Aquinnah Tour, Diamonds and Dust, and Hop Winners

The Ghosts of Aquinnah tour continues today with visits to Christine Rains and Annalisa Crawford. Thanks to both ladies for hosting me! I'm sharing my top ten favorite things about Martha's Vineyard at Christine's place and an interview with my character Christopher Casey at Annalisa's, so please stop by and see me.

Lexa Cain and I are also excited to announce the winners of our blog hop! We are in the process of contacting everyone but wanted to share a full list too. So without further ado, the winners!

An ebook copy of The Ghosts of Aquinnah ~  Sheri Larsen

An ebook copy of Soul Cutter ~ Crystal Hicken Collier

A 5 page critique from Lexa's agent Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency ~ Christine Rains

A query critique from Michelle Johnson ~ Magaly Guerrero

An ebook bundle from Julie's publisher Ink Smith Publishing ~ C. Lee McKenzie

An ebook copy of Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson ~ Susan Swiderski

A digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection by Christine Rains ~ Kim Graff

An ebook copy of Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan ~ Beverly Fox

An ebook from M. Pax ~ Cathy Keaton

A Kindle copy of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. by Medeia Sharif  ~ Suzi

An ebook from Nicki Elson - winner's choice of Three Daves, Divine Temptation or Hans & Greta ~ Tania Miclau

A Kindle copy of The People We Used to Be by Madeline Mora-Summonte ~ Beverly Stowe McClure

A 5 page critique from C. Lee McKenzie ~ Michael Di Gesu

An ebook set of Murder, Madness & Love and Memories of Murder by Yolanda Renee ~ Shah Wharton

An ebook set of Murder, Madness & Love and Memories of Murder by Yolanda Renee ~ Alex J. Cavanaugh

A Kindle copy of Marionette by TB Markinson ~ Samantha Geary Jones

A Kindle Copy of Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman ~ Diane Burton

An ebook copy of  AlmaMia Cienfuegos and Other Stories by Magaly Guerrero ~ Hilary Rick Grossman

Also, we had a nearly impossible time picking a winner for our special best picture prize, so we have two! Nutschell Windsor won first place and Magaly Guerrero was the runner-up. Both of these ladies will be receiving ebook copies of Soul Cutter and The Ghosts of Aquinnah.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Also, River Fairchild's Diamonds and Dust was released yesterday and it is my pleasure to be able to share some information about it. Congratulations to River!!

Diamonds and Dust

by River Fairchild

Book 1 of the Jewels of Chandra series

Magic is real. So is betrayal.

Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all.

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

Buy it here:

AmazonUS

AmazonUK

AmazonDE

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Apple

SmashWords
Paperback

**********************

 

About the author:

River Fairchild is somewhat odd, brandishes a dry sense of humor, owned by several cats. Lives in a fantasy world. A fabricator of magic. Makes stuff up and spins tales about it. Believes in Faerie crossings and never staying in one place for very long. Speculative Fiction wordsmith. The secret to her stories? Spread lies, blend in truths, add a pinch of snark and a dash of tears. Escape into her world. She left the porch light on so you can find your way down the rabbit hole.

Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon /

Visits to the Dragon Cave, the Bard and the Stars

I'm kicking off this week's The Ghosts of Aquinnah blog tour with visits to three very special friends!

First up, I'm over at a certain Dragon Cave sharing a ghost story. I've been told the dwarves love ghost stories so I hope they like this one. Please come visit me there.

I'm also hanging out with the awesome LG at Bards and Prophets and talking about some of my family history on Martha's Vineyard and how it relates to the novel. Stop in here and chat with us!

And finally, I am excited as always to be visiting the star-filled world of M. Pax and sharing my love of the moon. One of my favorite things about visiting M. Pax's site is her stunning photos of the full moon. She was kind enough to lend me one for today's post, so please come and visit us here to see which one she chose.

Thanks to Father Dragon Al, LG and Mary for hosting me today!

Also, I was featured at Kimberly Afe's site Meetings with My Muse on Saturday, so if you missed it over the weekend and would like to be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card visit with us here. Kimberly is giving away an egift card to a random commenter. Thanks again to Kimberly for the feature!

The Dream Destination Hop has come to an end and I can't thank everyone enough for participating and making my first time hosting a hop a total blast. Lexa and I will have winners soon!

Finally, just a quick note about the book signing I mentioned in last week's IWSG post. The signing was canceled due to bad weather, so I worried about it all week for nothing. Isn't that so often the case? We freak out about something only to have it not even happen. I was disappointed but of course that is just the way it goes sometimes. Thanks again to everyone who left such encouraging comments on that post.

I'll see you over at the Dragon Cave, Bards and Prophets, or on the moon with M. Pax.

Saturday Spotlight at Meetings with My Muse

Find The Ghosts of Aquinnah here: 

Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and the Ink Smith Store.

I'm interviewed at Kimberly Afe's site Meetings with My Muse today for her Saturday Author Spotlight.

Kimberly is giving away a $10 Amazon egift card to a random commenter on the post. Just visit here and leave a comment by Tuesday, December 10th to be entered to win.

Thank you Kimberly for featuring me!

The Dream Destination Hop is still going on and Lexa and I are having such a great time reading all the posts! It's like taking a virtual trip around the world. Yesterday I thought Scotland was the most popular choice but now I think New Zealand may be giving Scotland a fight for the top spot.

Of course, the Rafflecopter and Linky List are still open and both are attached to this post. Thanks again to everyone who is celebrating with us through the hop and the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dream Destination Day Two, Aquinnah Blog Tour, and Friday Celebrations

Thanks so much to everyone for all the support on The Ghosts of Aquinnah release yesterday! I've been slowing kicking off a blog tour during the week and am visiting Misha Gericke today for an interview. If the interview isn't up yet please check back another time, I know Misha's been having some internet problems lately due to a move and I really appreciate her taking the time to host me in the middle of all that.

I also visited Cherie Reich's Book Chat with a Ghosts excerpt on Monday and the Untethered Realms blog on Tuesday to talk about the webcam that got this story started for me. And, Cherie was kind enough to review Ghosts on her Surrounded by Books blog, so please check that out. Finally, Michael Di Gesu wrote one of his fabulous intros for Ghosts yesterday so please visit him if you haven't already. Michael has an amazing gift with words!

There was a bit of a mix-up with the Kindle edition of the book on Amazon and for now the Kindle link is separate from the paperback. The updated purchase links are: 
Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and the Ink Smith Store.

Ink Smith is holding their Holiday Sale now through December 16. All paperbacks are 30% off and all ebooks are 40% off, so it's a great time to check out Ghosts through their store. 

It's Day Two of the Dream Destination Hop! I had such fun visiting participants yesterday and look forward to more today. Based on what I've seen so far, Scotland seems to be the most popular choice for a dream trip.

Just seeing all the choices and pictures makes me want to hop in my car, jump on a boat, or catch a plane and head out on a marathon trip around the world. Since that's not possible I'm really enjoying the virtual tours. Thanks again to everyone who is participating. Please remember to enter the rafflecopter for our giveaway! And if you'd still like to sign up, it's not too late! The Linky List is still open and at the bottom of the post.

Last but definitely not least, it's time to Celebrate the Small Things with Vikki at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author. 

This week I'm celebrating the obvious, The Ghosts of Aquinnah release and the Dream Destination Hop! I've had such a fun week and I owe much of that to all of you here in the blogospere.

I'm also celebrating that the college I work at closed today due to weather. I'm not happy about the ice and snow but I'm thrilled to have an unexpected three day weekend. Yay!

Finally, I hope I can celebrate victories for my Buckeyes and my Bengals this weekend. The lousy weather makes for a perfect weekend to stay inside and watch football.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Ghosts of Aquinnah Release Day, Soul Cutter and The Dream Destination Hop!

Thanks to Lexa Cain for this awesome banner!

I'm so excited that my release day is officially here!! The Ghosts of Aquinnah is now available from Ink Smith Publishing and can be purchased through Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and the Ink Smith Store.

I've also been so thrilled to receive some wonderful reviews of the book already. Huge thanks to Christine Rains, Cherie Reich and Lisa Regan! 

From Cherie: "Touching and tragic, The Ghosts of Aquinnah by Julie Flanders will stick with you." 
Christine: "Two stories from different times woven together with elegance and emotion."
and Lisa: "I know a book is great when I keep thinking about it long after I've put it down."

It's safe to say these reviews made my week. Thanks, ladies!

I'm also beyond thrilled to be able to share the intro that the amazing Michael Di Gesu wrote for my story. Michael is the artist behind my cover and also the wordsmith who wrote my blurb for me, and while I loved both of those beyond measure I think he outdid himself with this piece. Michael is such a superb talent! Please visit his blog here to read his intro.  

Before I get to the Lexa & Julie Dream Destination Blog Hop, I am thrilled to be able to share this info about Soul Cutter, the new novel by my hop partner-in-crime, Lexa Cain. Congrats, Lexa!

BLURB: 

The Soul Cutter is hunting again.

Seventeen-year-old Élan spends her free time videoing psychic scams and outing them online. Skepticism makes life safe—all the ghosts Élan encounters are fakes. When her estranged mother disappears from a film shoot in Egypt, Élan puts her medium-busting activities on hold and joins the search.

In Egypt, the superstitious film crew sucks at finding her mom. When a hotel guest is killed, whispers start—the locals think their legendary Soul Cutter has come back from the dead. Élan's only ally is Ramsey, a film-crew intern, but he’s arrogant, stubborn—and hiding dangerous secrets.

When Élan discovers the Soul Cutter is no scam, she finds herself locked in a deadly battle against a supernatural killer with more than her mother’s life at stake.

Élan is fighting for her very soul.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

MuseItUpPublishing

Kobo

One more thing before I get to the hop! I have to send a huge thank you to Lexa for asking me to co-host with her and for making me the wonderful banner at the top of this post. Lexa, you totally rock! :)

Okay, so what is my Dream Destination? I'd love to have unlimited time to take a driving trip all over the western United States. I've been to Arizona and California and loved both, and I'd love to see more. The Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Zion National Park, Glacier National Park... I think the scenery and the atmosphere of the west is simply extraordinary. 

Angel's Landing at Zion (Source: Wikimedia)

So maybe one of these days Clancy and I will hop in the car and go on some extended travels. Here's hoping! :)

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Hop! If you'd still like to join, simply sign up on the Linky List below. And don't forget to enter to win tons of great prizes through the Rafflecopter! 

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

IWSG Time!

It's time for the December meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group and I am a co-host this month! I'm looking forward to visiting as many group members as I can as I make my hosting rounds.

As always, the IWSG is hosted by the Ninja Captain himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh. My fellow co-hosts this month are Heather Gardner, Kim Van Sickler, and Elsie is Writing.  If you're not already a member of this wonderful group and would like to join in, please sign up here. We'd love to have you with us!

A quick reminder for next month - the January IWSG will meet on January 8 instead of January 1 due to the holiday. Also, don't forget about the wonderful Insecure Writer's Support Group website that is getting more awesome every day.

Now for my latest insecurity!

I'm participating in my first book signing this Friday and I can't deny I'm a nervous wreck about it. It's a small event with a group of local authors at the BLOC Coffee Company here in Cincinnati, from 7-9 pm. I thought that would be a great way to get my feet wet with this sort of thing as opposed to going it alone, but I'm still anxious about it. I envision myself forgetting my own name, or perhaps forgetting the English language entirely, if someone comes up to my table and asks about my books. When it comes to getting tongue-tied, few can match my skill.

But I assume in spite of this anxiety I will survive the event. I'll let you know next week! :D

I don't have that much time to freak out about this signing though as my novel The Ghosts of Aquinnah's official release is tomorrow! I've had December 5 circled on my calendar for so long now, I can't believe I'm actually at this day. 

Lexa & Julie's Dream Destination Blog Hop, which I am co-hosting with Lexa Cain, starts tomorrow as well and will be going on all weekend. If you are interested in participating and haven't signed up yet, sign up on the Linky List below and click here for all the info on the hop and the amazing prizes we will be giving away.

See you tomorrow! :)

Book Chat with Cherie Reich, National Mutt Day and a Lexa & Julie Blog Hop Update

I'm excited to be featured on Cherie Reich's Book Chat today with an excerpt from The Ghosts of Aquinnah, which is officially released in three days! Thanks to Cherie for hosting me! Please visit me at Cherie's place here.

Today is National Mutt Day and I feel I would be remiss if I didn't share a picture of the greatest mutt in the world, my Clancy.

National Mutt Day was created in 2005 by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige in order to celebrate mixed-breed dogs. Mixed-breed dogs are the most likely to be euthanized in shelters, and there are literally millions of mutts in shelters all over the country waiting for homes. So if you're thinking of adding a dog to your family, consider a mutt!

Hugs and kisses to all the mutts out there from Clancy and me. :)

Finally, we're also only a few days away from the Lexa & Julie's Dream Destination Blog Hop and Lexa Cain and I are totally overwhelmed by the response we've had. Thank you so much to everyone who has signed up and special thanks to the people who have donated prizes to us. You all rock!

Here is a reminder of the hop details:

1. Post about your Dream Destination with blog-hop badge.
2. Post links to Lexa and Julie's blogs --
                   http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
                   http://julieflanders.blogspot.com/
--  and invite your visitors to go there and enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway.

3. Don't forget to go and enter the giveaway yourself!
4. Use the Linky tool to visit the other bloggers to see the wonderful places they want to visit!

 And here is our final list of prizes:

Ebook copies of our books The Ghosts of Aquinnah & Soul Cutter

A 5 page critique from Lexa's agent Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency

A query critique from Michelle Johnson

An ebook bundle from my publisher Ink Smith Publishing

An ebook of Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson

A digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection by Christine Rains

An ebook of Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

An ebook from M. Pax
A Kindle copy of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. by Medeia Sharif 
An ebook from Nicki Elson - winner's choice of Three Daves, Divine Temptation or Hans & Greta

A Kindle copy of The People We Used to Be by Madeline Mora-Summonte

A 5 page critique from C. Lee McKenzie 

Two ebook sets of Murder, Madness & Love and Memories of Murder by Yolanda Renee 

A Kindle copy of Marionette by TB Markinson
A Kindle Copy of Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman

An ebook copy of  AlmaMia Cienfuegos and Other Stories by Magaly Guerrero

In addition, Lexa and I will be awarding a prize for the best Dream Destination picture. That winner will receive ebook copies of both Soul Cutter and The Ghosts of Aquinnah 

It's not too late to sign up so if you'd like to take part in our hop please just sign up on the Linky List below. Thanks again to everyone who is participating and to all our amazing donors! 

Cemetery Ghosts and Another Lexa & Julie Update

Abel's Hill on a pretty Spring day

Abel's Hill Cemetery on Martha's Vineyard dates back to at least the 1700s and to my knowledge is one of the oldest cemeteries on the island. I have so many ancestors buried at Abel's Hill that it can be a bit eerie to go there and see my last name on what feels like every other stone.

The cemetery is the setting for a key scene in The Ghosts of Aquinnah so I thought I would share a few cemetery ghost stories for today's post. While I was unable to find any ghost stories about Abel's Hill, anyone who has been there on a foggy and dark evening can tell you that it's a safe bet that there are some ghosts hanging around there at any given time.

All of these stories involve cemeteries in Connecticut, which was my father's home state.

The entrance to The Green Lady cemetery (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Green Lady cemetery is no longer in use, but the old headstones remain on the small plot of land in the town of Burlington. Visitors to the cemetery have reported a greenish figure appearing around the tombstone of Elisabeth Palmiter, who drowned in a nearby swamp while searching for her lost husband during a crippling winter storm in the early 1800s. Many believe Elisabeth now haunts the land as the Green Lady.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Gunntown Cemetery is located in the town of Naugatuck, in a rural area that is surrounded by woods. Visitors to the cemetery have reported sounds of music and children's laughter coming from the woods in the middle of the night, with the noises growing louder and louder until they seem to be coming from inside of the cemetery itself. Others have said they have received calls on their cell phones while in the cemetery in spite of the fact that they have no cell service in the area. The calls have no number listed with them and no one on the other end of the line when the phones are answered.

Union Cemetery (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Union Cemetery in Easton is reportedly one of the most famous haunted cemeteries in the country thanks to its resident ghost, The White Lady of Union Cemetery. The lady is said to glide through the cemetery and around the tombstones wearing a white nightgown or wedding dress. Visitors to the cemetery have reported hearing disembodied sounds of a woman sobbing. In addition, a man reported driving past the cemetery on Route 59 late one night when a women in white suddenly appeared in the road in front of him. Unable to stop, he struck the figure. But when he got out of his truck, she was nowhere to be seen. Numerous drivers have claimed to have seen the ghostly woman in a white dress while on Route 59 at night.

Some have speculated the White Lady is the ghost of Harriet Seeley, who is buried in the cemetery and had a son who preceded her in death in 1853. Those who believe the ghost is Seeley suggest that the White Lady is roaming the cemetery searching for her dead son.

Do you know of any haunted cemeteries? I would imagine there are quite a few!

I want to say thank you again to everyone who has signed up for Lexa and Julie's Dream Destination Blog Hop! Lexa and I are totally overwhelmed by the response and so grateful to those who have donated to our prizes. I am including an updated list of prizes here along with the sign up list. You guys totally rock!

Current List of Prizes

Ebook copies of our books The Ghosts of Aquinnah & Soul Cutter

A 5 page critique from Lexa's agent Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency

A query critique from Michelle Johnson

An ebook bundle from my publisher Ink Smith Publishing

An ebook of Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson,

A digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection by Christine Rains

An ebook of Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

An ebook from M. Pax
A Kindle copy of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. by Medeia Sharif 
An ebook from Nicki Elson - winner's choice of Three Daves, Divine Temptation or Hans & Greta

A Kindle copy of The People We Used to Be by Madeline Mora-Summonte

A 5 page critique from C. Lee McKenzie

And finally, the Realms Faire is in full swing and prizes are going like crazy. Visit M.Pax here for a full list of ongoing events and visit our Untethered Realms blog here to play Phasers and enter to win our Kindle grand prize!

Realms Faire & Blog Hop Update

This is going to be a fun week in the blogosphere as the Realms Faire is now here!

The Realms Faire is the brainchild of M. Pax, and she is hosting her second annual joust on her site all this week. Visit each day to cheer on your favorite knights and be eligible for daily prizes!

In addition, Angela Brown is hosting a Masquerade Parade, Samantha Geary is holding a Collective Stage Performance, River Fairchild has a big Dragon Hunt going on, Gwen Gardner has a bunch of authors on trial in the Stockade Brigade, Laura Eno is running a Castle Jumble, and Christine Rains is hosting the irresistibly titled Drench-a-Wench and Soak-a-Bloke. All of these great hosts are offering individual prizes for their respective events, so there are tons of chances to win.

As if all that isn't enough, the Untethered Realms blog is holding a Phasers game every day this week. We at Untethered Realms got together to offer a Realms Faire grand prize of a Kindle or a huge bundle of UR author ebooks, so we are really excited to have everyone join us! You can enter to win through the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Dream Destination Blog Hop and Giveaway that Lexa Cain and I are hosting together in December. Our Linky List will be open all month so if you'd still like to sign up on the entry form below please feel free.

We are super excited to announce the prizes we have lined up for the giveaway so far.

Ebook copies of our books The Ghosts of Aquinnah & Soul Cutter

A 5 page critique from Lexa's agent Michelle Johnson of Inklings Literary Agency

A query critique from Michelle Johnson

An ebook bundle from my publisher Ink Smith Publishing

An ebook of Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson,

A digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection by Christine Rains

An ebook of Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

An ebook from M. Pax
A Kindle copy of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. by Medeia Sharif 
An ebook from Nicki Elson - winner's choice of Three Daves, Divine Temptation or Hans & Greta

Major thanks to Michelle, Ashley at Ink Smith, Tyrean, Christine, Vanessa, Mary and Medeia for these generous donations. If anyone else if interested in donating a prize, we'd be thrilled to include it. The more, the merrier! 

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Enjoy the week at the Faire! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lexa and Julie's Blog Hop!

I am skipping my Friday Faves today because I am excited to announce my first ever blog hop!

The brilliant Lexa Cain suggested that she and I host a blog hop together to celebrate our book releases in December. My The Ghosts of Aquinnah will be released on Thursday, December 5 and Lexa's Soul Cutter will be released the next day on Friday, December 6. Lexa came up with the idea and the art work and I am thrilled to be able to hop on board and host with her.

So here are the details on our hop:

To celebrate the launch of their books
Soul Cutter and The Ghosts of Aquinnah
Lexa and Julie invite you to a
Blog-hop and Giveaway

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Beaches of Hawaii? Slopes of Vail? Cancun, Paris, or Rome?
Where is your Dream Destination?

On Dec 5 or 6, post about your Dream Destination
(with blog-hop badge and links to Lexa and Julie's blogs)
Go to Lexa and Julie’s blog to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway
and from Dec 5 - 8, use the Linky tool to visit the other bloggers
to see the wonderful places they want to visit.

Prizes to be announced.

 Anyone who’d like to donate a prize, please contact:
Lexa: laura.6eg@gmail.com  or  Julie: juliflan@yahoo.com

We are still working out the details on prizes but we will definitely be giving away copies of our books. And if anyone would like to donate copies of their ebooks to include as prizes we would be thrilled to help spread the word about your work.

To participate in the hop please sign up on the Linky List at the bottom of this post. We hope you'll celebrate with us!

And speaking of celebrations, for this week's Celebrate the Small Things hop I'm celebrating the blog hop! I am super-excited about hosting a hop for the first time. But I also have a few other things:

1) I won books in giveaways hosted by E.J. Wesley and Yolanda Renee. So fun! I won a paperback copy of the Death by Drive-In Anthology from E.J.'s Coffin Hop and an ebook copy of Sunrise by Kody Boye from a giveaway on Yolanda's site. Very cool surprises to get in my email. :)

2) I am so grateful for all the encouraging and wonderful comments left on my IWSG blog post this week. If I didn't already know how lucky I was to be part of such a kind and supportive group of people that would definitely have convinced me. Thanks to all!

3) It's Friday and the weekend is here. Enough said! 

Happy weekend, all. :)