I’m honored to announce that my two full length novels have been nominated in multiple categories in the 2016 Summer Indie Book Awards! If you have read and enjoyed them I would greatly appreciate your vote. Voting begins September 1, 2016 and ends September 11, 2016. You can vote once a day. Thanks so much to Metamorph Publishing for putting this event together.
Links to my books, blurbs, and brief excerpts are at the bottom of this page.
The cold of winter is setting in, at least for those of us in the northern Hemisphere of the world. But we at Metamorph Publishing aren’t letting that get us down! We’re already looking forward to a sizzling summer, and we’re here to announce our first annual Indie Book Awards! You heard that right, a summer book awards! The event officially begins on January 1st of each year, and nominations will be accepted through midnight CST on August 31st each year. Voting will begin on September 1st and end on September 10th each year.
“What’s the big deal,” you ask? “There are all kinds of contests out there.” And you’re right, there are hundreds, probably thousands of book awards. But many of them are only for unpublished authors, or authors who only write in certain narrow genres, or for authors who have never published before in a particular genre. Plus, there are plenty of them that charge an entry fee, some of which are prohibitive to authors who publish independently, without the backing of a large and powerful publishing house.
So, we’re hoping to do something different with the Summer Indie Book Awards! Entry is free, and nominations will be accepted from any indie or small-press author, regardless of their current published or non-published state, or what genre they write in. We are accepting donations of print or e-books, author swag or novelty items (bookmarks, pens, keychains, etc.), but donation is not required for nomination. We’re taking nominations from authors as well as from readers, and authors can nominate their own books; we only ask that authors who do so also nominate a fellow indie author. Nominations can be made using this form: http://goo.gl/forms/T1L8sQJGVx, while donations can be made at: http://goo.gl/forms/6DkAK4MeqI. ***Nominations are now officially closed, donations are still being accepted.***
Feel free to join up with the event on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1099924726693772,
and
like the official Facebook page of the Summer Indie Book Awards at https://www.facebook.com/summerindiebookawards.
You can also sign up for the newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/bL43cf so you can stay up to date with all the latest news! In the pinned post of the Facebook event, you’ll find these links, along with links to a Google Drive folder where you can look and see who’s already been nominated! And any author who is nominated will have access to an official contest nominee badge, that they can use on their book covers or any promotional media, if they so desire.
Winners in each genre will receive a prize (hopefully we’ll get enough donations for this), beginning with the 1st place winners. If we get enough prizes donated, we’ll go next to 2nd place winners, and then to 3rd place. Regardless of the prizes, winners will get a high-quality winner badge, stating their place and the genre of the book. These will be of high enough resolution for authors to use on their print books, if they want to!
But it’s not only the winners that will benefit from the Summer Indie Book Awards! All nominated authors will have the potential to reach hundreds, if not more, of new readers (readers often have a preferred genre, and while they’re voting for their favorite author, will come across others they may not have tried yet), and reach a huge new audience through the social media forums! And best of all, it’s meant to have fun, to reach out and network with other authors, potentially forming long-lasting relationships. And readers will benefit from having a wealth of new books in front of them, as well as a vast amount of new stories to immerse themselves in.
Though we’re using Facebook and other social media as a platform to reach more authors and readers, none of these social media outlets are affiliated with the awards. They are hosted strictly by Metamorph Publishing.
For more information, please visit Metamorph Publishing at https://metamorphpublishing.com.
This romantic thriller takes a fictional “what if” look at the JFK assassination. Suppose accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had lived to defend himself. Imagine if 50 years after the assassination someone stepped forward to reveal the truth of what happened that day. What if the assassination was a conspiracy and the impact of those revelations reached into the 21st century? This is the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. You’ll never look at your neighbors the same way.
Excerpt
“I woke alone in the bed. At first I couldn’t remember where I was. Then the scent of coffee wafted up the stairs bringing me to total consciousness. I could hear a radio playing softly. I got up and pulled on Bills shirt again. As I came down the stairs I could see Bill sitting out on the deck, his bare feet up on the railing, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. In that moment everything seemed normal; we were just an old couple on vacation. No secrets, no scary past, no chase. I stood and watched him, imprinting the moment in my memory. He looked peaceful. The slight breeze lifted his hair. He turned then as though he sensed me watching. That crazy crooked smile touched his lips and my heart leaped.
Bill came inside, setting his cup on a table by the door. He slipped his arms around me, his hands sliding up under the shirt, cool against my warm skin. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel his heart beating beneath my cheek. We stood like that for several minutes, quiet and still. The world seemed to have stopped. I could almost believe that we were just an old couple who had found one another late in life. It was Bill who broke the silence, bringing us back to the reality of our situation.
Seven years ago Kort Eriksen went to prison for killing his girlfriend Desiree. Now he’s back in Riddle and some people think he got off easy. Others, including long time friend Norma, think he was railroaded because he’s the only Native American in town. Grace Donahue is running away from her past. Trapped in Riddle until her car is repaired she develops a friendship with Kort. Suddenly accidents are happening and people are dying. Is Kort adding to his list of victims or has someone else taken the reins? As mysteries from the past rise to the surface, more questions will be raised. The suspect file grows as victims fall. Is Desiree’s killer back for more or is someone trying to avenge her death? The riddle of Riddle will be solved, but how many bodies will it take to find the answers?
Excerpt
“Everyone is probably waiting to see if your body turns up somewhere…”
“Stop that! It isn’t funny.” She leaned toward him. “If you start acting that way, then people will look at you that way.”
“Grace, people have been looking at me that way before there was any reason to even consider it. You don’t know what it was like when I was a kid. If a group of boys got into trouble it was because of me. I was the bad kid. Do you know why? Because I’m not white. I’m not black either.”
“I can’t believe people in this town are that ignorant. Mandy isn’t. Jack isn’t.”
“Where were they when I was being convicted of a crime I didn’t commit? Where were they for the seven years I was locked up with killers, drug dealers, sexual predators, and grown men who would kill me as soon as look at me? They were out here living their lives, starting businesses, getting married, going to college. I went to college behind bars and made something of myself in spite of the people who turned their backs on me. You’re a smart woman Grace but you have no idea what my life has been like.” Suddenly he stood up. “I’ve gotta go.”
Grace stared after him open-mouthed. Glancing around she realized several people were gawking in her direction. Mandy returned to the table staring at Kort’s disappearing back. “Whoa. What was that about?”
“Apparently I pissed him off.” Grace stood up, embarrassed by the attention his outburst had drawn. “I’m going to the rest room to freshen up then I’m going to start work.”
She strode away purposefully but when she neared the front door she went outside. Kort was sitting in his truck. Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth she walked to the driver’s door. “Okay I get it. You had a fucked up life. This town treated you like shit. The people here live in some kind of time warp. Just because I find that unbelievable doesn’t mean I’m like them. I’m trying to help you. I think you’re innocent.”
Kort looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Exactly why are you doing that Grace? What damned difference does it make to you? You’ll be gone in two or three weeks. Are you just getting a rush out of playing girl detective?”
His words angered Grace even more. “How dare you! You humiliate me at my job, you chew me out in public, you make unfair and untrue judgments about my motives…” She stopped. “Go to hell.” Turning she stomped back to the diner.
Furious, Kort started the truck and drove away, swearing under his breath.
Grace could barely control herself as hot tears burned her eyes. Ignoring Mandy who stood at the hostess station she marched back to the ladies room, entered a stall, and began to cry. She heard the outer door open and close and stifled her sobs wiping the tears from her face. She heard a soft knock at the stall door and Mandy whispered, “Come on out here and talk to me.”
Between the Beats 