Tag Archives: Women’s Fiction

Author K.M Hodge Talks about Writing and a Current Promotion

Wednesday, 06 June 2018 10:28
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We’re pleased to welcome to the blog today one of our thriller authors, K.M. Hodge, creator of the 4-book series “The Syndicate-Born Trilogy.” Yes, yes, we know… a trilogy doesn’t have 4 books. Well, we had originally planned to to stop this series after 3 books, and thus the trilogy, but when K.M. Hodge said, “Hey, I have an idea for a prequel that I think will be a lot of fun,” we said, “Let’s do it.” The trilogy then grew to 4 books.

First, let’s tell you about the author:

Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author, K.M. Hodge grew up in Detroit, where she spent most of her free time weaving wild tales to spook her friends and family. These days, she lives in Texas with her husband and two energetic boys, and once again enjoys writing tales of suspense and intrigue that keep her readers up all night. Her stories, which focus on women’s issues, friendship, addiction, regrets and second chances, will stay with you long after you finish them. When she isn’t writing or being an agent of social change she watches old X-files episodes, does yoga, streams Detroit Tigers games, and binges on Netflix with her husband. K.M. Hodge truly enjoys hearing from her readers, so don’t be shy about dropping her an email or say hit on social media.

Find her online here:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram

Be sure to follow her at:
Amazon | Bookbub

Finally, sign up for her mailing list & Get a Free Gift at:
www.kmhodge.com/subscribe

Second, let’s tell you about the promotion:

SALE/PROMOTION: $0.99 eBook at Amazon (All of June)
BOOK: Red on the Run
SERIES: The Syndicate-Born Trilogy – Book 1
GENRES: Crime Fiction, Thriller/Suspense, Women’s Fiction
 
ABOUT THE BOOK:
You can’t hide from The Syndicate. Run, Red. Run!

WINNER: Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Fall 2016 – Best Thriller

In search of redemption from his sordid past, FBI Special Agent Alex Bailey takes on a new partner, Katherine Mitchel… and a new secret mission.

Before being assigned their first joint case, Katherine uncovers damning evidence against a major crime ring known as The Syndicate. The group controls key members of the D.C. Metropolitan Area Police, the U.S. Congress, even the FBI, and they will stop at nothing to protect their interests. With her life on the line, Katherine is forced to put her faith in Alex as she flees from Washington D.C. and enters the Witness Protection Program.

Yet there’s no hiding from The Syndicate.

In the most dangerous investigation of his career, Alex must decide how far he is willing to go to keep Katherine safe, and to stop The Syndicate.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:
“Ms. Hodge is adept at keeping the reader engaged and on the edge of their seats.” ~ LAS Book Reviews

“Move over Baldacci. Prepare for competition from this new author! Spellbinding – hard to put down.” ~ Patrisha Ehlert

“This adrenaline-fueled thriller captivates from the first chapter until it hurtles to the dramatic finale.” ~ RandomBadger

Third, let’s talk a little with K.M. Hodge:

QUESTION: When did you know you wanted to write a book?
Twenty years ago, I took on the challenge to write a novel. I got about a fourth of the way through writing the story, Red on the Run, before life happened and I stopped writing. I got married, worked full-time, and became a mom to two beautiful boys. Then, in October 2014, a friend challenged me to finish the novel during the National Write a Novel in a Month (NanoWriMo). I accepted her challenge and finished the novel at last! Another friend inspired me to self-publish the book, and in March 2015, I took the plunge. In August of that year, I signed the series with Evolved Publishing, which published the second edition in Fall 2016. In winter of 2016, I received the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Thrillers. “The Syndicate-Born Trilogy” series currently has three additional books: Black and White Truth, True Blue Son, and The Sally Ride Chronicle.

QUESTION: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
Oh so much! I did everything wrong the first time. I didn’t outline, the cover sucked, I didn’t have it professionally edited, and I rushed publication. It’s almost a “write” of passage for most authors to go through this when they’re first starting off. Three years later, I feel as though I am finally settling into my skin and writing to industry standards. I try and look at it all with a beginner’s mindset, because there will always be things to learn and improve upon.

QUESTION: What are your top five favorite books?
1. The Stand by Stephen King — I loved the characterization and suspenseful storytelling.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — …for its strong female characters.
3. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver — I loved its varying points of view, and how each character had such a distinct voice.
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott — …for its exposition and characterizations.
5. Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood — I love everything Atwood has written. She’s clever and witty, and employs snappy dialogue. I enjoyed this book most of all for its story within a story. She also finds ways to bring environmental and women’s issues to the forefront in truly creative ways.

QUESTION: What are your future projects, if any?
I’m working on a 1970’s romantic thriller that will come out at the end of the year in the “Love Under Fire” boxed set. I’m also working on a flash fiction piece for a literary magazine, about one of my “The Syndicate-Born Trilogy” characters, Sally Ride.

QUESTION: Since you write thrillers, what are the Top 10 internet searches you’ve done for book research?
1. Gunshot complications that kill you weeks after being shot.
2. Treatment of sex addiction
3. Where to stab someone so they don’t die
4. What kind of gun and bullets to use to limit forensic evidence
5. Body farms
6. Kidney transplants with 3D printed organs and stem cells
7. Sex trafficking in the US
8. The history of FBI profiling
9. Culture and linguistics of the 70’s
10. Video footage of 9/11

In closing:

Hmmm… some of those searches sound interesting. Well, we hope you enjoyed discovering this talented author and her work, and that you’ll take advantage of the $0.99 eBook Sale on Red on the Run, which lasts the full month of June. If you’re a KindleUnlimited subscriber, you can download all 4 books in this series free.

As always, thank you so much for your continuing support, and HAPPY READING!

Carmen Kemp

Monday, 15 January 2018 03:56
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Description

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I’m a born and raised Southern California girl who loves sunny days, horror movies, and traveling. I’ve had a love of words since I was a little girl, and spent several summers reading as many books as I could get my hands on. My love of reading led to a love of writing. I’ve been keeping diaries, which turned into journals, since I was ten years old. My goal was always to write a novel, but I wasn’t certain I could until I stopped wishing for it and started doing it.

Books

Coming soon….

Up Next

Watch for Participant, a literary/women’s fiction book, to release in the spring of 2018.

Cassandra signs up for modeling school in her twenties. Will that save her from herself, or is modeling school just for kids?

Cassandra spends most sunny California days in a drab cubicle, toiling away at a job that crushes her soul, and goes home to a dysfunctional relationship that is doing a number on her heart. Plagued with discontent and haunted by an unsettling melancholy, she only worsens after her fiancé of almost three years packs up his things and leaves.

Desperate to pull herself out of a downward spiral, she spends money she doesn’t have on classes at the Chloe Dillon Modeling and Acting Center. Unexpectedly, she discovers a passion for acting.

Self-discovery and new friendships abound at the Chloe Dillon Modeling and Acting Center, where she opens her eyes to positive affirmations and mingles with talented, ambitious classmates. She’s turning her life around, painstakingly learning to love life… and herself. As she battles her way through self-doubt, fear, and depression, she musters the courage to risk it all, quitting her dreaded job and pursuing a huge opportunity that could help her break into the acting industry.

In the throes of preparation for the big industry showcase, Cassandra learns that her estranged fiancé has been diagnosed with a serious illness. In a financially and emotionally precarious situation, she must choose between a newly discovered ambition that might never become reality, and the relative safety and sense of loyalty she feels for the only man she has ever loved.

Nillu Nasser Talks about the Writing of “All the Tomorrows”

Saturday, 04 November 2017 05:48
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We are pleased that author Nillu Nasser has stopped by to offer some insights on the writing of her new book, All the Tomorrows, which officially releases on Monday, November 6, 2017. And if you needed any more reason to be excited about this amazing book, just click on the picture below to see what 3 separate reviewers have said about it:

Without further ado, we turn this over to Nillu.

 

How I researched All the Tomorrows

by Nillu Nasser

 
Committing to a story idea is a funny thing, at least for me. It’s a decision that is made half with the heart, half with the head. My debut novel grew from an image I just couldn’t shake: a filthy, older, Indian man, pressed up against a window. That image refused to leave me for weeks, and my imagination began building on it. That’s when I know a story is worth investing in.

By the time I began writing the book in earnest, I knew the central character was a homeless man with a long lost love, and that he lived somewhere humid. Writing a novel, especially your first one, can be a daunting task. I had a hero, and the beginnings of a setting, but I decided to draw on my own experience rather than researching a setting from scratch.

I’m of Indian heritage, and so India seemed a sensible choice, and I loved the opportunities the setting brought to the story: the colour, the food and traditions. I knew my hero belonged here. That’s how All the Tomorrows was born, a story about second chances that unravels amongst the dust and grime of the Mumbai’s streets and behind the gates of opulent houses.

Still, there were gaps in my knowledge. I am at one Indian, and removed from India. My grandparents were born there, but I was born in the UK. My family traditions are rooted in both India and East Africa, with a splash of Britain thrown in. I have visited India twice, once as a child and once in my early twenties. My recollections are broad brush strokes: the smell of street food, the sticky heat, the palaces in Jaipur, the imploring faces of child beggars pressed against cool taxi windows.

For the details of my novel, I turned to travel guides and photo books. Cousins of mine, who live in Mumbai, provided eyewitness accounts. Friends sent me pictures of their own travels there. I watched Bollywood movies to drink up the setting. The internet opened up a wormhole, an unfiltered surplus of information, causing hours to disappear with the click of my trackpad.

How easy it is to get sidetracked. I needed to know the dates Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, and within moments I was drawn into the tragic glamour of the Gandhi family, history I once knew, but which had all but escaped through the sieve of my memory: Indira’s rise to power, the loss of her politically-minded younger son in a plane crash, convincing her elder son to run for parliament and setting him on the path to his assassination ten years later, her own murder, and how the wives of her dead sons are on opposing sides of the political spectrum in today’s India.

Creativity is often about dreaming and drifting, as much as it is about perceiving and persistence. I liked how my research caused me to meander, how the novel was shaped by a chain reaction to materials I came across, and how my ideas morphed into something new.

For me, the best fiction shows glimpses of research but never burdens the reader; it is entertaining first and foremost. Fiction writers are not historians. Our magic power is making up worlds, with the hope that they are believable and authentic. Hopefully, I’ve achieved this with All the Tomorrows. I hope you’ll pick up a copy to find out.

Releasing November 6, 2017 (Now Available for Pre-Order): All the Tomorrows


Sometimes we can’t escape the webs we are born into. Sometimes we are the architects of our own fall.

Akash Choudry wants a love for all time, not an arranged marriage. Still, under the weight of parental hopes, he agrees to one. He and Jaya marry in a cloud of colour and spice in Bombay. Their marriage has barely begun when Akash embarks on an affair.

Jaya can’t contemplate sharing her husband with another woman, or looking past his indiscretions as her mother suggests. Cornered by sexual politics, she takes her fate into her own hands in the form of a lit match.

Nothing endures fire. As shards of their past threaten their future, will Jaya ever bloom into the woman she can be, and will redemption be within Akash’s reach?
 
For more on the author, please visit her page here: Nillu Nasser.

Nillu Nasser

Saturday, 18 March 2017 05:19
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Description

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Nillu Nasser is a writer of literary fiction novels. She also blogs, writes short fiction and poetry.

Nillu’s short story “Painted Truths and Prayer Beads” was published in May 2016 in Mosaics 2: A Collection of Independent Women. Another short story, “The Tombstone Man and the Coming of the Tigress,” was published in June 2016 in UnCommon Origins, an anthology of short fiction. In 2017, “Tombstone Man” is scheduled to reappear in UnCommonly Good.

Nillu has a BA in English and German Literature and an MA in European Politics. After graduating, she worked in national and regional politics, but eventually reverted to her first love.

She lives in London with her husband, three children, one angelic cat and one demonic cat, though she secretly yearns for a dog. If you fly into Gatwick and look hard enough, you will see her furiously scribbling in her garden office, where she is working on her next story.

Nillu’s first novel, a story of sexual politics and second chances in Mumbai, is due to be published by Evolved Publishing in Autumn 2017. To find out more about Nillu and get the juice on her latest books, read her blog, send her a tweet or sign up for her newsletter.

Books

Books Written By:

Author: Nillu Nasser

All the Tomorrows

Buy now!
All the Tomorrows

Up Next

Watch for this literary/women’s fiction to release on 6 November 2017.

Sometimes we can’t escape the webs we are born into. Sometimes we are the architects of our own fall.

Akash Choudry wants a love for all time, not an arranged marriage. Still, under the weight of parental hopes, he agrees to one. He and Jaya marry in a cloud of colour and spice in Bombay. Their marriage has barely begun when Akash embarks on an affair.

Jaya can’t contemplate sharing her husband with another woman, or looking past his indiscretions as her mother suggests. Cornered by sexual politics, she takes her fate into her own hands in the form of a lit match.

Nothing endures fire. As shards of their past threaten their future, will Jaya ever bloom into the woman she can be, and will redemption be within Akash’s reach?

Evolved Publishing Releases 4 New Books – October 24, 2016

Wednesday, 26 October 2016 09:53
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4 Great New Books/Stories
from 4 Talented Authors

We are excited to offer 4 new books/stories from 4 different authors. In this book launch, we have 3 novels and 1 short story, appealing to readers of many ages.

PLEASE ENJOY!

YOUNG ADULT FANTASY THRILLER

ScorchedSouls EP_Sales_Button_Amazon
SCORCHED SOULS by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef
 
Fate and destiny clash in the explosive, heart-pounding conclusion to the award-winning Chosen series.
 
~~~~~
 
Survival is not enough.
Alliances will be formed.
Loyalties tested.
A choice made.
 
My name is Juliet Wildfire Stone and I’m not just a Chosen, I’m the Alpha… and the fate of Earth rests in my hands.
 
When I finally met the Prime Elector, he wasn’t anything like I expected. He was supposed to be our mortal enemy, a monster I needed to destroy to fulfill my destiny, yet he was nothing like that—he’s young, brilliant, and looks like an angel.
 
Caught in the middle of a conflict between two ancient foes, which threatens to rip Earth apart, I must do what is right at all costs. To choose my fate, and Earth’s future, I will need to navigate a new path, form unlikely alliances, and solve ancient mysteries forgotten for centuries.
 
Yet I cannot do it alone. Will the other Chosen follow me? Do I have the strength to make the right choice, or will the people of Earth be enslaved for all time?
 
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Pick up ALL 3 books in the CHOSEN series at this Amazon link.
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CONSPIRACY THRILLER / ALTERNATIVE HISTORY

Eloah_NoHeaven Eloah_NoHell BOOK 1: EP_Sales_Button_Amazon
BOOK 2: EP_Sales_Button_Amazon
ELOAH: NO HEAVEN and ELOAH: NO HELL by Lex Allen
 
Eloah: No Heaven (Book 1)
Eloah, a teacher of philosophy across the Alma Mater, hails from an advanced parallel universe. Amid a world critically wounded by war, racial and religious bigotry, extreme poverty, and vast separation between the minority rich and majority poor, he has returned to stop a nuclear holocaust and unscramble the misinterpretations presented in the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an.
 
Eloah enlists the aid of three people necessary to accomplish his mission: Doctor Elizabeth Washburn, a professor of theology; Jack Schmidt, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Major; and Kate Barrow, a film studies student. Each of the three is a reincarnation of someone close to him when he visited our reality over two thousand years ago, under the name Yeshua ben Yosef—Jesus.
 
From government agencies, the Vatican, and a lunatic televangelist, his enemies gather quickly. Yet none are more dangerous than an evil being with abilities equal to those of Eloah, intent on turning the world into a personal playground and crushing all who stand in the way.
 
Eloah: No Hell (Book 2)
Eloah has gained the trust of his three ‘disciples’ and, with the help of several scientists from his reality, they have diffused every nuclear weapon in the world. Eloah must now begin work on the more difficult mission of changing the world population’s beliefs regarding God, and the misinterpretations of his teachings from two millennia ago.
 
While he seeks the support of the American President and Catholic Pope in this endeavor, his disciples search for a box, hidden for two thousand years, which will yield proof of Jesus’ true teaching and the origins of the Alma Mater.
 
As the FBI and CIA join forces to capture Eloah, and a Catholic Monsignor plots Eloah’s death, the alien being known as Alpha steps up its plans to instigate the destruction of the world… and eliminate Eloah in the process.
 

SUSPENSE THRILLER / WOMEN’S FICTION

BlackAndWhiteTruth EP_Sales_Button_Amazon
BLACK AND WHITE TRUTH by K.M. Hodge
 
This crime thriller/women’s fiction is the second book in The Syndicate-Born Trilogy.
 
In a world of varying shades of gray, the truth is always in black and white.
 
Seventeen years after The Syndicate trial, Jason Knettle sets out to write the shocking true crime novel on the group that ruined so many lives. With the help of a new source, he uncovers a frightening truth—The Syndicate is back… and more dangerous than ever with a new leader at the helm. The group will stop at nothing to prevent Jason from letting the world know the truth.
 
As the dead bodies of people connected to the trial start to pop up, Jason is called upon to do battle with his own personal demons and be the hero. Can he save the day, or will The Syndicate succeed in burying the truth once and for all?
 
RedOnTheRun Be sure to also check out RED ON THE RUN, the first book in this series, at this Amazon link.
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SCIENCE FICTION / CYPBERPUNK / GENETIC ENGINEERING

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TWIN HELIX by P.K. Tyler
This short story is the second companion to the Jakkattu series of sci-fi/cyberpunk adventures.
 
Fifty years ago the Mezna arrived with a promise to save humanity from itself. Now Earth has divided into three factions: those who welcome the Mezna, live in Mezna-built terraformed cities, and raise children with alien DNA included with their human genome; those who rebuke all alien interference and live in Human Only sectors; and those who fall between the two, fighting for survival on a planet no longer suited for their way of life.
 
Jeremy and Lillian are twins, Mezna/Human hybrids born on the wrong side of the sector border. They have passed for human and hidden their identities their entire lives, but when Lillian develops a mysterious ailment, how can Jeremy get her help without exposing who they really are?
 
Avendui5ive TheJakkattuVector Be sure to also check out AVENDUI 5IVE at this Amazon link.
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And watch for THE JAKKATTU VECTOR to release on November 28, 2016.
 
 

AND SO….

 
We hope you find several of these books to your liking, either for yourself or as gifts for your loved ones. As always, we thank you for your support. As an indie small press, we couldn’t survive without you, our loyal readers. Lastly, please share this great news with your friends.