Safkhet Publishing ~ Summer Reads

Monday 25 March 2013

Sophie's Run Blog Tour! Meet Dan!

Come on Tour with Sophie and Dan… Dan takes you to the beer capital of Europe: Munich

Sophie’s Run Blogtour 2013
 

Hi! Dan Hunter here of legendary rock band Tuscq. God, it sounds bad when I say it that way. You would have thought after twenty years in the business, I would have found a way to introduce myself a little more gracefully. Anyway… there it is, and this is me.

I’m so delighted to be here on Sheryl’s fabulous blog today! Sheryl always makes me laugh. (Oh yes, I have read her books. I do go in for a bit of romcom here or there!). Anyway, I’m here as part of the LAUNCH TOUR for SOPHIE’S RUN, the second book in the Rock Star Romance Trilogy which continues the story of my romance with the amazing Sophie Penhalligan ~ even if we’re on a slight detour.

Today, I want to tell you about how I plunged myself into Munich nightlife and culture whilst on tour once. It was a memorable gig! This is how Sophie wrote it up at the time:

Alien Invasion in Munich

Tuscq’s second German show got under way to generous acclaim and high expectations. If the show itself seemed to go without unplanned interruption, things got somewhat out of control backstage at the close of the gig. Unbeknownst to the band or the venue’s management, about fifty attendees from a Star Trek convention taking place that same evening had—quite mistakenly, or so they later assured security guards—found their way to the stadium and were camped out in the dressing rooms when the band returned from the stage. Mick commented, “It was crazy. When I got to my dressing room, I was greeted by Mr. Spock who was wrestling an alien on my sofa. I fought my way to the bathroom only to find Captain Kirk trying to get friendly with Uhura.” (Excerpt from Sophie’s Turn)

Well, they certainly have some panache out there in Bavaria. While we didn’t have very much time, I did make a point of looking round the city very briefly the following day just to comprehend exactly… what had happened in our dressing room the previous night! And of course I was at a slight loose end that day, what with Sophie having been called away so abruptly. I needed some distraction or I would have worried myself silly. So here’s what I found.

 First of all… the Beer Hall, the Hofbräuhaus. I mean, Munich is the beer capital of Europe, right? How could I not go? It was… interesting. The beer was great, although the Oompa music wasn’t for me. Obviously.

 By Jorge Royan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 
I had to have a Weisswurst with my beer. It’s the law, apparently, it being the ‘second breakfast’ out there. It doesn’t look terribly appetizing (sausages should be brown, right!) but it was surprisingly good.

 By Rainer Z ... (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 
I was drawn to the Englischer Garten (English Garden), a large park in the centre of Munich. I simply had to explore it. Nobody warned me that people would be tanning there au naturel. I was most impressed; sadly, I didn’t have time to join in.

  By User:Mattes (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AEnglischer_Garten_(Munich)-People_tanning.JPG

 
Imposing vistas. They’re definitely very proud people down there!

By Rnt20 at en.wikipedia. Later version(s) were uploaded by Ian Dunster at en.wikipedia. (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMun_flags_frauenkirche.jpg

 
It was a lightning trip ~ I don’t normally get to do any sightseeing at all ~ but I greatly enjoyed it. Maybe I can take Sophie back there one day? Meanwhile, I hope you have a great time joining us in our new adventures in Sophie’s Run. Happy reading, and thanks for visiting here today.


Wait, wait, wait, there’s more: Introducing the Sophie’s Run Give Away!

Sophie’s Run GIVEAWAYS

1) Standard Giveaway

Nicky Wells is giving away one delicious chocolate gift to a lucky winner in the UK or North America!
 
The small print: This Gift prize is a product of Unique Chocolate. The Gift prize is subject to availability in your country. If the Gift prize is not available in your country, Nicky Wells reserves the right to offer a substitute gift prize of a similar nature at her discretion. Nicky Wells will require the winner’s postal address for shipping purposes.

 
Rafflecopter Links:


2. Bonus Giveaway

Nicky Wells offers a giveaway of one Amazon gift voucher worth $20/£15 for one lucky winner. To enter, simply share your thoughts on Sophie’s Run with Nicky. Email your comment to nickywells@sapphirestarpublishing.com and your name will be entered into the draw. Competition closes 1 May 2013.
 

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!
 
Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  A signed author with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky is in the throes of publishing her Rock Star Romance Trilogy. Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.
 
Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.
 

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress. You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook. Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing, Amazon and, of course, Goodreads.

Sophie’s Run

Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even?  Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet.  But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy.  Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful.  A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change.  Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.


Sales links for Sophie’s Run:

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon). 

Friday 22 March 2013

TRAILER REVEAL ~ The Fallen Stars!

Hello everyone! I am very excited about hosting the Trailer Reveal today for fellow Love A Happy Ending Lifestyle author, Stephanie Keyes' second book, The Fallen Stars.
Read on for more information about the trailer and the book!

The Trailer

 

 

The Book

The Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes
 The Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes
Release Date: April 12th, 2013 |
When all is lost, he will have to make the ultimate decision.
Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Monday 18 March 2013

Pre-launch Review ~ SECURITY by Mandy Baggot

SecuritySecurity by Mandy Baggot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Take the best of 24, Taken, and The Bodyguard and you have Security. Roll Jack Bauer, Liam Neeson and Kevin Costner into one, and you have focussed, hard-edged, ex-special forces agent, Nathan Regan. I was just blown away by Security. When my Kindle threw a wobbly, I took my iPhone to bed, that’s how much I couldn’t put it down. The characters are real, multifaceted, damaged people you absolutely root for. Even in Autumn Raine - international singing sensation at the height of her career, spoilt, pandered to and ‘adored’, we soon glimpse a vulnerability which has us on her side.

A kidnap threat has Autumn whisked away from her life of haute cuisine, of which she consumes little, and luxury living at the grandest hotels to pizza in a place she wouldn’t be seen dead in – in the company of someone she would be seen dead with. Nathan Regan charged with Autumn’s security is, on the surface, rough, rude, ruthless and angry. He’s a professional, he has a job to do and he’s going to do it to the best of his ability. He’s no time for spoilt, little rich girls throwing tantrums. Though he’s haunted by ghosts from his past, Nathan’s training has helped him develop a tough emotional armour. Even when he glimpses the fragile, caring woman underneath the superstar persona, he’s not going to let it distract him. Is he? I can’t say anymore for fear of spoilers. However, I simply have to add that the supporting characters are every bit as enticing. Tawanda is just the perfect foil between the hero and heroine. Oh, and the love scenes... Wow! Enough said. You simply have to read it. Mandy Baggot is on a winner here. Security is fabulously written. You think you know what to expect, you get a whole lot more. This is a book that is hugely satisfying and highly recommended!


View all my reviews

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Cover Reveal ~ THE RED EFFECT by Harvey Black!


Today I’m delighted to be hosting author Harvey Black!
Harvey is here to share a little about the inspiration behind his intriguing military thrillers and to reveal the cover for his latest release ‘The Red Effect’.

So, Harvey, what started you writing about such a fascinating subject?

I have wanted to write a novel since I was a teenager. Enthralled by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, E.E. Doc Smith’s Lensmen series and Edgar Rice Burroughs, I felt sure my first would be of the SF genre.

Joining the army changed all of that and my passion now is for military history.  ‘Devils with Wings’, a military thriller, based around the adventures of two young Fallschirmjäger paratroopers during the early part of World War II, is a fictionalised adventure based on the famous assault on the impregnable Belgian fortress, Eben Emael.    
 

What do you think makes your books special?

I try to visit the locations in person. For Devils with Wings: Silk Drop, I walked the routes, up to 18 miles, in Crete, during the hottest part of the day, where my characters would have marched. Most of the descriptions in the novel, of what they can see, was written in situ.

I have just finished the first of my Cold War trilogy of novels, The Red Effect. Having spent a number of years in British Army Intelligence during the Cold War years, I have a deep insight into the undercurrents and flashpoints that occurred between the Soviet Union and the West.

 
Can you tell what authors inspire you?

I have number of authors I follow, ranging from Stephen Leather, Simon Scarrow, Bernard Corwall, Gerald Seymor to Ian Rankin. Since i have been writing my own novels, I have played a close interest in newer authors, such as S.J.A.Turney and Stephen England. I am currently reading 'Marias' Mules' IV.

What is your plan going forward? Do you have other books in the pipeline?

There will be ten books in the 'Devils with Wings' series, Book 4, will be published towards the end of the year. The Red Effect now finished, I will focus on Book 2, The Black Effect, where the confrontation between East and West continues.

Have you learned from your writing/publishing experience?  What will you do differently next time?

More structure to my chapters in advance, focus on my characterisation and improving my dialogue, key to keeping the story moving.

Tell us a little about lessons learnt so far?

Edit, edit, edit! Even when you have your editing done professionally, you still need to check your manuscript again and again.

 
Out in April – The Red Effect.

 
Thank you so much for sharing with us, Harvey.  I would just like to finish by saying I have read Devils with Wings (recommended by my adult son, who is an avid reader of historical) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 
Find out more about HARVEY BLACK AUTHOR and the ‘Cold War’ trilogy here: http://harveyblackauthor.org/2013/01/18/the-cold-war-years-part-10/

 
Amazon Links:

Devils with Wings: ref=sib_dp_kd
Devils with Wings Silk: Drop: ref=sib_dp_kd
Devils with Wings: Frozen Sun: ref=sib_dp_kd