonders.

Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, this interactive puzzle picture book encourages creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in this place? Get ready for an unforgettable adventure filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!



Time Travel (Book 2) Blurb:

Embark on an exhilarating journey with Jason and Mary as they navigate through unexpected challenges and captivating experiences.

This children's book combines fun dialogues with engaging search-and-find illustrations to offer young readers an exciting exploration of imagination and adventure throughout various periods and places in time. Each page will not only encourage reading but also develop observation skills and spark curiosity about history, science fiction, and the ocean's mysteries.



About the Author:

Thuan Doan is an award-winning author of the Sophia Freeman series. He conceived his first middle-grade fantasy novel, Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain, during a trip to Gabriola Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2013. Then he took his work and settled in a small town of Enderby, where it’s peaceful and quiet.

Thuan is writing under a pen name of T.X. Troan. “X” stands for Xu, his grandmother’s name who passed away. And “Troan” is a combination of his parents' names.

“No matter how this turns out, I want my family to be a part of this wonderful journey.”

Website: http://www.txtroan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TXTroan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/txtroan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18815756.T_X_Troan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07ML3W2WW/allbooks
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/T.X.%20Troan%20My%20friends%20and%20I%20spot
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/browse/0?facet=brand:T+X+Troan
BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-friends-and-i-spot-fantasyland-a-puzzle-picture-book/e050b9b6fdb1d79a

Book Blast - A Real Collusion by Stu Strumwasser

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Stu Strumwasser will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Real Collusion is about the secret conspiracy between the Republican and Democratic parties to control the US government through an illegal duopoly.

From the author of the bestselling novel, The Organ Broker, (hailed by Lee Child, New York Times # 1 bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series as, "Exciting and thought-provoking--the perfect package") comes, A Real Collusion, a stunning political thriller and expose.

A Real Collusion is a David Vs. Goliath(s) story about a man who accidentally becomes the leader of an independent political movement that nearly takes down the two-party system in America, while exposing a conspiracy that affects the results of the 2016 election. It explores universal and deeply human themes of loss, and the tension between justice and power. In the opening sentence the narrator points out that, “Ordinary people often do extraordinary things.” The characters in the book do, and the action is driven by the fantastic events of a unique political satire. It is also the heartfelt story of regular people struggling with lost love, alienation and nearly universal disaffection who find strength in enduring loyalty and friendship

This is the story of John Campbell (a regular guy from the lower east side of Manhattan) as recounted by his friend Skip Winters. Skip becomes John’s campaign manager and later, a congressman in his own right. He narrates the stunning-but-plausible story of how John Campbell and The American Coalition race to popularity, raising over a hundred million dollars from grassroots contributors—and become a threat to the political duopoly of the Democratic and Republican parties. The book sprinkles in references to real events from recent history, and real political leaders including Trump, John McCain, and more. This imbues the novel with a sense of realism, albeit one of an alternate reality. Skip discovers a deep-seated conspiracy within our political system whose leaders orchestrate a murder, destroy his friend and tip the scales of the election. The novel turns out to be Skip’s exposé of the secret collaboration between the two major political parties in our country—a cooperation to protect the duopoly that is, in part, real.

Read an Excerpt

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is John Campbell, from the lower east side."

The crowd responded with another enthusiastic round of cheers, but this time John held up his palm and said, "Please, please…." And that threw a quasi-hush over the audience.

"Thank you for coming to this little park tonight to hear me speak. Three nights ago, on the evening of July 10th, I attended our local Community Board meeting to propose that cigar smoking not be allowed on the sidewalk in front of bars and restaurants. That's all. I was not there to critique our government and I didn't ask for any of the attention that I have since received. I'm just like most of you, and I never anticipated that newspapers and newscasters would ever solicit my opinions on political issues. But now they're asking, and I have decided that I have a responsibility to answer. I am not embarrassed to say… I care."

Then, John paused. He had their rapt attention and he knew it. He looked directly at me, suddenly brimming with confidence. It might have been the kind of glance that Keith and Mick sometimes give to the roadies right before they go into the encore. I think that the feeling which washed over me then was pride. John turned back to the crowd and loudly said, "So, would you like to hear my answer?!"

Thunder from the crowd. "Yeah!" they yelled, some pumping their fists in the air.

"I won't give it to you!" John shouted, but then quickly added, "Instead, I will give you my proposal for OUR answer!" which elicited yet another roar.

"In recent years our system of government has broken down. Everyone knows it. Washington has become caught up in never-ending partisan fighting. It was on display during the recent government shutdown. The two major political parties no longer represent us. Frankly, how could they represent the spectrum or sum total of the thoughts, feelings and will of three hundred million citizens? There is a reason that more young people now choose "Independent" than either party when they turn eighteen. The political parties today exist as little more than machines for the never-ending raising of money to combat the enormous amount of money raised by their opponents (their "enemy counter-party" or, as I prefer to refer to them: "fellow Americans.") Let's stop standing for it. The Democrats and Republicans currently run our nation like two petulant children fighting over which show to watch on TV and who gets to hold the remote. When one party chooses the program, the other storms out of the room. Is that really the way we want to be led?

About the Author

Stu Strumwasser is a modern-day muckraker who writes literary novels that address important sociopolitical issues. His first novel, The Organ Broker, was published by Skyhorse (distributed by Simon & Schuster) and shortlisted as one of five finalists for the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing. Strumwasser was also the primary songwriter and drummer for the indie rock band Channeling Owen. He is a longtime investment professional (investing in sustainable technology that improves the manner in which we make food) and hails from Brooklyn NY. His new novel, A Real Collusion, is both an exposé and analysis of broken government and a fictional David Vs. Goliath(s) story of the man who almost took down the two-party system in America.

WEBSITE: https://www.arealcollusion.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244895746-a-real-collusion
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/stuthemeddler
Tik Tok: http://www.tiktok.com/@stuthemeddler
To read the first two chapters of the novel please visit: https://arealcollusion.com/first-two-chapters/

See the author's article at Fortune Magazine: https://fortune.com/2026/04/01/congress-lower-approval-rating-than-hitler-rigged-system

Amazon Link to pre-order Amazon EBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5K3BJ1K
Amazon Link to pre-order Amazon Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GCCR2XMS
BN.com EBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-real-collusion-stu-strumwasser/1148954359?ean=2940185040737
BN Hardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-real-collusion-stuart-strumwasser/1148954359
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-real-collusion
Google Play EBook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=NxSlEQAAQBAJ&hl=en_US
Google Play Audiobook: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAEDqp1LnqM&hl=en_US
Apple Books: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6757249400
Payhip for the book: https://payhip.com/ARealCollusion

Book Blast - God's Surprising Way by Jeyran Main

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S. Jeyran Main will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

God's Surprising Way: The Path to Lasting Joy, Healing, and Love guides readers into the upside-down kingdom of God, where human expectations are consistently overturned. In this transformative journey, the humble are exalted, the last are lifted, and true greatness is found through servanthood, surrender, and sacrificial love. Through Scripture, theological insights, and historical reflections-from Augustine and Luther to Bonhoeffer and Nouwen-readers discover how God's surprising ways cultivate lasting joy, deep healing, and authentic love.

Each chapter explores a distinct paradox of the gospel, demonstrating how humility, generosity, and obedience can transform relationships, communities, and personal faith. Practical reflections and prompts invite readers to integrate these principles into daily life-choosing forgiveness over resentment, service over recognition, and trust over control.

With accessible scholarship, devotional insight, and concrete application, this book reveals the practical power of God's reversals. It challenges conventional assumptions about success, power, and happiness, inviting believers to live counterculturally in alignment with Christ's teachings. God's Surprising Way is both an invitation and a roadmap: to encounter God's transformative presence, embody the values of the Kingdom, and experience joy, healing, and love that endure.

Read an Excerpt

Christianity begins with surprise! From the moment the Word became flesh, God has been showing us that His ways are not our ways. He made incarnate the Savior, not in a palace but in a stable. He was welcomed by shepherds first, the lowly, marginalized outcasts of society (Luke 2:8–12). Jesus continued to reverse our expectations throughout his life. He taught everyone that the last would be first, and the first last (Matthew 20:16), that the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and that greatness was about servanthood, not privilege or authority (Matthew 20:26–27). Everywhere he went, the crowds were astonished—they were forced to recalibrate their understanding of power, privilege, and God’s blessing.

This reversibility, what some have called the upside-down kingdom, is key to understanding the surprising way of God. Where we see strength, control, and recognition, He delights in lifting the humble, exalting the meek, and blessing the poor in spirit. This is what Augustine means when he observes, “In the wisdom of God, they are overturned, and what seemed to be less is more weighty than it seemed in the world” (Augustine 1998, 54). This is often the counterfactual logic of the kingdom: surrender as a means of power, weakness as a source of strength, and service as a path to greatness.

The scriptures are replete with examples of reversibility. Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, and ultimately rules nations and saves them from famine (Genesis 50:20). David, the youngest and least regarded son of Jesse, becomes the greatest king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:11–13). The disciples, though zealously devoted to Jesus, have to learn that glory comes through humility, self-denial, and love for others (Mark 10:42–45). Jesus Himself modelled the supreme example; the Son of God, made majesty incarnate, suffers and dies, allowing defeat to become eternal victory.

Inviting us into the upside-down kingdom is more than a theological concept; it also shapes how we perceive our lives today. Our human assumptions—about success, happiness, and significance—are misguided. While learning to honour God’s surprising way, we see that consideration for a fleeting bit of favour from others gives way to joy, that surrender to God’s will yields health, and that loving others sacrificially through humble service changes relationships.

The upside-down kingdom is an invitation to see the world through God’s eyes—a way to fulfill what Jesus says; a way where “the last are first,” the “lowly are received” and “the hidden thing of love and service” is of eternal weight. The Paradox of Joy, Healing, and Love

In the upside-down kingdom, joy, healing, and love often appear to be contrary to human expectations. True joy is not the product of achievement, recognition, or comfort; healing is not always immediate; and love is rarely transactional. Instead, the Christian life invites believers into a paradox: the more we surrender, serve, and humble ourselves, the more these blessings flow into our lives.

About the Author:

Jeyran Main has spent years immersed in the world of books as an editor and publisher. She is the author of The Radical Realism of Jesus: A Framework for Living in the 21st Century and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Living in the Light of the Cross magazine. Through her platform, HeavenlyHarmonyHub.com, she provides resources that encourage thoughtful engagement with faith. Guided by a passion for seeking truth, Jeyran explores how God’s counterintuitive Kingdom wisdom overturns human expectations and invites readers into a life marked by joy, healing, generosity, and love.

https://jeyranmain.com/gods-surprising-way/

Book Blast - Laughing Through the Storm by Jane Rogers

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jane Rogers will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Diagnosed with epilepsy at 13, Jane's life took a wild turn full of seizures, specialists, and some seriously strange hospital adventures. But instead of letting it break her, she learned to laugh—at the chaos, the cringe, and even the curveballs. Laughing Through the Storm is a hilariously honest memoir about finding resilience, ridiculousness, and unexpected joy in the middle of life's messiest moments.

Read an Excerpt

It was a frosty January morning in 1981 when I decided to make my dramatic debut in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. As the latest addition to the family line-up, I was a calm and easy-going baby, quietly lulling everyone into a false sense of security. Classic me— always setting up for a twist.

My dad worked for the Health of Animals, a branch of the Canadian federal government, as a veterinarian in Prince Edward Island. They were responsible for the control, prevention and eradication of certain animal diseases. As the district veterinarian for the entire province, he had responsibilities for the health and well-being of all livestock, from pigs and cows to chickens. His days were a mix of travelling to farms to test animals for serious diseases like tuberculosis and rabies; visiting auction houses to ensure only healthy animals were sold; attending meat-packing plants to collect samples; and making safety diagnoses to ensure that animals entering the food chain were safe for human consumption.

When I was two, my parents decided to move us to Riverview, New Brunswick, a town that became the stage for my happiest childhood memories. We lived on Hamilton Court, a little slice of suburban heaven with one particularly glorious feature: hills. Our backyard sloped gently, but our neighbours’ yards were even steeper, perfect for sledding. Every winter, kids from all over the neighbourhood would arrive armed with sleds, ready to turn those snowy slopes into the ultimate playground. We would shriek with laughter as we careened down the hill and tumbled into a snowbank. Gravity may have been our accomplice in the winter, but in the summer, it was the architect of our joy. My friends and I would roll down those same hills, giggling uncontrollably, dizzy from both the spinning and the laughter.

About the Author:

Jane Rogers is an accidental expert in epilepsy, diagnosed at 13 and living with it ever since. She's spent over three decades navigating seizures, side effects, and hospital adventures with grit, sarcasm, and a solid sense of humor. Laughing Through the Storm is her first book—a tribute to resilience, ridiculous moments, and finding light in the darkest places.

She lives in Ottawa with her supportive husband, Pascal, and their two mischievous chihuahuas, Junior and Bailey.

Fun Fact: Jane once had a seizure during a comedy show— and still insists the comedian owes her one.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laughingthroughthestorm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jane.rogers.339999

Book Blast - The Obscura Syndicate by Raven Storme

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Raven Storme will be awarding a signed paperback and book plate to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Lira was meant to die for the throne.

Cassian Vale was trained to be the blade that ended her.

But the moment he hesitates—one heartbeat, one breath—everything forbidden ignites.

Now the deadliest man in the Syndicate is the only thing standing between Lira and a prophecy that demands her blood. He should fear her. He should kill her. Instead… he can’t stop wanting her.

She’s the girl marked for sacrifice.
He’s the weapon shaped to obey.

Together, they become the spark that threatens to burn Obscura to ashes

As Lira’s power awakens and the throne tightens its grip, their desire becomes its own kind of danger—raw, consuming, and impossible to survive untouched. Enemies hunt them. Shadows follow them. And the kingdom whispers one truth:

If Cassian doesn’t ruin her, she’ll ruin him.

A dark, seductive story of prophecy, power, and a love so intense it could topple a kingdom.

Read an Excerpt

“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” Cassian said.

I didn’t stop.

“How should I look at you?” I asked, stepping closer, close enough to feel the heat rolling off his body. “Like a monster?”

His jaw clenched. “Like someone who can ruin you.”

I smiled. “You already have.”

His hand came up fast, pinning me to the wall—not violent, but unyielding. His body crowded mine, every inch of him a warning I ignored willingly.

“You don’t understand what you’re inviting,” he murmured.

“I understand exactly,” I said, fingers sliding into his coat, finding the steady thrum of his heart. “You don’t touch things you don’t intend to keep.”

His breath stuttered.

“Say that again,” he said.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

That was the moment he lost control.

His mouth crushed to mine, all restraint burned away, and the world narrowed to breath, skin, and the terrifying certainty that neither of us would walk away unchanged.

About the Author:

Raven 🐦‍⬛ Storme writes dark, smut-heavy romance for readers who crave obsession, power struggles, and secrets whispered in the dark. Living in Pennsylvania, she’s been married for fourteen years and shares her life with fourteen dogs—because calm has never been her aesthetic. Her debut series, The Obscura Syndicate, dives into forbidden desire, shadowy loyalties, and characters who blur every moral line. Raven believes love is messy, passion is dangerous, and the best stories live in the dark.

Website: http://Ravenstorme.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raven.storme
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ravenstormeauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smut.luvin.books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Obscura-Syndicate-Dark-Gothic-Romance-ebook/dp/B0GH2HS8PW/ref=sr_1_1

VBT - Stone of Destiny by Margaret Izard

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Margaret Izard will be awarding a Stone of Destiny Swag Box to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Bound by destiny, torn by fate—their love stood unbroken, victorious over all.

Kat MacArthur still feels the loss of her brother to another time. Seeking solace, she stumbles upon Ceallach, a Fae warrior, she’s had feelings for ever since she met him. The emotion grows stronger whenever they are together. Yet he warns her to stay away from the upcoming gathering for the Iona Stones. Kat refuses—she needs to be there to help her family and Ceallach.

Ceallach is torn between duty, magic, and the ache for mortal love. His Fae soul is sworn to protect the Iona Stones during the Gathering, but his heart is lost to Kat. With the prophecy looming, he cannot promise her forever—no matter how much he longs to. The maiden of the Iona Stones now faces sacrifice, and he fears if his beloved gets too close, he cannot save her.

When dark forces rise to take the Iona Stones along with their powers, Ceallach is forced into an impossible decision—to defy destiny or surrender to love?

Read an Excerpt

Still wearing a grin, he strode forward with confidence, and a sensuality Kat had not forgotten. The man still took her breath away with one look. Ceallach arrived before her, a smile playing on his lips. As his eyes swept across her face, the expression faltered. His brows knitted together in a frown, shadowing the sudden tension in his gaze. Reaching with his finger, he lifted a tear from her cheek, gripped his fist hard, and when opened, a small, clear teardrop-shaped gemstone sat in his palm.

“Dry yer tears, sweet Kat. Yer face is much prettier without them.” He took her hand and, with his other placed the gemstone in her palm. “When ye hold the gem, yer tears will fade, and happy thoughts shall fill yer heart.” When the stone touched her skin, her mind cleared, and a sense of ease washed over her.

Ceallach released her hand and strode past her to the doors.

Kat turned, calling after him. “Wait, why are ye here?”

The attractive Fae stopped and turned. “Dagda sent me. I’ve come to meet with the guardian of the stones. All the stones have returned. The gathering and battle of good vs evil is upon us. The gods have called, and we must answer.”

He opened the heavy oak doors without effort and strode through. The doors weight closed them, leaving Kat in the shadows again. She blinked, almost not believing her eyes and the truth before her. Her secret love had just casually strolled back into her life. Gripping the gem, he’d shaped from her tears, warmth washed over her. Ceallach was here. A smile crossed her face.

Ceallach was here.

How about an Interview?

1. Describe yourself in three words.

Fearless — I write straight into emotional and mythic fire, willing to face grief, sacrifice, desire, and power head-on without sanding down the edges for comfort.

Imaginative — my mind builds living worlds where history, folklore, Fae, and love braid together into something immersive, emotional, and purposeful.

Relentless — I finish what I start, I show up even when it’s hard, and I keep going until life gives everything promised.

2. Cast your book. Tell us who would play the main characters in a movie and why.

Theo James for Ceallach and Emilia Clarke for Kat MacArthur 

3. What’s your favorite love scene from a movie?

I’m going to have to go with Romeo and Juliet. In High School English class we had to watch the movie and the same day we saw the window scene my boyfriend broke up with me right before that class. I cried the whole class, and was never the same. No one does drama better than Shakespeare. 

Fun Fact: I have his gravestone rubbing framed and hung in my bedroom. As a child it hung in the wet bar area of our home and from a young age I could read it.

Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.. 

4. What’s your wildest fantasy?

I always wanted to be the girl on Whitesnake’s Jaguar XJS convertible in Here I go Again on my Own.

Or the bride in Guns and Roses November Rain – but when I mentioned it to my husband he reminded me, she dies in the video. And in real life, she married Axel Rose only to divorce him later. 

But deep down inside, I just want someone to deep clean my house so I don’t have to!

5. If you were to lose one of your senses, which would you rather lose and why?

Smell, while it’s part of taste, I’d still keep taste and that would be fine with me. Something’s I’ve smelled in my life, I could have done without smelling 😊 

6. What is the naughtiest thing you did as a kid?
As a teenager, before I even had a driver’s license at fifteen, I used to sneak out the go-cart. A boyfriend showed me how to rig a string to the governor switch so I could get full power, and every time I brought it back, I lined it up in the garage just right so my father would never notice.

One afternoon I burned my arm on the muffler. When my father asked what happened, I panicked and blamed the toaster. He didn’t question it for a second—he called the toaster company, chewed them out, and promptly bought a new one.

I let that lie stand for years. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties, sitting at Easter dinner with my husband and kids, that I finally confessed. Until that moment, my father genuinely believed the toaster had burned me. The confession did not go quietly. There’s nothing quite like getting chewed out by your father at Easter supper—especially in front of your spouse and children.

Quickies: These are hysterical!

Boxers or Briefs?

My man wears boxers, I wear woman’s briefs
Top or Bottom?

Both!
Pajamas or nude?

Sleeping = Tshirt but I love laying naked with my man.
Hairy chests or smooth?

My husband may kill me for this, but for a long time he had little chest hair. It didn’t come in till later. So, I like both. FYI, we’ve been married for 33 years.
Alpha or Beta?

If you ask my husband, I’m the alpha but really deep down, beta.

About the Author

Margaret Izard is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Her latest awards are 2024 Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention for Stone of Love and 2024 Spring BookFest Silver Award for the same title. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her desire for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets.

Website: http://www.margaretizardauthor.com
Buy Links: https://linktr.ee/mizardauthor
Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/mizardauthor