4**** Star Review - THE MURDER PROSPECT - by Lee Mossel

When Cort Scott gave up his job as a petroleum geologist to become a private investigator in oil field investigations, his first job lands him right in the middle of a murder. The suspects quickly start to mount up - is it Jeff, the family's estranged brother? or someone much more sinister? As Scott continues to investigate, it becomes clear that the investment he was hired to investigate is only the tip of the iceberg, and Scott is left reeling as the investigation hits very close to home.

Mossel tells the story primarily through conversations between his characters. The dialogue is well-written and flows very well. His characters are well-developed with strong voices. I particularly like the character of Gerri, Cort Scott's on-again, off-again girl friend. She is out-spoken and knows what she wants. Also, she and I share the same filing system - file everything under "F" for "file".

Once the story gets going, it moves quickly, with a second murder added to the mix. As Scott continues to investigate, he has to determine if the killings are connected and decide how he's going to approach bringing the killer (or killers) to justice. The Murder Prospect is action packed with one gun-brandishing scene after another as the story reaches it's climax.

I give it a strong 4 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers with both strong male and female characters.

*I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. The book is rated "adult" for strong language and violence.

Buy links:

Amazon

Smashwords

About the author:

Lee Mossel was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in the small logging and lumber mill town of Noti about twenty miles west. He attended a 1920s vintage; eight grades…eight rooms…elementary school starting first grade at age five. After being “skipped” through the second grade, he entered high school at age 12 and, subsequently the University of Oregon at age 16.

Graduating with bachelors and masters degrees in geology, he spent a thirty-five year career as a petroleum geologist all in Denver. During that period, he worked for several oil companies as well as starting two independent companies. Since retiring, he has served on various boards of director, written numerous op-ed pieces and newspaper columns, given talks on the oil and gas business and generally enjoyed life.

Beginning with The Murder Prospect in 2012; The Talus Slope in 2013, he has begun a career as an author of crime thrillers and mysteries. More Than a 100% Dead is his third Cort Scott novel.

He enjoys world travel, sports, fine wines, good food, and golf…not necessarily in that order. He lives in Parker, Colorado, a place featured in the Cort Scott series.

I'll Love You Forever

I've always loved the poem I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I made up a tune to sing it to my daughter when she was a baby. My favorite line is "I'll love you for ever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

I always knew there had to be more to the story. Check out this article on PopSugar.

http://moms.popsugar.com/Truth-Behind-Love-You-Forever-31923286http://moms.popsugar.com/Truth-Behind-Love-You-Forever-31923286

My Writing Process

The author, Tammie Clarke Gibbs, http://www.featurearticlesforfree.com/ invited me to participate in this blog hop tour and answer these questions about my writing process:

About My Writing Procedure

1. What am I working on? 

I don't have the cover for it, yet, but I'm currently working on the third - and what I hope will be final - book in the Finding My Escape book series. Finding My Escape follows the story of Hannah Jordan who walks in to find her parents brutally murdered. As Hannah's story progresses, she quickly learns that not everything is what it seems. In the third story, she'll come up against one of the biggest challenges she's faced in her life when she has to make a major decision that goes against her deepest desire. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop there.

You can read excerpts of the Finding My Escape and Finding My Way Back here.

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre? That's really a loaded question because there's a lot of YA Paranormal out there. I guess my book is a little different in that instead of the characters themselves having supernatural powers, they are drawn into an alternate universe that has supernatural powers. Of course, some of that changes in book 3, when the supernatural powers leak into the real world. But nope. That's all I'm saying about that! 

3. Why do I write what I do? Interestingly, I started writing YA because, at the time, I had an eleven-year-old so in my mind, I've always written for her. Of course, my daughter isn't a huge reader, and to her, I'm just mom so she's usually reading something from one of those other YA authors! (We're often reading the same books.) Now I write YA because it's my absolutely favorite genre. I love writing about young people who are on the cusp of discovering who they are.

4. How does your writing process work? How much time do you have? Seriously, I tend to spend a lot of time in the plotting phase of my writing, but it only takes about two or three months to get the story written. Loose ends make me nervous. I like to have a clear idea of where the story is going and how it's going to end. I find I meander too much if I don't.

I am tagging Lee Mossel Lee@leemossel.com to tell you about his writing process. I'm VERY jealous of Lee at the moment because he just finished his third book, sequel to The Murder Prospect and The Talus Scope. I'm knee deep in The Murder Prospect at the moment, and you can watch for a review in the next few days. I'm expecting a twist.

5***** Star Review - Novel Ideas by J. C. Allen

I love discovering undiscovered stories. I was fortunate enough to be given a copy of J. C. Allen's Novel Ideas recently to review. I have to say, this novel was totally unique in its concept and delivery. And I absolutely loved it! I read the story in two sittings. (I would have finished it in one, but sleep intervened.)

The story takes place in the year 2040. The United States has become a socialistic government in which conformity is legislated and virtually every form of creativity is outlawed. The story opens with a news announcement that Forrest Reed, considered by many in the world to be the last truly original author, has just released his last book. Ever. Reed, an American Ex-patriot, has decided it's time to retire.

Reed lives his life in peaceful seclusion on a man-made island in the middle of the South Pacific. His only live human contact is with the people who bring him his supplies. And he's perfectly content to live like that. His self-imposed seclusion, however, is interrupted by a twelve-year-old girl who literally sails up to his island claiming to be his long-lost granddaughter. Or is she?

Novel Ideas is a story about political unrest in a world where compliance is mandated, virtual reality is preferred to actual human interaction, and originality is persecuted. It's a world where a twelve year old girl can be charged with treason for questioning authority. But the real heart of the story is bridging generational gaps and the power of love. The developing relationship Forrest has with his would-be granddaughter is well-developed and kept me on the edge of my seat. It's also a story about family, lost opportunities, and living without regret. There's even a scene on the pitfalls of under aged drinking that's handled with delicacy and a smidge of humor.

As an aside and completely off the subject of the story - this book made me hungry - literally. Allen's description of Forrest's cooking is to die for. If you can read this book without craving fresh home-cooked vegetables then you've never experienced really good home-cooking.

I highly recommend this book for anyone twelve and up. 

Born and raised in the Charleston, WV area, J.C. Allen started writing as a way to stay connected to his children, to entertain them as they grew.

Having written over 20 novels - ranging from political thrillers to teen fiction - he has four titles published to date: M.O.D., Novel Ideas, and Chronicles of Time: Books One, Two, and Three.

You can find J.C.'s books here on Amazon.

Connect with J.C. on his website: http://jcallenbooks.weebly.com/

5 Star Review from Paranormal Romance Guild

Reviews - Fran Veal - PARANORMAL ROMANCE GUILD



And I've got good news: I'm marking FINDING MY ESCAPE down to 99 cents for a limited time. If you haven't read the book yet, now is a good time to pick up your Kindle copy.



As an added bonus, I've posted a never-before-seen-outside-of-the-book excerpt on my web page Fran Veal, Author.

Just Released: Secrets Abound, My Love by Pamela Foreman

I'm very happy today to be hosting my friend, author Pamela Foreman on Eclectic Musings today. Pamela is the author of the Nebraska Holds series.

Pamela Foreman, Published Author

Genre: Romantic Fiction

SYNOPSIS: When David and Annette join their families and begin one of their own, the couple can’t imagine how their marriage will affect their children, new and old. As parents, they each have high hopes for their children and their marriage, but in only a few short years, the path has gone the way of destruction.

Drugs, alcohol, abuse, loneliness … Secrets hide among the folds of their new lives and David and Annette are faced with the challenge of reconnecting with their children, while learning to be parents all over again.

How will they cope, discovering the hidden secrets? Will their marriage survive or will the threat of losing their children drive them apart? Can they fight adversity and win, or will their marriage be over as quickly as it began? Find out in Secrets Abound, My Love, the third segment in the Nebraska Holds series.

Purchase Link:  Secrets Abound

EXCERPT:

“Oh, Georgia! Lighten up!” Jersey shook her finger at Georgia. Georgia could tell her sister had been drinking not only by her behavior, but Jersey smelled of the beer or liquor. The two girls plus their fellow triplet, Virginia, were barely seventeen, and their step-sister Mallory was still sixteen. The four were about to be seniors in high school and their sibling was already an alcoholic.

Jersey and this male friend of hers both laughed then shushed each other like preschoolers about to get caught in an mischievous act. Georgia didn’t even know his name and didn’t remember ever seeing him before. Georgia rolled her eyes, knowing this was not going to get any better.

“How did he get in here?” Georgia asked. She put her hands on her hips, an action she had observed her mother doing over the past several years as all her older siblings had become teenagers. Georgia knew for a fact this boy did not enter through the front door of their house.

“How else?” Jersey slurred. “The window.”

“The window? We’re on the second floor!” Georgia put her head in her hands, exasperated. She’s been covering for her sister for more than two years now, but she wasn’t sure she could any longer. Jersey seemed to be getting herself deeper and deeper in trouble.

  

Author Bio: Pamela Foreman is a wife of seventeen years to her high school sweetheart and the mother of four children. Having grown up in Texas, Pamela currently lives in central Virginia. Pamela received her master’s degree in accounting from Liberty University and is an avid reader. She enjoys sewing, crocheting, knitting and scrapbooking when she is not involved with her children’s activities and spending time with her husband.

Pamela is the author of the Nebraska Holds series, a series surrounding the lives of David Anderson and Annette Miller, middle-aged adults who have both gone through the sudden deaths of their spouses and each have children to continue to raise. The series currently has three books, You're Right, My Love (December 2011), Not Again, My Love (January 2013) and Secrets Abound, My Love (January 2014).

Author Links:

Website: http://www.pamelaforeman.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelaforemanauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pamela_foreman

About Me: http://about.me/pamelaforeman

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pef1996/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/111814691744564977712/posts

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks again for visiting! Be sure to leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of my book in either print or electronic form.