Book Blast: The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin @Sherry_Ficklin

The Canary Club
Sherry D. Ficklin
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: October 16th 2017
Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult

“Bad Luck” Benny is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Recently released from jail, he has vowed to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But he also needs to care for his ailing sister and the rest of his struggling family, and he’ll do anything to make that happen—even if it means taking a position with a notorious crime boss. He soon finds himself in over his head—and worse still—falling for the one dame on earth he should be staying away from.
Masie is the daughter of a wealthy gangster with the voice of an angel and gun smoke in her veins. Strong-willed but trapped in a life she never wanted, she dreams of flying free from the politics and manipulation of her father. A pawn in her family’s fight for control of the city, and with a killer hot on her heels, she turns to the one person who just might be able to spring her from her gilded cage. But Masie is no angel, and her own dark secrets may come back to burn them both.
Two worlds collide in this compelling story of star-crossed lovers in gritty prohibition-era New York.
Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams’ A CERTAIN AGE or Libba Bray’s THE DIVINERS, THE CANARY CLUB by Sherry D. Ficklin will entice Historical Romance fans of all ages. This Gatsby-era tale filled with dazzling speakeasies, vicious shoot-outs, gritty gangsters, and iridescent ingenues has also been compared to the television series Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING and BOARDWALK EMPIRE.

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EXCERPT:

Lepke.
I roll the name around in my head like a curse.
Glancing back over my shoulder toward my room, toward June, I know what I have to do.
For the most part, it suits me just fine to let people think I’m just some silly girl, some empty-headed dame. Because what it means is that they never see me coming, never suspect me of being capable of doing terrible things.
But I am my father’s daughter.
I was born to violence like a fish is born to water. It’s part of me, part of who I am. All my life I’ve watched the people around me suffer—the women most of all. It’s a fact of this life that more often than not, shots are fired, grievances aired, and warnings sent through the women around the powerful men. They are soft targets. Disposable, but cared for enough to make a point.
In this business, women are nothing more than weaknesses to be guarded and fodder to be thrown when needed. Pawns in a game we aren’t even allowed to play. It’s one of the reasons I was so glad when Mother had sent me off to private school upstate. For a few months, I’d felt normal. Safe.
Being called back to the life after losing her was like suddenly having an axe hanging over my head again. For one dark, dark moment I’d considered running away—and I might have too. But soon enough I realized that this is where I belong, even if I might wish otherwise. I have to do what I can to protect my family, what family I have left. I know my part and I can play it as well as any Hollywood starlet. I know I should be appalled, bereaved that things like this come so easily to me now. But I let that grief, and the dreams of being anything other than what I am, go a long time ago. And so I stay. Cursed to walk the fine line between hero and villain, between vengeance and redemption.
But Lepke isn’t going to get away with this. Not this time.
I drag my hand through the water, mixing in the salts, cementing my plan in my head.
As soon as I deposit June in the tub I steal away to the den to make a call.
“Hello?” Vincent Coll’s groggy answer reverberates through the receiver.
My heart stutters at the sound of his voice. “It’s Masie. I need a favor.”
“What’s up, doll?”
I hesitate, biting my bottom lip. It’s then that I notice the smear of blood on my dress.
“I have blood on me, Vinny,” I say, more to myself than him, but his tone heightens.
“Are you alright?” He’s awake now, alert and sharp.
“It’s not my blood,” I clarify. “It’s the blood of someone I care about, though.”
He calms again, “What do you need?”
“Lepke Brewer,” I spit the name, unable to quite put into words how I want him to suffer. How much I want him to hurt.
On the other end of the line there’s a deep sigh, followed by the sound of a lighter flicking and Vinny taking a long drag. Despite being someone I once cared about greatly, Vinny is a dangerously unstable man on a good day. I know he’ll do what I’m about to ask without breathing a word of it to anyone—not out of loyalty to me or sympathy for June and what had happened to her, but for the sheer opportunity to level some brutality on a rival. Most people call him Mad Dog, thanks to his reputation for being about as well tempered as a rabid animal. But to me, he’s just Vinny, the young boy who’d come to stay with us after being expelled from the Catholic Reform School his mother had abandoned him to. We’d spent our formative years together, thick as thieves and practically family, until he took up the roll as Daddy’s enforcer and hit man. He’d changed after that.
Hell, we’d both changed. And neither of us for the better.
I roll the memory of him around in my head, biting the inside of my cheek as I decide what to say next. We haven’t been close in a very long time, and that’s the way it has to be. It might have been something more once, or maybe I just wanted there to be something there that never was. He’d kissed me exactly once, and it had been enough to sear itself into my memory, only to be buried beneath piles of disappointment and choices neither of us can take back. He has to be hard to do what he does, with no weaknesses for our enemies to exploit. And if I’m being honest, it’s the darkness in him that terrifies me. Not because I don’t understand it, but because I do. I know exactly how easy it would be to allow myself to be consumed by the violence of this life—and how good I would be at it.
But that’s not the person I want to be.
Even so, here I am, about to ask him to do the dirty work for me, just so I can keep my hands just a little bit clean.
“You want him taken care of?” he asks finally.
I suck in a breath before answering. Yes, I want him dead. I want him wiped from the face of the earth so he can’t ever hurt anyone ever again. I imagine myself saying yes. I imagine myself throwing a fistful of dirt onto Lepke’s coffin as it’s lowered into the ground. And then I imagine trying to look myself in the mirror every day after that.
“I want him to hurt,” I say after a moment. “I want him to be broken to the core of him. But leave him breathing.”
Leave it to Vinny to echo my own fears back to me. “You sure about this, Mas?” he asks, taking another drag and exhaling it slowly. “It’s not going to keep you up at night?”
It’s a barb from an accusation I’d leveled at him the last time we spoke, when I’d asked how he slept at night, after all he’d done. His answer had been crude and aimed to hurt me. Mine would be much kinder.
“I suppose I will have to find a way to live with myself,” I answer, keeping my tone indifferent.
He hangs up without even saying goodbye.
I hold the receiver in my hand for a few heartbeats before returning it to its cradle. JD is being groomed to take over the family business and –despite daddy’s constant berating that he’s too soft-hearted or slow-witted or whatever insult he feels like hurling in the moment for the job—I’ve never stepped in and asked for a place in the business. I’m just the girl, after all, to be coddled and protected and mollified. I’d been surprised that he let me worm my way into the club as it’s headline singer rather than being shipped off to wherever. Now, I can’t help but wonder, if Daddy had seen me tonight, if he might rethink the line of ascension.
And I can’t help but wonder what life would be like for me if he did.

Author Bio:
Sherry is the author of over a dozen novels for teens and young adults including the best selling Stolen Empire series. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she's on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.
Sherry also writes contemporary romance under the pen name SJ Noble. You can find her at her official website, www.sherryficklin.com, or stalk her on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/sherry.ficklin.

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Blog Tour: Hunter's Moon by Tess Grant @tessgrantwrites

Hunter's Moon

by Tess Grant
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: January 17th 2017
Books We Love Ltd.

Summary from Goodreads:

Kitty Irish has heard all the rumors swirling around Daniel Phinney. Most of them involve a gun, a flask, and a temper. One chance encounter with the WWII veteran over a grisly find in the woods pulls the cover off the dark secrets of their small town, and Kitty is drawn into an unlikely partnership.

Armed with an antique rifle and a handful of homemade silver bullets, the two form an efficient team. Unfortunately, their game is werewolf hunting, and disaster is only a bite away.

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Excerpt From Hunter’s Moon:

The tang of old pennies hung in the air. Kitty was smart enough to know she hadn’t stumbled on some stash of long-buried loot. No self-respecting pirate would be caught dead in the middle of the Michigan woods.

That coppery smell was blood.

Maddie had the scent too. The golden retriever pressed forward, nose scuffling through the mulch. Her fluffy tail hung inactive. A wiggly rear end might divert too much energy from her nose.

Somewhere high above, a cloud ghosted over the sun, and the forest light grew dark green and cool. Kitty moved forward slowly. It would be just perfect to step into the middle of something completely nasty. Her shoes still looked mostly decent after a winter indoors. A big smear of muck across the toes would really round out her look.

Maddie suddenly growled, stopping dead. One paw hung suspended in the air and her body tensed.

“Maddie? What’s the problem?”

The retriever lowered her head to the ground, slowly pacing a circle. Kitty leaned over the spot that had thrown the dog off. Maybe it was a coyote. Maddie hated them.

A paw had indented the soft ground right where the aging dog had spooked. Kitty nodded—positive it was a coyote—and crouched down next to it to get a better look. Maddie circled around her, chest rumbling. Kitty knew a little about prints. Her dad had been pointing them out to her since she could walk. Deer and rabbit marks were everywhere, but this didn’t belong to one of the gentle guys. It had the four toes and pads of a predator, and it was big. Laying her hand over top of it, she could spread her fingers and barely cover it. Deep claw marks dug into the leaf mold ahead of the pads. Cats sheathed their claws when they walked; this was some sort of huge canine.

If this was a coyote, it was mutant. What sort of a thing made a print like that?

Kitty moved forward into the deep shadows under the trees. Something dead was in there. Flies buzzed and whirled under the trees. Maddie stayed where she was, guarding the print.

The carcass lay half-hidden under some ferns at the base of a broad oak. It was a deer, or what was left of one anyway. Its soft tan hide lay torn; its white stomach stained brown with dried blood. Great gashes ran the length of it, shoulder to haunches. Kitty’s stomach churned. This was about killing to kill; not one bite was missing. Sickened, she turned to leave, halting at the sight of the head. She had assumed it was at the end of the neck tucked away unseen under the bracken. She was wrong.

Completely detached, it lay under the next tree.

Whatever had done this was no dog.

About the Author

After nearly ten years as a forensic anthropologist, Tess Grant semi-retired to a farmette in the backwoods of Michigan. She lives at the edge of the Manistee National Forest with her husband, children, and a number of strange critters, none of whom are  werewolves.

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Blog Tour: Gat of Air by Resa Nelson @ResaNelson

Gate of Air
Resa Nelson
(Dragon Gods, #1)
Publication date: June 19th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Frayka must find and convince the dragon gods of the Far East to appease the gods of her Northland heritage. If she fails, her own Northlander gods will destroy all the mortals who once promised to worship them.
The Far East is a mysterious place of legend to Northlanders like Frayka. Only an old map can show her how to get there. Once she arrives, all of Frayka’s sensibilities put her in danger. And every dangerous turn delays her from finding the dragon gods whose help she so desperately needs.
Although Frayka looks like a Far Easterner, she is a powerful Northlander warrior who is quick to voice her thoughts. She is trained to fight and won’t hesitate to do so.
But everything about Frayka puts her in deadly peril in the Far East, where the laws are strict and the punishment cruel.
Especially when the one being punished is a woman.

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1.    Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else? 

I knew I wanted to be a writer by the time I was 8 years old.

2.   How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

I typically spend several years thinking about each book before I write it.  I won’t write a book unless I’d want to read it myself.  I’ll often be thinking about several different books at once.  I spent 8 years thinking about my first novel (The Dragonslayer’s Sword, which is currently free on Amazon and other sites).  I then spent a couple of years doing research and planning the book.  Once I sat down to write it, I knew the book pretty well, and it took me 9 months to write it.  All in all, it took about 10 to 11 years to write that book.  Because I’ve been writing novels for several years now, I write faster because I’ve learned how to work more efficiently.  But I still spend years thinking about each book before I write it.

3.   How do you come up with themes for your stories?

Themes are usually either based on things I feel passionate about or things that are happening in my life at the time I’m writing the book.  Right now, I’m concerned about the extent to which women are treated with disrespect and disdain in the United States.  Sometimes I think about moving to another country.  Writing Gate of Air and the other books in the Dragon Gods series let me dig into those feelings.

4.   Do you have a schedule of when you write? 

Yes.  I walk 4 miles every day at dawn, and that’s the most important part of my “writing” time, because that’s when I think about where I am in the novel and what comes next.  Once I finish my walk, I sit down at the keyboard and write, based on what I spent those 4 miles thinking about.  Most of the time I write Monday through Friday.  But sometimes when I get close to the end of a novel I’ll write on weekends, too, just to take advantage of the momentum.

5.   How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?

My writing stays in my computer.  In other words, I don’t talk about my writing, except when I’m with other authors.  Because I keep my writing so separate from the rest of my life, it’s pretty easy to balance everything.

6.   What elements do you think make a great story line? 

The kinds of stories I like to read, regardless of genre, are about being human.  In real life, many people are terrible at communicating, so lots of misunderstandings happen all the time and feelings get hurt.  Everyone wants to love and be loved, and when people don’t feel loved, and especially when they feel rejected, terrible things can happen.  So the kind of story line I like involves misunderstandings and hurt feelings and some people lying when they think the only way to get what they want is to manipulate others.

7.   What was the hardest thing about writing a book?

I love the process of writing, from the very beginning when the book is just a simple idea to finishing the first draft.  Once I finish the first draft, I’d like to start the next book – but I can’t.  Getting the book edited in terms of making sure everything hangs together has to happen.  The hardest part for me is the final phase of editing, meaning, making sure all the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s are crossed.  It’s hard for me to be patient with that final stage because I’d rather be writing the next book.

8.   How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite? 

I have 14 books in print right now.  Twelve of those books are part of my “Dragon Cycle,” which is a group of series that take place in the same world.  Series 1 is the Dragonslayer series, and Book 1 (The Dragonslayer’s Sword) is currently free on Amazon and other sites.  Series 2 is the Dragonfly series, and Series 3 is the Dragon Gods series – Gate of Air is Book 1 in Series 3.  My intent is that you should be able to pick up any series and enjoy it, but you’ll get the richest experience by reading these series in order.  In the fantasy genre, my favorite book is Book 2 in Series 1, called The Iron Maiden – but it’s hard to understand if you don’t read Book 1 (The Dragonslayer’s Sword) first.

I also have a couple of mystery/thrillers.  My favorite mystery is called Our Lady of the Absolute, which is about a country whose culture is like ancient Egypt, but it’s set in today’s world.  In that book, there are four important characters, and their journeys weave together throughout the book.

9.   Do you have a favorite character?

My favorite character usually depends on what book I’m writing or have just written.  Right now, my favorite character is Frayka, the main character in the Dragon Gods series.

10.  Where do you write?  

At my dining room table.

11.When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took? 

I began as a short story writer.  I sold my first stories to small press magazines in the 1980s.  By 1988, I made my first professional sale.  Because I’m a graduate of the Clarion Workshop, my goal was traditional publishing.  My first six novels were published by a traditional publishing house, but the more I heard about self-publishing, the more intrigued I was.  Because I sold most of my short stories in ancient times (meaning, at the dawn of personal computers, the internet, and the world wide web), that means I hold the electronic rights to most of those stories.  So I decided to dip my toes in self-publishing one short story at a time.  (Many of my short stories are now collected in two anthologies.)  I then decided to publish my first Dragonfly novel (Series 2) myself.  After that, I requested the publishing rights for all my already-published books, and my publisher gave those rights back to me.  Other than five traditionally-published audio books (the Dragonslayer series and one of my mysteries), I now self-publish everything I write.

12. Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?

No comment.

13. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?

I’m a big fan of Broadway musicals, stage plays, ballet, and museums.  I live close to Boston, so I’m really lucky to see great local and touring performances, and I’m a member of some wonderful museums.  I’m also a huge fan of travel, and one of my favorite things to do is visit ruins of ancient civilizations.  When I feel like staying at home, I love watching movies and TV.  My favorite series is The Walking Dead.

14. What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? 

Learn your craft and never stop working at it.

15. What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write? 

My favorite book is a mainstream novel called Bang the Drum Slowly.  I’ve read and re-read it at different times in my life, and each time I learn something new from it.  My favorite authors are all mystery writers:  Harlan Coben, Gillian Flynn, and Dennis Lehane.

16. Do you have any go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such? 

My story lines have to be my own.  If I allowed anyone to comment on my story lines before I write a book, it would be like inviting someone to tell me how to live my life.  Not going to happen.  The best advice I ever received came from a writer friend who also spent many years working as a fiction editor.  He said, “Can you say that you’ve done what you wanted to accomplish with your story?  If so, that’s all that matters.”  But when it comes to editing and getting a novel ready for publication, I have an amazing team.  I’m in a critique group with other Clarion graduates who are professionally published, and they’re wonderful.  I learn so much from them all the time.  If any part of a novel has gone off track, they point it out, and then we brainstorm about how I can fix the problem.

17. Are you working on anything now? 

Yes!  I’m working on the fourth and final series in my Dragon Cycle, which I expect to publish about a year from now.  For people who like to be surprised, I recommend reading the entire cycle of series in order.  But for people who like spoilers, I recommend reading the final series first because it actually happens before any of the other series take place.

18. Tell us 5 things that make you smile

Baby animals, flowers, a wide and open sky, the sight of the Boston skyline through an airplane window when I’m flying home, and hearing the theme song of The Walking Dead.

19. Tell us 5 things that make you sad

Bigotry, hatred, arrogance, crime, and war.

20. If you could travel anywhere in the world to visit a place so you could use it as a background for a book, where would it be?

Greece.  It’s been at the top of my travel wish list for a long time.

I’m offering GATE OF AIR for a special introductory price of 99 cents on Amazon for a limited time.

Author Bio:
Resa Nelson is the author of the 4-book Dragonslayer series: The Dragonslayer’s Sword (nominated for the Nebula Award, finalist for the EPPIE Award), The Iron Maiden , The Stone of Darkness , and The Dragon's Egg . Her 4-book Dragonfly series takes place after the Dragonslayer series.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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Blog Tour: From the Sky & Equinox by J.E. Niccasio @Jennie3963

From the Sky (Beyond Moondust Trilogy #1)

by J.E. Niccasio
Genre: YA Sci-fi/Romance

Summary:

From the Sky from best-selling author J.E. Nicassio writes the kind of close encounter that will leave readers spellbound. 

When high school junior, Samantha Hunter, and her father move to New Mexico, it’s a chance to leave tragedy behind and start over. However, the arrival of a dark-haired stranger changes everything. Lucien introduces Sam to the prospect of enjoying life again, and to the hidden world of aliens. But crazier than that, Lucien doesn’t feel entirely like a stranger. Redemption and romance follow Sam in her new life as she works to understand the alien-human romance she’s developing—a romance that feels beyond her control. There’s something bigger happening around her, and to her, too, and this is just the beginning…. 

—J. E. Nicassio packs in the action like a superhero movie— From the Sky has all the hallmarks of a Hollywood blockbuster—ready to light up the sky like a fleet of UFOs. “A must read! It had me from the very beginning to the last word. Every page had a plot twist and turn to make my imagination run wild.”  —Online Book Club.org Nicassio is a freelance writer and MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Field Investigator in Pittsburgh, PA, where she resides with her mother, two sons, and German Shepherd, Ava. She loves writing and is passionate about creating stories that entertain and comes straight from the heart. Her Children’s book, Rocky (About Rockefeller Center and a tiny Christmas tree named Rocky) made the Amazon Top Ten Christmas Book List in 2016.

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Equinox (Beyond Moondust Trilogy # 2)

by J.E. Niccasio

Summary:

"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” Author C. Clarke. 

From the Sky Saga Continues! The day after the winter solstice, Samantha Hunter is found naked and bleeding in a remote cabin in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. As Sam works to understand what’s happened to her, she is whisked into the Underground—a secret community of scientists, civilians, and aliens that are connected to her story and to the alien boy she’s in love with—Lucien. This is where the fight begins, and Sam must decide what price she’s willing to pay for life and love. 

“Equinox gives the reader a totally different way of thinking about extraterrestrials. Anyone with interest in the possibility of life outside this planet—and for those who love a great romance—this book for you. It is exceptionally written and will leave you wanting more!” —Kelly Fait Goodreads “American teenagers have to grow up fast because dark forces are out to get them—J.E. Nicassio gives us a fast-paced and exciting tale full of car chases, close calls, and the angst of star-crossed love. Teens and even older readers will love From the Sky." —Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

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From the Sky | Equinox 

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From The Sky

Dear Emma,

I’m writing this while watching my grandchildren make sandcastles. The sun and the salt of the ocean remind me of him. It reminded me of you, also. You’re probably wondering why I’m contacting you after all these years. I ask myself the same question. I thought it was time you knew the truth, especially you, dear friend...

I wanted to tell you all those years ago, and while you read this, you will find out why I didn’t. My troubled heart hopes you will believe what I should have told you then. Don’t hate me for not telling you, Emma; I had very good reason not to. When I look at my grandson as he plays, the eyes staring back at me were his eyes. I know now more than ever that it wasn’t a dream. Now, you will know the truth. And in time, everyone will. Please have an open mind while reading my journal and understand why I couldn’t tell you. It began the day of my mother’s funeral. You remember that awful day. You were there with me.

All my love,

Sam

About the Author

J. E. is the bestselling author of the From The Sky series and was listed as one of the top 1000 authors on Amazon in 2015, and was Amazon all-star top ten-holiday children books for Rocky: The Rockefeller Christmas in 2016. She is a freelance writer and MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Field Investigator in Pittsburgh, PA where she resides with her mother, two sons, and German Shepherd Ava. She loves writing and is passionate about creating stories that entertain and comes straight from the heart.

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