Two Chicks On Books

Blog Tour: DEATHCAP by Bibiana Krall With An Interview & A $10 Amazon GC #Giveaway!

2025-11-03T03:00:00.002-05:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the DEATHCAP by Bibiana Krall Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: DEATHCAP (Winter Ghosts #2)

Author: Bibiana Krall

Pub. Date: September 21, 2025

Publisher: Black Calyx Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 258

Find it: Goodreads, www.books2read.com/deathcap

Glamour is a mask. Legend is real. And the forest never forgets.

1990 Supermodel of the Year, Zoey Jones boards a private jet bound for an exclusive alpine retreat, a glamorous detox for the world’s most beautiful and broken. A rebel from Brooklyn and best friend of Suki Murphy, the enigmatic front woman of L.A.’s cult-sensation band Synthwave Siren.

Zoey is no stranger to decadence… but nothing can prepare her for what waits in the shadow of the French Alps.
The chateau is a masterpiece of Gothic opulence, silk-draped halls, flickering candelabras, shuttered windows that tremble beneath a bruised sky. Isolated by a sudden storm and a total communications blackout, the retreat guests soon sense something is off. Whispers echo through the corridors. The forest presses closer. And in the flicker of candlelight, even their reflections seem unfamiliar. Then a guest disappears after a terrifying incident.

As the line between dream and nightmare dissolves, Zoey finds herself entangled in a sinister web of ancient folklore and ritualistic horror, where mushrooms bloom with sentient intent, the forest hides something feral and divine, and the house itself breathes with memories of the past.

When another guest stumbles upon a pagan monument hidden deep in the woods, an altar dripping with fungal dread...Zoey must decide: will she fight for the truth, or be consumed by the dark glamour that surrounds her?

A spellbinding collision of fashion, folklore, and femme power, Deathcap is a haunting supernatural thriller where the '90s pulse with danger, legends fester beneath haute couture, and nothing is what it seems.

Welcome to the retreat. Check your secrets at the door. You won’t be needing them where you're going…

Reviews:

“This supernatural thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, fearing the worst while hoping for their survival. Though I've loved every story by Krall, this well-crafted tale has become my favorite. I highly recommend “Deathcap” to anyone seeking a blend of glamour, mystery, and supernatural suspense.”—E. Denise Billups, multi-genre author

“If you enjoy spooky stories that are sensual and surreal with a touch of romance, then you will love Deathcap, Book2 in author Bibiana Krall’s Winter Ghosts series, which readers can also enjoy as a stand-alone novel.”—Amazon Review

“Author Bibiana Krall delivers so many twists and turns in this book that it is sometimes a spine-tingling plot. I enthusiastically endorse this classy taunting tale.” —Amazon Review

Grab book 1, BANSHEE on sale for $.99 on Amazon worldwide until November 10! http://www.books2read.com/thebanshee

Book Trailer:

Bibiana Krall - Interview Questions

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about your book and the characters?

‘Deathcap’ is about finding out what you’re made of when the chips are down, the cost of beauty, learning to face your fears and the importance of listening to your intuition.

Six women of privilege (supermodels) are given an opportunity to stay at a luxury castle in the French Alps and enjoy a free week of spa treatments, but what they aren’t told is that the chauteau is haunted and they might be the sacrifice… it’s just wild. Some say they loved the Gothic atmosphere, others at how certain characters stop competing and actually begin helping each other when things begin to unravel.

What are you working on now?

I’m wrapping up a book to Feature Film project with iOscape Studios in Marbella, Spain. The supernatural novel is so much fun with a venerable cast of characters in a village in coastal Maine.

Vol. 3 in Winter Ghosts is currently in the research phase, so I can’t really say much yet, but it will be in an international location, sophisticated and entertaining. Of course, it will be spooky and atmospheric as well.

I travel internationally whenever possible and you will see this reflected in my creative work.

House of Mirrors www.youtube.com/@AuthorReadings is a writing community collaboration where we write and read spooky literature and share it on YouTube. It’s been a lot of fun to produce the videos and work directly with talented writers from all over the world.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

No not really, I’ve never personally known a supermodel, but I did come of age in the late 80s and early nineties. I was fascinated by the supermodel, Iman. When she married David Bowie, I was gobsmacked. Just wow!

Who was your favorite character to write?

There are quite a few characters I enjoyed in this book. I deeply admire Zoey Jones, Anya, so many, but I think I am the most like Suki. There have been times in my life where I just didn’t have the bandwidth to feel my own feelings. It was fun to portray fashion models, and musical artists as smart and emotional beings.

We don’t see that very much in popular culture and in a lot of ways it feels sad that these beautiful and successful women never get to say anything, because everyone is too busy looking at them or envying their life, but not many eem not to care about how they feel or anything beyond surface.

What about your least favorite?

Lola is just horrible, and Odile’s husband, Gevaudun is also easy to dislike. He does a lot of mansplaining and thinks he’s superior to every woman he’s ever met. If he wasn’t loaded and sexy with a French accent, there is no doubt in my mind, he would be a lonely, lonely man.

What is your favorite passage/scene in your book?

I love the scene where two women who are almost strangers are helping each other after all hell breaks loose. They don’t give up on each other even when it’s so bonkers most of us would be running the other way…

What kind of research did you have to do for the story? I was fortunate to be in France last summer and bopped around The French Riviera with my husband. He drove us on the Corniche to Monaco, and I talked him onto lunch in Eze. It was so gorgeous and the seafood is superb. I also did tons of reading about French myth and folklore. There’s a famous myth that inspired one of the villains in the story and it was fun to do a modern riff on a legend from the Middle Ages.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now?

I read ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ every October. I’m a die-hard Shirley Jackson fan and even found the mansion that I think may have inspired her story. It’s in Vermont near where she used to teach college and live.

Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read? ‘Bochica’ by Carolina Florez-Cerchiaro

Favorite social media site?

Instagram

Favorite Superhero or Villain?

Wonder Woman

Favorite TV shows?

Three Body Problem, Stranger Things, Black Mirror

Sweet or Salty?

Salty

Any Phobias?

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

‘Alabama’ by Adele Castillon

2025 or 2026 Movie you’re most looking forward to? ‘Practical Magic 2’

Do you play video games? If so what are some of your favorites? I used to play: Lady Pacman, Donkey Kong and Asteroids in an underground arcade downtown East Lansing near MSU.

About Bibiana Krall:

Bibiana Krall, M.A., M.F.A. is a multi-award-winning author who spent years as an international travel expert and luxury insider in private aviation. She has lived the adventurous life she writes about in her edgy fiction, highlighting female protagonists in intuition-driven stories that empower and explore our mysterious world. She is currently working on her 3²ⁿd fiction title.

Winner of a ‘Pay It Forward Scholarship’ from Wilkes University CW, she has been graciously called, ‘A lyrical maven, the queen of paranormal and a literary wordsmith.’ Watch cinematic book trailers on YouTube and subscribe to her newsletter and creative blog, Imaginarium.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

Ends November 8th, midnight EST.

Tour Participants:

Two Chicks on Books

Country Mamas With Kids

Fire and Ice Reads

@mama_coffee_books_cardigans

Frugal Freelancer

@kimbartosch

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

jlreadstoperpetuity

Ilovebooksandstuffblog

Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog

@lacrissareads

GryffindorBookishNerd

@alexandriavwilliams_

@review_thick_and_thin

@thepageladies

Blog Tour- BENEATH BEAUFORD GROVE by E. Denise Billups With An Excerpt & A #Giveaway!

2025-10-15T03:00:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BENEATH BEAUFORD GROVE by E. Denise Billups Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: BENEATH BEAUFORD GROVE

Author: E. Denise Billups

Pub. Date: August 22, 2025

Publisher: Shivering Pond Publishing

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 376

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/u/4A6Qlo

For fans of Anne Rice's 'The Witching Hour', Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 'Mexican Gothic', and Tananarive Due's 'The Good House'

The curse flows through her veins, but so does the cure.

Dr. Evangeline Beauford thought blood held no secrets from her.
As one of Boston's leading hematologists, she's dedicated her career to studying blood's mysteries—until a posthumous letter from her estranged sister draws her back to Beauford Grove after eighteen years away.

The family's olive plantation shouldn't exist in Alabama soil. The trees shouldn't weep crimson sap. And her own family's blood work shouldn't show impossible anomalies that her scientific mind can't explain.

But as Evangeline uncovers centuries-old diaries hidden in the grove, she learns the devastating truth: her mother didn't send her away out of rejection—it was protection from a sinister blood pact forged between French colonists and enslaved practitioners of powerful African and Haitian magic.

The plantation's unnatural prosperity came at a price paid in blood and bound both bloodlines to the land through ancient rituals. Now, with the pact demanding its due, Evangeline must confront her family's dark legacy and her own dormant power.

Her medical expertise may be the key to breaking the cycle—or the final sacrifice it demands.

Excerpt:

Prologue

EVA’S FIRST MEMORY of blood magic came with the smell of rotting olives and her Grand-mère Marie’s whispered French. The old woman’s fingers, gnarled as the roots she tended, guided ten-year-old Eva through a grove where Mediterranean trees thrust through red Alabama clay, like bones through skin. Spanish moss hung from twisted branches in gray shrouds, and kudzu choked the wrought-iron fence that caged the groves. Even the summer air felt wrong here—thick as blood, sweet with night-blooming jasmine that couldn’t quite mask the decay beneath.

“Ma petite,” Grand-mère murmured, her voice rough as centuries of buried secrets, “you must understand the gift in your veins.” The silver tip of her gardening knife caught the moonlight like a cat’s eye. “The land knows our blood. It has known it since before your ancestor Celestine set foot on this soil, since before the first slaves were buried in the grove to feed the trees.”

Eva didn’t flinch when the blade bit her finger; she’d seen enough of her mother’s stillborn births to know genuine pain. Besides, something in Grand-mère’s eyes scared

her more than any small hurt—an ancient hunger deeper than the roots themselves. A single drop of blood welled up, black as sin in the moonlight. Grand-mère guided her hand down, and the blood fell.

The soil sighed like a dying breath. The drop disappeared into the earth, which seemed to pulse beneath their feet, and where it landed, tiny shoots of green unfurled like skeletal fingers reaching for the moon. Eva watched, transfixed, as delicate leaves sprouted and uncurled in seconds, their edges tinged with red.

“C’est la magie dans notre sang,” Grand-mère said. “The magic in our blood.” She touched the tiny plant with the reverence of a penitent. “We do not rule this land, ma chérie. We are bound to it, as it’s bound to us. A covenant written in blood and soil, sealed with sacrifices you’re too young to understand.”

Eighteen years later, Eva’s finger traces her deceased sister’s letter, sensing the spot where Grand-mère had drawn blood that night. She had buried the memory deep, entombed with other childhood horrors—the whispers from the slave quarters’ ruins, the shadows that danced too freely in candlelight, and the weight of generational sins in her mother’s eyes. But now, holding her sister’s last words, those memories stir like something long buried clawing at the surface.

Dearest Eva, the letter read, its ink brown and flaking like dried blood. If you’re reading this, I’m already gone. There are elements you must understand about our blood—things Grand-mère tried to tell us before Mama sent you away...

Eva sets the letter down on her lab bench, where slides of anonymous blood samples wait for analysis. A hematologist now, shipped north of the Mason-Dixon Line at age ten, she’s as far removed from Alabama as her test tubes and microscopes. She’s spent her career studying the mysteries of blood—its components, its mutations, its

secrets—trying to reduce its power to mere chemistry. But as she stares at her sister’s spidery handwriting, she hears Grand-mère’s voice slithering through the night air: “The land knows our blood.”

Outside her lab window, a massive oak spreads its arms to the Boston sky like a supplicant at prayer. Eighteen years later, Eva wonders if it senses her presence like the olive trees did. Was that night real, or an invented memory justifying her family, casting her like Cain into the wilderness?

Only one way to find out.

Her hand moves to the drawer where she keeps her lancets, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she swears she hears the trees whisper.

Chapter 1: Dark Things

ABSENTMINDEDLY, EVA STROKES the head of her Portuguese water dog, Hewson, while inspecting the blood flow through the IV line. Her mind drifts to the lab results she reviewed yesterday—hemoglobin levels critically low, bone marrow failing. Sophie Evans has become Eva’s personal mission after arriving at Mass General six months ago with no family, no history beyond a state caseworker’s thin file, and a devastating Diamond Blackfan anemia diagnosis. Yet something’s different today.

“Your blood feels warm,” Sophie murmurs, her voice stronger than yesterday. Eva’s clinical mind seeks a rational explanation as she checks the transfusion equipment. But Sophie’s monitors are showing impossible improvements—oxygen saturation climbing, heart rate stabilizing. Color blooms across the child’s pale cheeks like watercolor on wet paper. Eva glances at the door, acutely aware of what she’s done. The hospital board has approved standard treatments for the orphaned eight-year-old, not experimental transfusions from her own veins.

The memory hits her at once: moonlight filtering through ancient olive branches. Her Grand-mère’s voice, thick with a Creole accent: “Our blood, ma petite—it carries life itself.” The scent of rich soil, and the impossible sight of green shoots unfurling in seconds where her blood had fallen. She’s buried that memory deep, wrapped it in layers of scientific certainty. Dreams don’t happen in real life. Plants don’t grow in seconds. Blood is just blood: red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets.

Each day, Eva sits beside the hospital bed, studying the child who bears an uncanny resemblance to her younger self. Despite repeated failures of corticosteroid treatments, this case fractures everything she understands about the disease. Something deeper than science lurks beneath Sophie’s inexplicable condition that makes Eva question everything she’s learned about medicine.

Eva’s hand trembles as she reaches for her tablet to document the vitals, her eyes catching the worn envelope from her sister peeking out of her pocket. The letter she’s scoured since it arrived three days ago is heavy with the weight of family secrets.

Hewson whimpers, his dark eyes moving between Eva and Sophie, as if he senses the shift in the room’s energy. Eva remembers her grandmother’s other words that night: "When you’re ready, ma chérie, the groves will call you home." As if responding to the memory, the heart-shaped birthmark beneath her wrist pulses with its own rhythm—the same mark that adorned her mother and grandmother’s skin, a legacy etched into every firstborn Beauford daughter.

Eva stands transfixed by Sophie’s bedside, watching the monitor display numbers that mock everything she learned in medical school. Each steady beep marks another impossible improvement, another miracle science can’t explain. The bandage on her arm, where she drew her own blood for Sophie’s transfusion, pulses with an unsettling

warmth. Her grandmother’s herbs, her sister’s letter, generations of Beauford women, and their whispered secrets… Her history now flows through this child’s veins. Sophie drifts to sleep, and Eva notices that her skin is radiant with unnatural vitality as she adjusts the blanket. For years, she’s hidden behind medical journals and clinical trials, using science to shield herself from her family’s mysteries. Now, seeing her patient thrive on blood that should have been incompatible, she can no longer deny what she is. Eva touches the bandage once more before walking back to her lab, where vials of their mingled blood await testing—though she knows she won’t find the truth under a microscope.

As she makes her way to her lab, the familiar cramping, worse than most women experience, proclaims a monthly malady. She checks her period-tracking app—fourteen days until her cycle begins.

Her first period at twelve was a nightmare of biblical proportions. The pain wasn’t normal menstrual cramps; it felt like molten iron coursing through her abdomen. She’d been pruning her cousin Laurel’s herb garden, a stubborn patch of green tucked behind their Beacon Hill brownstone, when an immediate and violent cramp seized her, doubling her over the plants. Her hand caught the rusty edge of ancient garden shears, a family heirloom that traveled north from Alabama with her cousin. Blood welled from her palm as she steadied herself against the withered rosemary bush. A drop fell onto its dried leaves. Through her tears of pain, she saw the impossible: brown stems flushed green, and new sprigs erupted from dead wood, spiraling toward her bleeding hand like hungry vines. The plant’s sudden vitality pulsed in time with her cramping, and the rich scent of rosemary filled the air—far too strong for Boston’s thin soil.

Cousin Laurel had found her curled up in the herb garden, surrounded by the baffling overgrown rosemary. Unlike other adults who might have questioned the impossible growth, Laurel’s face had gone pale with recognition. She’d helped Eva into the house and into bed, hands shaking as she made a phone call: “Madeline, it’s happened. The blood... It found her even here.”

Eva learned early to speak of her condition in careful, clinical terms. Three generations documented with similar symptoms, she’d explain during rare discussions with concerned colleagues—her mother, her grandmother, every firstborn daughter marked by the same pattern. The medical rationalist in her had once suggested genetic testing, but Cousin Laurel’s warning glare had silenced that inquiry. “Some family histories,” she’d said while steeping her special tea, “are better left unwritten.”

Now, back in her lab, Eva glances at her sister’s letter again, focusing on a previously overlooked line: The entity demands its monthly tribute through the daughters’ blood. The groves flourish, the town prospers, and we bear the burden.

A realization settles over Eva like a shadow as she recalls the strange images that have manifested over several weeks—those no medical textbook can explain. Trees in the Public Garden contorting toward her, their branches like desperate fingers seeking her touch as she passed. Her reflection in shop windows moving a half-second too slowly, as if something else watched through her eyes. Most disturbing is Sophie’s case— a mysterious recovery that perfectly tracks Eva’s approaching cycle.

Images flash through her mind: her grandmother’s garden, impossible lushness during certain weeks. Times when her mother would disappear into the groves monthly, returning pale, but the olives always ripened perfectly afterward. Her inexplicable connection to blood disorders. Perhaps a genetic memory led her to hematology.

Eva drops her arms to the polyurethane lab chair’s armrest, her memories shifting and reforming. Did her mother send her to live with Cousin Laurel in Boston at ten to give her a traditional life, away from Beauford Grove’s dark legacy?

Eva remembers fragments of Laurel’s hushed phone conversation with her mother when she discovered her on the ground, contorted in pain with her first menses, dead herbs revived and growing: “... tried to protect her...” and “... blood will out, no matter how far...” At twelve, she hadn’t understood. Now, monitoring Sophie’s blood work, which is showing impossible improvements, those whispered words take on new meaning. She opens her phone to a text from Laurel:

Eva, honey, we need to talk about what your mama

was trying to protect you from.

Hewson nudges her hand, and Eva realizes she’s been staring at the failed experiment for an hour. She packs up her supplies, knowing that Laurel’s brownstone, not the lab, holds the answers she needs. Her cousin has carried this secret for eighteen years, watching and waiting for Eva’s blood to betray its true nature.

Eva enters the home quietly, finding Laurel in her usual spot—the dining room table of their Beacon Hill brownstone, grading papers from her literature students at Boston University. Hewson trots ahead, settling at Laurel’s feet as if he senses the gravity of what’s coming.

“You knew,” Eva says, not a question. “Every month since I was twelve, you knew what was happening to me.”

Laurel sets aside her reading glasses, her face etched with the fatigue of carrying a heavy truth. “Your mama called me that night years ago, crying so hard I could barely understand her. Said she’d seen the signs—you, talking about the olive trees whispering to you, the way you’d wake up with dirt under your fingernails even though you’d been in bed the entire night.”

Eva sinks into the armchair across from her cousin, her sister’s letter clutched in her hand. “The blood magic… It’s real, isn’t it? What I did today with Sophie...” “Madeline hoped...” Laurel’s voice catches. “God, she hoped distance would break the curse. Prayed she’d sent you far from the grasp of the groves. Boston was supposed to save you.” She laughs, but it’s hollow. “Your mama didn’t count on you becoming a hematologist. Blood will call to blood every time.”

“Why did Mom really send me away?” Eva demands, though part of her dreads the answer. She can’t wait for Laurel’s response—not with what just happened. “You know I have to tell you about Sophie,” she says, watching Laurel’s face. “My blood... It did something impossible.”

Laurel presses her hands together, a gesture Eva’s seen countless times when her cousin wrestles with hard decisions. “Your mama made me promise to give you a normal life. To let you be just Eva—doctor, dog mom, and terrible cook who sets off the smoke alarm making toast.” Her attempt at humor falls flat.

“But I’m not just Eva, am I?” She holds up her sister’s letter. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Laurel rises, crossing to the antique mahogany secretary—a family heirloom Eva recognizes from Beauford Grove. Her fingers trace the memory—the intricate floral scrollwork climbing its edges, the tarnished brass hardware, those ornate pulls she once

reached for on tiptoe. The piece stands on graceful, curved Queen Anne legs, both delicate and imposing in the afternoon light.

Eva watches Laurel’s practiced hands slide across the polished surface, pressing an imperceptible seam along the cabinetry. A small compartment springs open—one Eva never knew existed. Laurel retrieves a leather-bound journal from within, its spine cracked with age, edges worn soft.

“Your mother sent this the day before she died,” Laurel says, her voice catching. The journal hovers, a bridge across decades connecting them. “Asked me to only give it to you if...” She stops, the unfinished sentence hanging in midair like dust motes caught in sunlight.

“If what?”

“If you ever had to go back.” Laurel’s voice breaks. “Eva, honey, there’re things about Beauford Grove, your birthright, that I can’t... I shouldn’t be the one to tell you. But before you decide anything, please read your mama’s words first.”

Hewson whines, pressing against Eva’s legs as she takes the journal. An old sepia portrait falls from the journal to the floor. Eva kneels to pick it up, her long Creole curls falling forward like a curtain. The woman in the picture could be her twin—the same warm brown skin and high cheekbones inherited from her Haitian ancestors. Their full lips curve into the same careful smile, although the woman’s Victorian lace collar conceals her neckline.

Eva touches her face unconsciously, her fingers tracing her jawline. The woman’s eyes hold the same intensity as her own amber-brown ones. “She looks like me,” Eva whispers, her fingers hovering over the drawing as if touching it might make her resemblance too real. “Who is she?”

“Celestine, your fourth great-grandmother. And yes, you are her spitting image. Your lineage begins with Celestine and her French lover—her owner, François.” Eva stares at the journal. “Does the journal explain why Mom sent me away? The real reason?”

Laurel touches Eva’s cheek, the gesture full of love and regret. “Your mother wanted you to choose your own path. To fall in love on your own terms. To live free of...” She stops again, too many unspoken truths hanging in the air.

Eva senses Laurel’s reluctance and grips the journal tighter. “Okay. I need to read this alone,” she says, turning toward the stairs. Hewson trails behind her as she retreats to her bedroom.

She settles on the window seat, Hewson curled up beside her as she opens the leather journal. The pages are stiff, a few wrinkled from liquid or dried tears, and her mother’s familiar looping handwriting fills them:

My dearest Eva,

If you’re reading this, the blood has awakened in you. I tried to give you freedom, ma petite. Every Beauford woman accepted our fate without question for two centuries—our prosperity purchased with our blood, our bodies, and our choices, all demanded by the entity that blesses our groves.

I believed I could endure it, as my mother did, until that moonless night when I found you among the twisted olive branches. There you stood, only ten years old, your nightgown caught in an impossible wind. Ancient and terrible words poured from your lips—promises of flesh and forever—in a voice that echoed with centuries of our women’s sacrifices. Hearing those vows from your

innocent mouth, I knew I had to free you, to give you a chance at your own life, however brief our reprieve.

Eva’s memory of that night flickers like a damaged film reel. She remembers the cool soil beneath her bare feet, the way the olive trees seemed to bend toward her, their leaves whispering secrets she almost understood. Her father had followed her into the grove, calling her name with increasing desperation. When he reached for her, something shifted in the shadows between the trees. She remembers her father’s eyes widening with recognition, then terror—not of the entity, she realizes now, but of her. He crumpled at her feet, and she watched as darkness coiled around him like smoke before slithering back into the ancient grove. The memory ends there, replaced by the stark morning light and her mother’s tear-stained face delivering news she already knew somewhere deep in her bones: Papa was dead.

Eva’s hands tremble as she turns the page, finding pressed olive leaves between the pages, releasing a sweet and metallic scent like flowers blooming in old blood.

There are things about your birth I can’t explain in writing. The entity has ways of knowing—of punishing those who speak too freely of its nature. But know this: your power isn’t just in your blood. The groves respond to you because you were born under an ancient covenant—one sealed before you took your first breath.

You’ll feel the pull to return. When you do, seek the old olive tree—the Mother Tree in the north grove. Count three trees west and then look for the one with roots that form a perfect circle. Dig there, and you’ll find what I left for you.

But Eva, ma chérie, remember—no matter what they tell you about destiny and duty, your heart remains your own.

Pressed flowers, photographs, and mysterious symbols drawn in the margins fill the following pages. Eva finds a page dated the year her mother died:

The time approaches. I feel it in my bones. The groves are failing, and only a true Beauford firstborn can restore them. But you have built a life in Boston, become the doctor you dreamed of being. How can I ask you to give that up?

There’s much more to learn about the grove and the young man who…

The entry ends abruptly, leaving a half-empty page.

Eva traces one of the peculiar symbols in the margin—an intertwined olive branch and vine forming a circular pattern. As her finger moves over the ink, a wooden splinter buried in the paper catches her skin. She recognizes the distinct silvery grain of olive wood, its surface warm to the touch. Blood smears across the symbol, and Eva jerks back as the realization strikes: the bark from her family’s groves should be long dead in these aging pages, yet it pulses with unsettling vitality. The symbol seems to shift, and the faintest scent of olive blossoms drifts up from the page.

She sits up straighter, Hewson lifting his head at her sudden movement. There, beneath the smeared blood, the ink has changed color slightly, revealing a tiny map within the original design. But before she can examine it more closely, the effect fades, leaving her wondering if she imagined it.

She flips through the journal again, noting similar symbols scattered throughout—some looking like decorative borders, others simple doodles. But now she

sees them for what they are—how they connect page to page. Certain lines mirror the paths in the grove she remembers walking through as a child.

Her phone buzzes—a text from Sophie’s night nurse about another inexplicable improvement in her condition. Eva looks back at the journal, at a particular symbol that appears repeatedly, always paired with moon phases.

“They’re not just symbols,” she whispers to Hewson. “They’re keys. Mom left me a way to understand the groves, but only my blood can reveal their true meaning.” Eva stares at one particular symbol that initially seemed like a decorative border—but with her hematologist’s eye, she instantly recognizes it. The pattern mirrors the molecular structure of hemoglobin but with subtle alterations. Where oxygen molecules should bind, her mother drew tiny olive leaves.

“Mom knew,” she whispers. “She knew I’d understand as a hematologist. These aren’t just maps; they’re molecular blueprints.”

She grabs her tablet and pulls up cellular imaging from Sophie’s latest blood work. Under the microscope, the clustered cells in Sophie’s recovery sample form a pattern matching a symbol from the journal’s margins—one that untrained eyes might mistake for a Celtic knot. But Eva recognizes it as a specific type of platelet aggregation.

Her mother encoded the grove’s magic using the language of blood itself—a secret message that only a Beauford woman with medical training could fully comprehend. Eva begins cross-referencing the symbols with her medical texts. One sigil resembles the clotting cascade pathway, but tiny grove landmarks replace the factors. Another mirrors bone marrow maturation, with olive trees marking each developmental stage. The most frequently repeated symbol combines the structure of stem cells with what appears to be the grove’s irrigation system.

Her hands shaking, Eva photographs one of the more complex sigils and overlays it with a standard hematological diagram. They match perfectly—except for one additional path her mother added, leading to what looks like the oldest part of the grove.

“She didn’t just want me safe,” Eva realizes. “She wanted me prepared. Every medical text I studied, every blood sample I analyzed—I was learning to read these maps without knowing it.”

Late into the night, Eva spreads her medical journals across her bed, Hewson watching as she overlays transparent diagrams over her mother’s sigils. Intrigued by a symbol she first thought decorative, now she understands it’s a diagram illustrating the process of blood cell creation—hematopoiesis.

But her mother added something—tiny symbols woven through the familiar medical pathways. Her mother drew a minute olive branch where stem cells would ordinarily differentiate into red blood cells. Next to it, in handwriting too small, Eva needs her magnifying glass to see: Life calls to life. Always follow the iron markers, Eva. Seven rows into the grove, then ninety-three steps northeast. Thirteen steps from the twisted tree to the stone, twenty-one to the Mother Tree. The old paths must be maintained.

Eva pulls up Sophie’s latest labs on her tablet. The child’s stem cells have produced healthy red blood cells at an unprecedented rate, matching the pattern in her mother’s modified diagram. But the sigil shows something more—a secondary pathway that doesn’t exist in any medical text, one that flows from the grove’s oldest trees into the blood formation process.

“Oh, God,” Eva whispers, the realization hitting her. “The entity didn’t just bless the groves. It changed our blood at a cellular level.” She traces the unusual pathway with

her finger, accidentally smearing it with blood from the cut. The ink shifts, revealing more text hidden within the spiral: The groves sustain the blood; the blood sustains the groves. But beware, ma chérie—every healing draws us deeper into the pact. Choose wisely which debts you take on.

Does saving Sophie carry a price?

About E. Denise Billups:

E. Denise Billups is an American author whose journey spans from rural Alabama to the vibrant streets of New York City. This diverse background has infused her writing with a unique multicultural perspective.

Formerly a Wall Street Portfolio Analyst, Billups now channels her analytical skills into crafting haunting paranormal mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. The discipline of ballet shaped her early years - a rigor that now manifests in her meticulous approach to writing.

Based in New York City, Billups embraces a dynamic lifestyle. She starts her days as a fitness enthusiast, transitions into her role as a writer, and unwinds by immersing herself in literature. When not weaving her next thrilling tale, she can be found lost in the pages of a book or cherishing moments with friends and family.

Billups' work reflects her multifaceted life experiences, blending the Southern Gothic traditions of her roots with the fast-paced energy of her adopted home. Her stories often explore the intricate dance between the paranormal and the psychological, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

To dive deeper into Billups' captivating world of fiction at her author's website.

https://linktr.ee/EDeniseBillups

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a paperback of BENEATH BEAUFORD GROVE, US Only.

Ends November 8th, midnight EST.

Tour Participants:

Two Chicks on Books

Daily Waffle

Fire and Ice Reads

@mama_coffee_books_cardigans

Frugal Freelancer

@kimbartosch

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

romancebooked.bsky.social

AJ Johnson Bookgamer200

Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog

@dana.loves.books

GryffindorBookishNerd

@alexandriavwilliams_

trooshtisbookshelf

@thepageladies

Blog Tour- ROYAL DANGER by Avishai El With An Interview

2025-10-14T03:00:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the ROYAL DANGER by Avishai El Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: ROYAL DANGER (The Mystique Series #2)

Author: Avishai El

Pub. Date: October 16, 2025

Publisher: Avi

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 208

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/u/4jJenv

Something happened to Vaughan. Those closest to her speak in half-truths and glances. One moment, she was walking among them—intuitive, brave, haunted. The next, she was part of something no one can explain. A fracture in time. A storm no one saw coming. Some believe she stumbled into it. Others believe she was always meant to be its center. They say she inherited a crown, but no one saw it placed on her head. They say she vanished during the final seal, but no one witnessed her fall. And they say the darkness never stopped chasing her... even now. There were signs. Whispers. Visions. A golden ticket that kept appearing in strange places. A man named Eli who stayed by her side long after others fled. And a mother who saw too much, too late. Was it destiny? Madness? Or something that lives in the shadows between? Royal Danger is a slow-burning psychological mystery thriller laced with horror, surreal visions, and eerie spiritual phenomena. It is a story about intuition, unraveling identity, and the thin, terrifying veil between love, legacy, and annihilation.

Grab Book 1 THE MAN Here!

Interview:

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about your book and the characters?

The book is about Vaughan recognizing who she really is. Her mom Flower is protective and worried for her safety. Her aunt Sunshine is the voice of reason and Eli is a guide.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a variety of different projects, not limited to writing.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

Yes, they were.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

My favorite character to write about was Vaughan and my least favorite was Andres her father.

What is your favorite passage/scene in your book?

My favorite passage is when Vaughan comes across someone very chilling while she’s out trying to relax.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

Looking up the years of when products were created. Most of it was intuitively written with minor research as I did most of that when I started writing the series.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I’d love to read Immortal Dark.

Favorite social media site?

I love anything skincare and makeup.

Favorite Superhero or Villain?

The Hulk and The Joker

Favorite TV show?

King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond

Sweet or Salty?

Sweet

Any Phobias?

Not anymore

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

Am I Trending by V. Rose. I used to listen to it years ago, forgot about it, and have it on repeat.

2025 or 2026 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

The Strangers

Do you play video games? If so what are some of your favorites?

No, but I used to love Monster Trucks.

About Avishai El:

Avishai El is an international best-selling author of I Made It Out and the Power of Why Book Series. She is an international, professional speaker, and host of the most blunt holistic health podcast, Avi Unfiltered. She is a Spiritual Medium and Holistic Health Coach who empowers people to fulfill their purpose and destiny on this planet.

Teaching others the holistic lifestyle utilizing nutrition, lifestyle, and spiritual methods is her passion. Avishai has worked with women all over the world and has helped them lose weight, change their mental health for the better, develop businesses, and reverse several diseases. She has won an award for educating hundreds of people on the benefits of essential oils. Hospitals have entrusted her to be on hospital papers as a holistic nurse for cancer patients. People come to her when they are in a health crisis and Avishai has saved lives using holistic therapies. She is one of the top 10 wellness coaches in the world and leading expert in the field of neuroscience. She is a neuroadvocate and traumatic brain injury survivor who does speaking engagements to educate and empower others on those topics. As an avid vegan she heavily promotes the plant- based, vegan lifestyle. The planet and Human Rights mean everything to her as she affirms everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. She comes from ancient ancestry and is currently in the process of learning her native languages: Latin, Moorish Latin (Modern Day Spanish), Chaldean (Modern Day Hebrew), Arabic, and Amharic. Astrology and medical research on an array of topics geek her out and is something she thoroughly enjoys studying. She regularly writes for Brainz Magazine and is a freelance UX copywriter for various businesses. Black, white, and grey are her go-to colors and the minimalistic life- style brings her so much peace. She is multitalented and when she’s not writing, speaking, coaching clients, or running her many businesses, she is doing some form of interior design, graphic design, honing in on her innate makeup skills, randomly playing violin, singing, doing comedy, and so much more.

https://linktr.ee/avishaiel

Tour Participants:

Two Chicks on Books	Feature Post/IG Post
Daily Waffle	Feature Post
Fire and Ice Reads	Feature Post/IG Post
@mama_coffee_books_cardigans	IG Post
Frugal Freelancer	Feature Post/IG Post
@kimbartosch	Review/IG Post
Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Feature Post/IG Post
romancebooked.bsky.social	Review
AJ Johnson Bookgamer200	IG Review/Tik Tok Post
Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog	Feature Post/IG Post
@dana.loves.books	Review/IG Post
GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
@alexandriavwilliams_	IG Review/Tik Tok Post
trooshtisbookshelf	IG Review
@thepageladies	IG Review

Release Day Blitz- DAY DRINKERS by Kitty Turner With An Excerpt & a #Giveaway!

2025-09-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

I am so excited that DAY DRINKERS by Kitty Turner & Daily House is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this awesome book, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a copy of the paperback courtesy of Kitty & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

About The Book:

Title: DAY DRINKERS

Author: Kitty Turner

Pub. Date: September 2, 2025

Publisher: Daily House

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 356

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited membership!

From the author of Zone Trip comes a bold tale of survival, identity, and the price of secrecy.

From her office window on St. Columba, Gemma gazes out at the mysterious pleasure island just beyond the reef. Owned by country music legend Cowboi Rivers, the exclusive retreat lures the world’s wealthy and powerful with promises of secrecy and illicit pleasures. Meanwhile, the locals keep their distance, wary of the wild parties and whispered rumors of drugs and disappearing girls.

Desperate to escape her dead-end job, Gemma seizes a risky opportunity to captain the sailing vessel Mariposa for Cowboi’s shadowy empire. She finds herself swept into a world of corrupt elites. When a cocaine pickup in the Dominican Republic spirals into a deadly double-cross, Gemma and her crew enlist the aid of a Vodou priestess, the ghost of a hard-drinking mariner, and a rumba-loving boat boy to escape. With her enemies closing in, Gemma sails toward Cuba, facing a storm that threatens to push her over the edge.

Day Drinkers is where the American dream washes ashore.

Day Drinkers is a tantalizing medley of Saint X and Don’t Stop the Carnival, seasoned with a dash of The Rum Diary. Drawing from her ten years as a liveaboard sailor and Caribbean travel writer, Kitty Turner, an American Absurdism revivalist, delivers a gripping tale of identity and redemption through her unique talent for rollicking storytelling and deep philosophical inquiry.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1 Excerpt

Boon held court under a blue FEMA tarp stretched taut by furring strips screwed between two ramshackle sheds. The equatorial sun shone through the plastic roof and flooded the poor excuse for a chandlery with the color of tropical seawater. Greybeards and the occasional sea-hardened woman sat in a circle of mismatched chairs, cast off from luxury vacation rentals and salvaged from the island dump. Boon and only Boon sat behind the workbench, scrutinizing the crowd from his behemoth leather office chair, creaking and patched with a crisscross of duct tape. His orange Croc-covered feet were beacons propped up amid a scatter of carburetors, boat zincs, and wayward projects abandoned in the shop for a day, a week, or forever.

At Boon Dock Marine, the coffee was free, but Heinekens from the jumbo Igloo cooler required a deposit in the ‘honor’ jar, and Boon ensured all remained honorable like a hawk. The industrious ones, those who still had their knees and backs intact, worked for Boon—a bottom paint job here or an outboard repair there. These youths, beers beaded with condensation in hand, waited next to Boon’s open-air desk for assignments, which came infrequently and were executed haphazardly. Most of the harbor’s liveaboards, those either passing through or permanently moored in Sargasso Cove, spent their lazy days earning a few dollars from pickup labor and tending the low flame of a perfect buzz.

Staticky Cowboi Rivers songs romanticizing American life played from the worn speakers of a decades-old radio set sitting on a shelf above Boon’s head. The multiple Grammy-winning country singer got plenty of airplay and cred around Boon Dock Marine, perhaps more than his due, because of his status as an honorary islander and Boon’s friend. Cowboi owned property all over St. Columba, most notably an exclusive resort on a mysterious private island that was swimming distance from the west side.

“I heard Rivers’ wife divorced him because he’s into jailbait,” said one of the sailors. This conjecture about Cowboi’s illicit love life was the first thing Gemma heard as she ducked under the tarp to fill her mug from the crusty Mr. Coffee, its hotplate caked with the sediment of a hundred overflowed pots. Her gold name tag glinted from the lapel of a navy blue blazer, accessorized with yellow flip-flops and a matching vinyl roll-top dry bag. The uniform gave away that she was among the legitimately employed, a rarity around Sargasso Cove.

“Biggest mistake of Cowboi’s life—marrying that Hollywood bitch. She’s got a mouth as big as a barn door. That’s where those rumors come from, and I won’t listen to them around here,” Boon said with irritation.

As Gemma's eyes adjusted to the blue-tinted shade, she greeted the crowd with the customary "mornin'." Her gaze rested on Boon, who nodded in her direction. The color of Boon’s hair could be described as dull blond, if someone were forced to describe its nondescript, salt-stiffened hue. It hung in long clumps around a face that years of island living had etched with a nautical map of broken capillaries and wrinkles, framing blue eyes that could change as fast as the skies from clear to stormy. Boon was substantial in the way that someone becomes when they've thoroughly claimed a space, his faded t-shirt bearing the silhouette of some long-forgotten regatta stretching across a torso that had rounded with age.

Gemma knew from experience that Boon shut down any loose talk about his hero before it could gain momentum. On this island, Cowboi was more legend than man, and legends bred stories. Out of courtesy, Gemma shifted the subject to something of more importance than the alleged sexual activities of a music star.

“Any news on Vaughn?” she asked.

Boon flashed her an indecipherable look.

Some days, especially after post-work drinks, Gemma gossiped and joked with the best of the Heineken crew. But today, she stood somber, speculating about the disappearance of one of their own. Vaughn, a Boon Dock regular, hadn’t shown up at the tarp-covered hangout for over a week. Vaughn had been known to sleep off a particularly nasty hangover for a few days, but he’d never been missing for this long without a word.

“I saw him getting on the airport ferry. It was Vaughn, I swear,” Crab said.

If you could have a first mate on land, then Crab would be Boon’s. Crab reminded Gemma of a Slim Jim wearing a Greek fisherman’s cap. His desiccated arms and legs were permanently tanned and salted. In the leather of his face, pale eyes burned with the fever of a consistent .08 blood alcohol level. Crab, a friendly soul, was always happy and ready to motor out to the lobster traps to feed the crowd from a big steel pot he tended over a propane barbecue. He had the jovial nature and skills of a man born to boats.

“Cheese and bread, Crab, you must have spent your day in a bottle again if you saw Vaughn. That drunk is drowned and rolling at the bottom of the bay, as sure as I am sitting here in front of you.” Boon pursed his lips and scowled at his friend with disdain.

Crab and Boon were always at each other’s throats in a brotherly way. To Boon’s dismay, Crab plucked a pepperoni off a piece of day-old pizza, greasy and gathering flies, and flung it at Boon’s head like a frisbee. Slightly off target, it pucked off the back of Boon’s hand and landed in the bottom-paint-poisoned dust beyond the glowing blue light of the shack. A one-eyed Siamese streaked out from between the dirt foundation and the plank floor to snap up the meaty prize.

Gemma would have to wait until after work to find out if Crab had truly discovered anything new about Vaughn’s disappearance. Her commute across the island took thirty minutes on a good day, and today was not so good. A hangover of the alone-drinking variety parched her palate and sucked the energy from her legs…

About Kitty Turner:

Kitty Turner’s circus and showgirl career spanned five years. Until 2017, she toured the Caribbean casino and resort circuit along the Antilles chain with her husband and a rotating cast of international circus performers aboard a 47-foot sailboat. Before moving to the Caribbean in 2007, Kitty co-owned the nightclub 12 Galaxies in the Mission District of San Francisco. After hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed her sailboat home, Kitty relocated to the Reno area and founded the book marketing company Daily House Media.

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of DAY DRINKERS. US Only.

2 winners will win an eBook DAY DRINKERS, International.

Ends October 15th, midnight EST.

Giveaway

Blog Tour- PEI'S PINEAPPLE CAKES With An Interview and a #Giveaway!

2025-08-05T03:00:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the PEI’S PINEAPPLE CAKES by Crystal Z. Lee Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post & enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: PEI’S PINEAPPLE CAKES

Author: Crystal Z. Lee

Pub. Date: May 10, 2025

Publisher: Balestier Press

Formats: Hardcover & Paperback

Pages: 40

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, BAM, Bookshop, Blackwells

While visiting her grandmother in central Taiwan, Pei finds herself in the middle of a mystery. The pineapple cakes from her grandmother's bakery have disappeared! Soon Pei is collecting clues as she embarks on a quest to find the missing pineapple cakes.

From the traditional Taiwanese artisans' craftsmanship to the picturesque villages of central Taiwan, Pei discovers the beauty of her grandmother's home. This is a story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.

Pei's Pineapple Cakes is an elaborately illustrated picture book that makes an ideal gift:

Real locations from central Taiwan make for an inspiring geographical, historical and cultural reading experience
Storyline sparks dialogue around kindness, empathy, courage, and resilience
Exquisite illustrations of Taiwanese artisans' craftsmanship foster appreciation for heritage and traditions
Bilingual text in English and Mandarin encourages learning in both languages

Author interview with Crystal Z. Lee

-Pei's Pineapple Cakes is your fifth book! Looking back, is there a book which you enjoyed writing more than others?

Creating Pei's Pineapple Cakes really brought back memories because I wrote about many elements of my childhood, such as calligraphy, aiyu jelly, glove puppetry, the monkey king, and of course, pineapple cakes!

Writing Mei's Mermaid Mission was also great fun because this is a book that spans mythology, ecology, culture and geography. I really immersed myself in the research process and found it fascinating that cultures all over the globe have mermaid mythologies.

-Out of all the characters in your children's stories, including non-human ones, which is your favorite?

Pei's Amah in Pei's Pineapple Cakes is a favorite because I wrote this character as a composite of my own grandmas and mom. I'm also fond of the pirate in Mei's Mermaid Mission because he's a teachable character. It's my hope that children can learn that it's okay to make mistakes, even if they are hurtful ones, as long as one can admit to it and be committed to change.

-Pei's Pineapple Cakes features a myriad of traditional folk arts. What was your thinking behind that?

My children are currently elementary school aged. Their generation is bombarded with devices and the pursuit of the latest technological applications and it sometimes seems like they've forgotten the beauty of traditional, slower-paced endeavors. It takes patience to bake, to make a specialized tea, to learn craftsmanship such as weaving. It's my hope that through this book, young readers can develop an appreciation for traditional artistry and handmade goods, versus things that are on the screen or machine made.

-All of your children’s books have names in the titles, such as Pei, Mei, Rin and Kai. How do you come up with the character names in your books?

I try to be culturally authentic when choosing names for the characters. For example, in the story of Mei’s Mermaid Mission there are characters from Cambodia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., so their names are authentic to their cultural heritage. I remember receiving some criticism that some of these names were hard to pronounce. While that may be the case for some, I still think it’s a teachable moment. When we teach our children to learn names authentic to a certain culture, we are imparting virtues of empathy and respect. In this way, we also help our kids to cultivate an international worldview.

-How can your children's books be utilized in a classroom or educational setting?

In Pei's Pineapple Cakes, readers are introduced to some Taiwanese folk arts, so this book can be utilized for Asian cultural studies. Kai the Dancing Butterfly is about the Taiwanese butterfly migration, so it may be useful for a science and geography curriculum. Ocean conservation and animal habitat protection is a primary theme in Mei's Mermaid Mission, so this book is great for marine science and ecological studies. A Unicorn Named Rin takes place in the Tang dynasty so this story can be utilized in history class!

-What was the writing process for Pei's Pineapple Cakes like?

I wrote most of this story during an extended trip in Taiwan. I visited an aunt in Taichung which is in central Taiwan. I learned alot about Indigenous Taiwanese craftsmanship, traditional Hakka art, and I had the chance to see many relatives. I bring my laptop wherever I go so I can write whenever I feel inspired. After the manuscript was completed, Allie Su, who was also in Taiwan at the time, really brought the story to life with her illustrations.

-Your first book was published five years ago. What are some of the major changes in your life from the past five years?

Five years and five books ago I was a younger mom who was juggling mothering, writing and pitching while dreaming and praying for a career in writing. All I wanted to do was to write good stories with the hope that someone out there, some reader would be moved. But I'm the one that's been moved by many! I've received letters and messages from children, parents, educators all over the globe about how my books have inspired or affected them. I've been asked to read at schools, festivals and birthday parties. Truly I feel blessed all the time to be able to connect with people through the love of literature.

About Crystal Z. Lee:

Crystal Z. Lee is a Taiwanese American bilingual writer. She has called many places home, including Taipei, New York, Shanghai, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She was formerly a public relations executive in the fashion, beauty, and technology industries. She now resides in Silicon Valley with her husband and children. She is the author of the novel Love and Other Moods, and the children's books Mei’s Mermaid Mission, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Kai the Dancing Butterfly. Her poetry was included in the 2023 UK anthology, Tabula Rasa.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

About Allie Su:

Allie Su grew up in Yunlin county, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei's Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive an autographed copy of Pei's Pineapple Cakes and Mei's Mermaid Mission, US Only.

Giveaway ends September 6^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Participants:

Blog Tour- THE EXCHANGE & OTHER CALAMITIES by @MalMcCartney With An Excerpt and a $10 Amazon GC #Giveaway!

2025-07-22T03:00:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE EXCHANGE & OTHER CALAMITIES by Mallory McCartney Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: THE EXCHANGE & OTHER CALAMITIES

Author: Mallory McCartney

Pub. Date: July 22, 2025

Publisher: Anuci Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/The-Exchange-and-Other-Calamities, Buy from Anuci Press

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

Evil lurks in the darkness, clawing its way towards unsuspecting victims…

A woman living with fibromyalgia finds an artifact that unleashes a reality she never thought possible… at a steep price.

Two high school seniors take part in a tradition that brings them face to face with the monstrous truth behind a haunting dark urban legend.

The face behind a popular Youtube ghost hunting show travels to the scene of a horrific event to find fresh horrors await there.

Fate takes a bite out of a young woman who ventures into the wilderness to grieve her mother.

Best-selling author, Theo Anderson, takes part in a sleep study that turns her into the very thing she fears.

Hold your breath as you immerse yourself in five harrowing stories written by best-selling author, Mallory McCartney. Fans of her gripping Black Dawn Series will be kept on the edge of their seat by this horror collection inspired by real life events!

"Mrs. McCartney has boldly taken her first foray into horror, and I'm proud to say it's ridiculously fun. I've read my fair share of horror, but McCartney writes in a way that made even my stomach turn at points. It takes a lot of skill to successfully create an atmosphere suitable for the horrific things happening throughout this book, but she does it here and then some, making you feel like you're smackdab in the middle of it all. By the time I turned the last page I felt like I'd been put through the wringer, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next." -Patrick Delaney author of Witch 13, The House that Fell from the Sky

Excerpt:

“I shut the mirror with a click and froze. Fear dripped through me, starting at the crown of my head and dousing my body so completely, my mind went blank. A scream lodged firmly in my throat—I couldn’t utter a sound. Fire and ice raced through my veins, churning my stomach, and bile rose in my throat.

Fingers had appeared from thin air, and they grew and morphed into inky claws. They curled over my shoulder and gripped it hard. Then, with pallid skin, the rest of the intruder appeared.”

“The creature’s grip only hardened.

My eyes rolled back. My lungs screamed for oxygen, for release. In our reflection, which I caught in blurred moments, my face was purple, my mouth hanging open in a silent scream. The creature pulled me closer. Its other arm wrapped around my waist. Where before it had no defined eye sockets, there now sat two massive orbs.

And they burned red.”

“Something moved to my left. My steps faltered, and my response faded. It was the middle of the day, but in the hallway, the shadows deepened. On the wall in front of me, the painting was of a man wearing a collared shirt and a serious expression. His gaunt cheekbones made his eyes look more sunken. The bland yellow background with nothing in it drew the viewer in, but cast a greenish hue to the whole picture. He looked sick. The whole painting did.

My bottom lip trembled and I bit it so hard, the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Stepping closer to the painting, I watched as blood—real blood—poured from this man’s eyes, words appearing to write themselves along his chest:

You are mine now.”

About Mallory:

Mallory McCartney currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband, their dachshunds Link, and Leonard and their sphynx cats Luna, Legolas, Ivy and Lily. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds or bingeing her favorite horror movies.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Ends August 19th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Participants:

Country Mamas With Kids

@jaimes_mystical_library

trooshtisbookshelf - Instagram

@thepageladies

@kimbartosch

GryffindorBookishNerd

A Blue Box Full of Books

Lifestyle of Me

Ilovebooksandstuffblog

@alexandriavwilliams_

@Redsonya_Loves_To_Read

@dana.loves.books - Ig. @dana.loves.books5 - TT

Frugal Freelancer

Two Chicks on Books

Fire and Ice Reads

Edith's Little Free Library

Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog

@mama_coffee_books_cardigans

Cover Reveal- EXTRATERRESTRIAL NOIR by Rich Leder With An Excerpt & An ARC #Giveaway!

2025-06-10T03:00:00.001-04:00

Today Rich Leder and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for EXTRATERRESTRIAL NOIR, his sci-fi thriller book which releases July 22nd! Check out the awesome cover and enter the giveaway!

On to the reveal!

About The Book:

Title: EXTRATERRESTRIAL NOIR

Author: Rich Leder

Pub. Date: July 22, 2025

Publisher: Laugh Riot Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 568

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/EXTRATERRESTRIAL-NOIR

An extraterrestrial the size and shape of a boot box crashes into the New Jersey cul-de-sac Colonial of a film-noir-obsessed family on the sharp edge of emotional, marital, and financial insolvency; rearranges its subatomic structure; and presents itself as the couples’ long-time film-noir lust crushes: late noir icons Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. In short order, Alan/Veronica displays an appetite for suburban debauchery, depravity, decadence, and destruction and seduces the family into its psychopathic criminal orbit with irresistible film noir panache, alluring sexual charisma, and inconceivable intergalactic powers.

Twelve-year-old genius daughter, Mike Devine, figures out fast that Alan/Veronica’s plan is to implode the planet. Can she save the world, not to mention her family? She’ll need the only armament in the universe that can subdue the extraterrestrial, and she’ll have to shoot it point blank. So it’s questionable at best.

Reviews:

“Don't miss this bawdy sci-fi thriller. Leder spins regular doses of sex, aliens and teen heroism into an unforgettable idiosyncratic comedic gem.”-- BEST THRILLERS

“A sardonic mixture of science fiction and snarky suburban drama, Extraterrestrial Noir by Rich Leder is a hilariously original genre mashup.”-- SELF PUBLISHING REVIEW

“Once again, Leder shows off his bleak sense of humor as this twisted take on first contact rapidly devolves into a deadly trip through the hidden criminal underworld that lies beneath an idyllic suburban paradise.”-- BESTSELLERS WORLD

“Rich Leder's Extraterrestrial Noir is a slap-bang absurdist thriller that bounces from page to page and loves every minute of it.”-- INDIEREADER

“A wild ride...hilarious and horrifying...an avalanche of sabotage, gunfights, arms dealing, and more...all the chaos one could hope for in a comic thriller.”-- INDEPENDENT BOOK REVIEW

“This dark comedy/science fiction novel was everything I wished it would be and more.”-- READERS' FAVORITE Review 1

“A wildly creative mix of science fiction and classic noir, packed with humor, mystery, and plenty of surprises.”-- READERS' FAVORITE Review 2

“You will not put down Rich Leder's Extraterrestrial Noir until you have flipped from cover to cover.”-- READERS' FAVORITE Review 3

Excerpt:

Five seconds later, a thin silver arm snaked out of the box. It didn’t come from inside the box. It simply grew, again, seamlessly, out of the side facing the TV.

The arm stretched purposefully to the huge television, paused in front of the wide, dark, flat screen as if smelling it, sensing it, then moved forward, penetrating the screen, passing through it as if by interstellar osmosis or galactic magic, the end of the arm vanishing somewhere into the flat panel, becoming one with the TV, which clicked back on, tuned to CNN, the screen connected directly to the silver box via the arm.

The news ran as it always did, like the lifelike silver appendage of a box—that had minutes ago fallen from the sky—had not somehow melted into the television. But then the broadcast began to play faster, as if someone had previously recorded the program and was fast-forwarding to find a particularly exciting segment, except that fast-forwarding wasn’t fast enough for whoever was holding the remote.

CNN picked up speed, its images flying by until they were an indistinguishable blur of current events. And just when it seemed as if the television would explode from the inconceivable velocity of the broadcast, the screen split so that CNN filled one half and Oprah filled the other. Except it was high-octane Oprah. Oprah at crazy speed. And then both halves of the screen split again so that there were four programs running simultaneously—CNN, The Food Network, Oprah, and National Geographic—all four channels racing through their one-hour shows in thirty seconds, and then in fifteen seconds, and then five seconds.

The screen split again.

Eight different channels ran concurrently. Then sixteen channels. Thirty-two channels. Sixty-four channels.

Lifetime, Discovery, HBO, Hallmark, CBS, NBC, ABC, Disney, Netflix, Showtime, The History Channel, Fox, Comedy Central, the BBC, Spanish network programming, Cartoon Network. All of these, plus dozens more, played at the same phenomenal pace.

And then the screen changed format; all sixty-four channels moved to one half of the screen, and the Google home page appeared on the other half. Almost instantly, the Google page half divided into four screens—text, images, maps, and news—which played at the same death-defying pace as the television channels.

Within seconds, each of the four Google squares divided into sixty-four squares of text, images, maps, and news, and each one of those 256 mini-screens blasted through global information at warp speed.

Barely 120 seconds had elapsed, but what happened in the next ten seconds surpassed all that had happened before.

As each second ticked by, both halves of the television divided into smaller and smaller micro-screens until a thousand screens were blistering through everything that had ever been written, photographed, filmed, drawn, recorded, created, invented, and discovered; everyone who had ever lived and died; everything that had happened in the entire history of man and Earth—and all of it, every word, image, thought, and breath, was funneling through the snaky arm into the silver box.

About Rich Leder:

Rich Leder has been a working writer for three decades. His feature credits include Primal for Lionsgate and projects for Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Longridge Productions, and Left Bank Films. His television credits include 18 produced movies for CBS, Lifetime, and Hallmark. He has written six novels for Laugh Riot Press.

He has been the lead singer in a Detroit rock band, a restaurateur, a Little League coach, an indie film director, a literacy tutor, a magazine editor, a screenwriting coach, a wedding guru, a PTA board member, a commercial real estate agent, and a visiting artist for the University of North Carolina Wilmington Film Studies Department, among other things, all of which, it turns out, was grist for the mill.

Website | IMDb | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win an ARC of EXTRATERRESTRIAL NOIR, US Only.

Ends June 20^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway