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Snippet Sunday - INNOCENT TEARS - 17/04/2016 #romance #reading #bookpromo



~~~
 
 
INNOCENT TEARS has been re-released.
It has enjoyed another full edit and an awesome new cover.

Here's another little snippet.

THANK YOU

~~~

“Advice is what we ask for when we already 
know the answer, but wish we didn't.”





Flynn looked up at Teresa. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to discuss anything else. In fact, he hadn’t discussed anything yet, and as far as he was concerned, he just received one of the biggest blows in his life. His beautiful Saz was dead, and he hadn’t been by her side to comfort her.
He moved his head and looked out the window onto the busy streets of Melbourne. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he remembered the first time he had met Sarah. He had been the new guy at school, and she had offered him the seat next to her. Of course, it was awkward for him to be the only boy sitting next to a girl, but after only a few minutes he wasn’t able to take his eyes off her. He even had a few chuckles watching the frustration grow within her with the struggle to contain her curly hair. She was constantly pinning back another escaped strand of hair with a bobby pin, resulting in a big messy hair do at the end of the day. And as he’d found out over the next months, it was a continuous battle. One day, he was taking her home on his bike when she had a flat tyre, and he remembered the light kiss she gave him on his cheek as she thanked him. He was in love. Even at his fifteen years he couldn’t think of anything or anybody else but Sarah. She was the one for him. Though still a teenager herself, she had already radiated a mature calm. She seemed carefree and innocent. A trait he had always admired in her. Considering the strict upbringing by her mother, Sarah had always maintained her cheerful nature. And her headstrong nature and impulsiveness often clashed with Teresa’s authority.
Teresa interrupted his thoughts. “Flynn!”

Flynn slowly stared up at her.



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May I introduce: Augustine Sam "The Conspiracy of Silence" @austin_sam001




The Conspiracy of Silence
by  Augustine Sam


Blurb:
The conscience of a town steeped in sexism, vanity and hypocrisy is pricked by the brutal murder of a mysterious woman in an LA park. But the shock is transformed into a steamy, seductive scandal when the corpse turns out to be Susan Whitaker, the flamboyant wife of the governor of California.
A secret lover/blackmailer theory leads to the indictment of Hollywood's most influential black celebrity. It is only the beginning, for Susan Whitaker did not, in fact, exist. Little does anyone realize that this colossal fraud is a mere curtain raiser to a chilling world of ugly skeletons dating back to the assassination of a U.S. senator in a Washington hotel sauna, skeletons connected to riveting sex scandals in high places, skeletons the FBI and political kingmakers will kill for...


Where to buy the book:
Amazon:      http://goo.gl/osU1VZ 
CreateSpace:       https://www.createspace.com/5718139
Barnes & Noble:  http://goo.gl/N6WXJ4


About the Author:
Augustine Sam is a bilingual Italian journalist and an award winning poet. A member of the U.K. Chartered Institute of Journalists, he was formerly Special Desk editor at THISDAY newspapers, an authoritative Third World daily first published in collaboration with the Financial Times of London. He later became correspondent for central Europe. His poems have been published in two international anthologies: The Sounds of Silence & Measures of the Heart. One of his poems, Anguish & Passion, was the winner of the Editors’ Choice Awards in the North America Open Poetry contest, USA.
Augustine’s debut novel, Take Back the Memory, was awarded a 5-star medal by  Readers’ Favorite. And his collection of poems, Flashes of Emotion, was the 2015 International Book Award Finalist. Augustine lives and works in Venice.

Author’s website: http://goo.gl/A5jRnj
Twitter: http://goo.gl/Yzan2G                         
Facebook:  http://goo.gl/W7W1Ta
Google Plus:  http://goo.gl/yruj3D
Goodreads: http://goo.gl/NjAxV9
Book Trailer:  https://goo.gl/wZ4F3g 
Author’s Blog: http://goo.gl/VIRVmM
Pinterest: https://goo.gl/3qw53R



Excerpt:
Prologue
The dim figure continued to lurk in the dusking patch of tangled shrubbery until he was completely enveloped in darkness. Then he choked and swore and frothed at the mouth and went down on all fours. After a while, he clambered out of the shrubbery like a ghost, picked himself up deftly, and wiped his hand across his brow. He was tall and had an athletic build. His hands were covered with fleeced gloves, his face partially masked by a hood. He had a definite presence in spite of the aura of repulsion that swelled around him like foul breath. For a spell, he stood in death-like silence, in a navy hooded sweatshirt, a pair of matching pants, and black running shoes. His dark brown eyes studied his environment like a bloodhound determined to unearth a misplaced object without losing its sense of smell.
A short distance away, small cylindrical light bulbs cast an eerie glow over the lush greenery of Glennon Park, capturing its beauty in a halo of kaleidoscopic brilliance. And then a throng of men in fancy tee shirts and short pants intermixed with women in jeans and sleeveless tops, whisked into view. The dim figure, hearing their muffled voices over the sound of the fountain’s cascading waters, stiffened. Like him, the fountain stood in a poorly lit area of the park. Surrounded by luxuriant shrubs, it was the place where randy youths prone to exploiting the semidarkness for romantic mischief loved to loiter.
On this particular night, there were no lovers necking by the fountain, but there was something else. A black diamond Cadillac was parked beside the fountain. The curiously unusual sight caused the dim figure’s hands to shake with excitement. Cars were not allowed that far into the park, so whatever fantasies within the limits of human accomplishment the Cadillac’s driver had conceived, this was the wrong night for it, he mused. This’ll be my last murder, he decided, the climax of a long, enterprising career as the greatest hit man of all time. He was a killer so efficient and so elusive that even the FBI nicknamed him Shadow of Death for his uncanny ability to dissolve into a penumbra after every hit.
He immediately recognized the wonderful head of hair and the slender, sensual neck as the lone occupant of the Cadillac appeared in silhouette against the fountain. Suddenly his pulse quickened. He mopped his brow with a handkerchief and contemplated the lady’s mesmerizing beauty. It seemed odd to him now to think of her as a victim. He had loved her once; in fact, he still loved her. And therein lay the quandary—a lethal clash between his obsession and his survival instinct. The survival instinct, of course, must win, he mused; for between them now stood the only thing that love could not subdue—a very dark secret.
The Shadow of Death moved with stealth in the semidarkness toward the Cadillac, his hands slightly shaking with excitement with every step he took.  His only accomplice was his own shadow, perceptible to no eye but his. It seemed innocuous even to him, like a specter, only there to see, not to arbitrate. It moved when the assassin moved and stopped when he did, like a minion with no initiative of its own, an android programmed to repeat the action of its mentor, silently, as only a ghost would; and then saddled thereafter with the damning knowledge of the truth, a truth that would elude the rest of the world—an everlasting witness, a ghost that would never die.
There was deafening silence inside the Cadillac. All around it, darkness closed in as slowly and unfalteringly as the approaching evil. The assassin’s face was impassive, his heartbeat regular, but his muscles were taut as he strained to open the driver’s door with his gloved hand.
She did not see him, could not see him, because she was leaning face downward on the steering wheel.
Gripped by a morbid fascination with death, he stared down at her, the roaring tension inside him silenced by his cold determination. Everything would depend on this moment, this act, he mulled over, darting a quick glance at the fountain. He did not want any interruption and there was none. He reached for her throat silently, swiftly, giving her no chance to react.
There must be no error, he mumbled. His pressure on her throat was fierce. Time, thoughts, fear, regrets, all ceased to exist as an eternity seemed to roll by in a matter of seconds. And then relief flooded his being.
It was over, he almost smiled. It bore the mark of his usual professional touch—smooth, fast, painless, and very peaceful.

#MFRWHooks for **LITTLE BEGINNINGS** 13/04/2016 #bookpromo #Reading #MFRWAuthor





   
I hope you get hooked by this Snippet 

Today's hook


JERI CURSED at Olivia’s promise. She unlocked the car and threw her bag onto the passenger seat before sliding behind the steering wheel. After cranking up the radio, the music was loud enough for her to ignore the outside noises. She leaned back and closed her eyes, considered forgetting about finding the ‘right one.’ Living alone wasn’t all that bad. She liked being alone, yet the thought of being alone for the rest of her life scared her.
Jeri took a deep breath, turned down the music, and grabbed her phone.
Without giving her niece a chance to say a word when the call connected, she said,
“Sex on legs in your dreams, honey,” and hung up.
She took the long route back home, enjoying the drive and the night-lights of the city. By the time she arrived at her home, Olivia stood in front of her door, hands on hips. Her niece hadn’t changed much, if at all, in all the years she’d known her.

Despite looking like a little model, Olivia hated her curly blonde hair, which had been near unmanageable while the hormones raged during her teenage years. A smile tugged at Jeri’s lips as she remembered when she’d showed her niece how to apply some makeup to show off her beautiful blue eyes. Olivia had wanted none of it —but she still looked stunning. Even more so because nothing in the world really bothered her and that smile on her face was a constant.


Blurb:
A blind date that doesn't happen might lead to love. 

After her divorce, Jeri Belmont moved to Hobart and now runs a successful art gallery. When her niece sets her up with a neighbour, Jeri expects a blind date like all the others. But she never expected her date wouldn’t even show up because of her age. Despite feeling unjustly judged, when she unexpectedly runs into him again, she finds it hard to ignore Ely’s charm. 

Ely Lennox knows he shouldn’t have skipped the blind date because of the lady’s age. After all, it had only been a date, not a lifetime commitment. When his carpentry business takes him right to the woman he bailed out on, his guilt turns into regret when he finds out she’s everything a man could hope for. How can he convince Jeri he made a big mistake? 

Will she forgive him? Or is she hiding behind something else? 



    






Tuesday Tales - PHONE ~ ~ #Tuesdaybookblog #Books


 

Welcome to Tuesday ... Welcome to Tuesday Tales ...

Time for a new story. This one has no title, yet, and has been on the back burner for a few years now. I think I posted one or two excerpts, but I felt lost in the story at some stage, so hopefully with prompts and some feedback I might finish it.

Today's prompt is: PHONE

Enjoy - and feel free to leave a comment. And don't forget to click the link below to go back to the main Tuesday Tale site for more stories by very talented authors.




Anyway, now I’m in this massive aeroplane en route to Germany. In all fairness, flying isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be. We’re not even half way and my bum’s sore, my head aches, and I’m bored out of my brains. Even the latest blockbuster on the small screen in front of me can’t hold my attention, and I’ve seen most of the TV series that often I can talk along with them. Even the excitement of sitting right next to the window feels silly now. As far as the eye can see are only sky or clouds. Initially breathtaking, now more on the boring and I don’t really wanna know what’s beneath me side of thoughts.
“Excuse me,” I say quietly to the nice looking lady next to me. “I’m sorry, but–”
I make a motion saying I need to get something from the overhead locker and she kindly moves her legs. Unbelievable, that there are people out there liking this experience. I’ve had enough already!
Anyway, I move awkwardly around the lady, who desperately tries to keep that smile on her face as I step on her feet at least twice, but in the end, I do get what I was looking for in my bag “up above”.  My phone .... And Grandma’s diary. Time for a bit more snooping.
The nice flight attendant gets me something to drink and a snack as I try to get the hang of reading the old German again. As I grab the water, I glance past the lady next to me and see the guy across the aisle staring towards me. Instinctively, I look around, but no, he’s really looking at me. A smile tugs at my lips when I see him smiling at me.
“Where are you heading?” he asks as the flight attendant moves on.
I lean forward and the nice lady next to me leans back. Her smile saying everything. Everything as in, Yeah, he’s cute!
“I’m heading to Frankfurt,” I reply.
“So am I,” he says, his smile turning into a grin.
And then we get interrupted by a long line of people coming past. I patiently wait, as one person after the other moves past, my head bobbing from side to side desperate not to lose eye contact. But it’s near impossible. Itching to talk more to the guy, I keep glancing over again and again, but then I try to settle my nerves by focusing back on the book.
I had no idea “human traffic” can be so intense on a flight.

Click her to read more Tuesday Tales


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Snippet Sunday - INNOCENT TEARS - 10/04/2016 #romance #reading #bookpromo



~~~
 
 
INNOCENT TEARS has been re-released.
It has enjoyed another full edit and an awesome new cover.

Here's another little snippet.

THANK YOU

~~~

“Advice is what we ask for when we already 
know the answer, but wish we didn't.”





Flynn looked from Teresa to William. Deep lines of worry appeared on William’s face, and he slowly nodded. Flynn rubbed his face in disbelief. William reached over and placed his hand comfortingly on Flynn’s shoulder. Flynn’s eyes stung and he couldn’t quite face them, but quietly asked, “What happened?”
“Cancer,” he heard Teresa saying, and for the first time Flynn thought he was able to detect some emotions.
With his back hunched, elbows on his knees, and his hands folded in front of his mouth, he sorted his thoughts – cancer! One tiny word, yet it had a devastating effect on him. Flynn gave a sudden curse, then leaned back into the chair as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers.
“Sorry, son,” William tried to comfort him.
“Why are you telling me now?” he asked without looking.
There was a touch of concern in Teresa’s voice. “There’s something else we need to discuss with you.”



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Thanks for all your comments,
I do appreciate each single one of them!
And check out Snippet Sunday  Facebook site for other writers.