Straight Browsing from the Library: Bad Guy by Ana Diamond

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ana Diamond will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Luke Daniels has done his fair share of bad things. But when the FBI offers him a deal in exchange for infiltrating the local Mafia’s infamous Costa Crew, Luke has no choice but to accept the challenge.

Beautiful, smart and tough, Sophia Costa wants out of the Crew. Appointed boss by her brother after he’s sent to prison, she wants no part in the murder, deceit and secrecy typical of Mafia life.

Just as things heat up between Luke and Sophia, a mysterious hitman targets Sophia, and Luke’s handler starts to wonder if Luke is up for the task.

As the lovers face the possibility of losing everything in order to be together, the line between loyalty and betrayal blur.

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“If they find out I’m a snitch, they’ll kill me,” Luke Daniels warned Special Agent Troy Wilson.

A hole-in-the-wall diner at a rest stop in northeastern Nevada was the last place Luke thought he’d ever find himself.

The agent’s expression remained stoic. “That’s a risk we’re willing to take. It’s you who needs to decide if walking free from cyber-crime and drug trafficking charges is worth it.

“Hmm. A max sentence of twenty years versus getting killed,” Luke mused. “A lose-lose decision no matter what I decide.”

Luke relaxed his posture while rubbing the stubble on his chin as the waitress set down two cups of black coffee in front of them; the roasted nutty smell instantly perked him up. She said nothing, barely acknowledged them with her heavily hooded eyes, as if she were doing her own hard time working at a diner until the end of her pathetic life. This dusty part of the world wasn’t trying to please anyone.

As he glanced around the empty run-down diner, Luke knew he’d rather be here than in prison for most of his life. “Why not find some guy who knows the mafia world?”

“If you’re smart enough to run a massive drug ring, we’re pretty confident you can infiltrate the Costa Crew. We tend to select those who’ve had some success in their criminal lives. You raked in quite a bit of money during your stint, and you did it without losing any limbs. Resilience is the key to this game, which I believe you possess.” He raised both palms in a “hold off” gesture. “Or you can spend the rest of your life in prison. It’s your choice.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

When Ana Diamond isn't writing about tough gals finding love in unexpected places, she’s at work by day in the medical field. She writes romantic mystery novels with feisty strong women and alluring men who can’t resist them. Her books are fast paced, entertaining and heartfelt all at once.

Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorDiamond
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Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bMqAQa

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Straight Chatting from the Library: Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Where do you get your best ideas?

4am in the morning is the magic hour for me. I consider it in not just a time but a zone of possibility and potential.

What are you doing at that time of day?

In an ideal word, I’m up and heading to a nearby café to start my writing for the day. If there aren’t any cafes open, I’m painting in the studio. Whichever I’m doing, painting or writing, it’s when the world is at its most quiet. I love being able to descend into a really deep state of concentration, immediately after waking up. That’s how I get into my creative zone.

I once scribbled this down when thinking about my early morning work, and I love looking at it occasionally:

I awaken and throw my fishing line out, casting into the cloudy abyss using only the tools of instinct and lucidity to hook whatever words and story fragments and pieces of universal code that are drifting there. I reel them in and begin the ritual of identifying them. I work to understand what the early tide has brought forth, and how the pieces fit into the jigsaw-like constructs of my creative projects.

Are you able to maintain your sense of creative purpose all day, if you start so early?

No, it’s not sustainable for long periods of time. I usually last an hour or two, and then I need a break. Then that sense of strong connection to my creative self slowly ebbs as the day begins to pull me in different directions.

Mid-morning (which is around 9-10am by my clock!), I find that my logical brain starts to take over, – telling me I have things to do, places to be.

After I’ve ticked off a few of my other daily tasks and activities, I try to get some fresh air and exercise, and then do smaller chunks of creative activity. I’m really done by about 2-3pm in the afternoon. After that, it’s admin only!

I like to start unwinding around 4pm. We have an early dinner, I’m always early to bed (8pm!) and then I’m up and at it all over again the next day.

Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?

I did! The cover art features one of my paintings, titled The Forever Trail. The printed edition of the book also features my paintings at the beginning of each chapter.

Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.

A lady told me that she the story and characters of Bitroux felt very real. That’s the biggest compliment I could ever get. I didn’t want to create something that felt entirely fictional, even though the book sits in the science fiction and metaphysical fiction genres. I really wanted it to be authentic and to have glimmers of truthfulness in it. So that compliment made me feel very happy indeed.

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If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.

Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.

While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.

As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.



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The two men were slow moving, graceful, each with a high mohawk of golden straw-like hair, and heavily decorated with neck jewels. The neck-ware was gnarled, twisted, fibrous, fragments of plant stems dried and interwoven with beads and fresh flowers, trussed with other leaves and organic material, and embedded with strange jewels that seemed to glow and fade, changing colours across a spectrum of blues to greens and then back to blues.

Tundra inclined his head, made a small gesture and a bow.

‘He greets you,’ Kii translated. ‘Tundra does not speak very much, and so I’ll translate for him.’

‘How do you know what he wants to say, then?’ Merouac asked.

‘I can see it, or sense it, in the atmosphere,’ Kii explained.

Merouac watched in surprise as the Tundra gestured again, imparting information through the aether which Kii seemed to easily recieve and decipher.

Tundra then eased himself into a crouching position and cleared a patch of grass. He shook his head and determined it would not suit, and looked for a sandy patch. He moved over to another, more suitable, patch of ground and beckoned the other two to join him. He went through the same process of clearing the ground, and then used his fingers to trace lines into the sand. He was silent as he did so, but then looked at Kii expectantly, and Kii nodded.

‘Tundra said you did the right thing with the race that was escaping their imploding planet. They are safe, and they will rest in the core of Ahm now. Tundra was just drawing a map for me, to show me where they are.’

Merouac felt a shock run through him. ‘How does Tundra know about the Helara?’ he asked Kii.

‘There are things that can be seen in the energetic environment. He is able to perceive the place where the Helara now rest. It is under the power grid, deep below Suron. There is a cave network, and catacombs with very deep canyons. Below those canyons, this is where you found a place for the Helara to enter the core of the planet. It was the right thing to do,’ Kii said, translating as he watched Tundra’s fingers work in the sand.

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.

Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.

High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.

Website: https://jordanharcourthughes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordaninthestudio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordaninthestudio

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Straight Browsing from the Library: Inn the Dead of Winter by Rhonda Blackhurst

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rhonda Blackhurst will be awarding a free e-book of Inn the Dead of Winter or book one, Inn the Spirit of Murder to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Welcome to Spirit Lake in the dead of a Minnesota winter, where the brutally cold temp isn't the only thing to fear.

Andie Rose Kaczmarek, a six-year sober life coach and owner of the haunted Spirit Lake Inn, has learned the hard way that the living are far more dangerous than anything in the spirit world.

When a controversial guest fails to return to her room on the same night a body is discovered in a fish house on Big Spirit Lake, Andie Rose teams up with her sponsor and sidekick, Sister Alice, and her emotional support red retriever, Aspen, to solve the case.

After Andie Rose discovers illegal activity on the inn’s property that ties to the murder, the investigation shifts into high gear. As she uncovers shocking secrets of those she thought she knew, someone is intent on keeping her quiet at any cost.

Can the inn’s resident ghost save her from impending harm when it seems the ones closest to her pose the greatest threat?

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Tootsie’s attitude hung between them, and I held my breath for a moment.

“Knock it off, Toots.” Simon’s voice was a low grumble.

“Knock what off?” She turned on him. “Showing the ladies how to live a little? That they’re not only a mom and a wife, but they’re also their own person?”

Simon grasped his wife’s upper arm. “Toots,” he warned. He turned his attention toward Bobby and Jerry. “You’ll have to excuse my wife, gentlemen. She’s become a bit too, shall we say, independent, as she gets older.”

She released a heavy sigh. “Lighten up, Simon. You say that like it’s a bad thing. I have always been independent. This isn’t the dark ages. Women have every right to be independent of men.”

Again, I agreed wholeheartedly with Tootsie, but swallowed my retort to Simon. A gift sobriety had given me. The ability to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

“Refreshments,” I said merrily as I could to lift the cloud that levitated in the room. Two guests had been smart and skittered from the room unnoticed from all except me.

“Aspen’s with Jade,” Sister Alice said as she came through the door. She quirked a brow as she scanned the guests and touched the crucifix that hung around her neck. “Do I sense tension in the room? What did I miss?”

Tootsie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “My husband emerging from a cave.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Rhonda is an avid reader, writer, coffee and dark chocolate connoisseur, and certified life coach. She has 10 independently published novels: The Inheritance, a contemporary fiction novel; seven books in the Melanie Hogan Mysteries; and Finding Abby and Abby's Redemption in the Whispering Pines Romantic Suspense duology. She was awarded the 2022 Master of Literary Arts Award from the Brighton Chamber.

Website: http://www.rhondablackhurst.com
Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.blackhurst.1
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rjblackhurst/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhonda.blackhurst
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TWRP Buy Link: https://wildrosepress.com/product/inn-the-dead-of-winter/

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Straight Chatting from the Library: Donovan Hufnagle

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

I would like to see into the past. Many of the poems in my current book These Are Not My Words (I Just Wrote Them) travel into the past, poking at intimate moments trying to extract specific emotional responses from specific moments in the past. For instance, the poem “First Loves” travels back to my childhood and is a reflection on some of my childhood friends—just glimpses mined from my memories.

Unfortunately, memories tend to change as we age, and unearthing the truth from our remembrances can pose to be quite difficult. If I had the power to see into the past, I could clear up certain memories. Moreover, I have this investigate sleuth instinct and would love to uncover some of history’s great mysteries. I don’t need to change the past, I just want to know the truths about the past. Who was Jack the Ripper, for instance?

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

The poem “Refurbished” in my new book uses the symbol of restoring an old office chair to portray connections. The surprise, then, is that I am the one who is restoring the chair. I used the experience of deconstructing the chair, fixing the chair, stripping and sanding the chair, staining the chair, and reupholstering the chair to write a poem that reflects on family and relationships. I think what might surprise people is that a poet can also be handy. I thank my father for teaching me how to woodwork, how to build or rebuild almost anything in my house or yard. One of my most cherished gifts was when my father gifted me my grandfather’s Shopsmith.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

The main characters in my writing tend to exploit characteristics I am familiar with, features that a family member or close friend may have. Or personality traits that my children contain could supply my characters. When it comes to the adage of “writing what you know,” I mostly use the people around me for my characters. For example, the poem “The Spirit of Deep Ellum” is about a musician Hank that shadows the steps of the famous blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson. Hank is a combination of my close friend Thomas, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and me.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I would say that I am a bit of both but lean toward letting the poems write themselves. I typically have a general idea for a poem—a concept or an overall theme—but I try to avoid letting my agendas interfere too considerably in my poems. I like to write one line and allow that line to inform the next and so on. The writer’s journey of discovery is just as exciting as the reader’s journey.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

When putting the poems together for my book, I realized that I have never had so many personal and revealing poems. In fact, I tend to reveal things through characters or things distant from myself. Though themes like fatherhood appear in a lot of my writing, I never used personal moments as I did in this book. For instance, the poem “Ritual” uses a childhood fishing memory with my father. “Role Model” questions the influence I have had as a father. The poem questions whether the father taught his son only clichéd masculine qualities that could be damaging.

The poems in this book have allowed me to explore certain emotions that I may have been tucking away. These poems are some of the most revealing poems I have ever written. I have learned to embrace the things that scare me and share those moments.

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Echoing Chuck Palahniuk’s statement. “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known,” this collection explores identity. These poems drift down rivers of old, using histories private and public and visit people that I love and loathe. Through heroes and villains, music and cartoons, literature and comics, science and wonder, and shadow and light, each poem canals the various channels of self and invention. As in the poem, “Credentials,” “I am a collage of memories and unicorn stickers…[by] those that have witnessed and been witnessed.”






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Refurbished

Susan taught me that poetic energy lies
between the lines, white noise scratching
and clawing between images, ideas,
things…

And like a poem,
the chair was molded by my Tio’s hands,
an antique wooden upholstered desk chair.

My Tio moved from Durango, Mexico
to Forth Worth in 1955.

He became a mason and wood worker.

He bricked the stockyards

He built the signs

He died in 2005.

Now,
matted. Worn. Faded floral design. Wood
scarred like healing flesh.

The arms torn, ratted by the heft of his arms
and the stress of the days. The foam peeks
out.

The brass upholstery tacks rusted. I count
1000 of them. With each,
I mallet a fork-tongue driver under its head.
A tap, tap, tapping until it sinks beneath the tack,
until the tack springs from its place.
I couldn’t help but think of a woodpecker.
A tap, tap, tapping into Post Oak,
a rhythm…each scrap of wood falling to the ground
until a home is formed.
Until each piece of wood like the tacks removed
shelter something new.

I remove the staples, the foam, the fabric,
the upholstery straps
until it’s bones.
I sand and stain
until its bones shine.

I layer and wrap its bones with upholstery straps,
foam, fabric, staples and tacks.
New tacks, Brass medallions
adorning the whole, but holding it
all together—
its bones
its memories,
its energy.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Donovan Hufnagle is a husband, a father of three, and a professor of English and Humanities. He moved from Southern California to Prescott, Arizona to Fort Worth, Texas. He has five poetry collections: These Are Not My Words (I Just Wrote Them), Raw Flesh Flash: The Incomplete, Unfinished Documenting Of, The Sunshine Special, Shoebox, and 30 Days of 19. Other recent writings have appeared in Tempered Runes Press, Solum Literary Press, Poetry Box, Beyond Words, Wingless Dreamer, Subprimal Poetry Art, Americana Popular Culture Magazine, Shufpoetry, Kitty Litter Press, Carbon Culture, Amarillo Bay, Borderlands, Tattoo Highway, The New York Quarterly, Rougarou, and others.

Website: http://www.donovanhufnagle.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donovanhufnagle
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dhufnaglepoetry

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/These-Are-Not-My-Words/dp/B0DBMN46M4/ref=sr_1_1.

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Straight Chatting from the Library: For You I'd Break by Hannah Jordan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

The Popcorn Book. I lived in a rural area where there weren’t many doctors. I waited hours with my mom every time my brother or I needed care. The doctor’s office had a copy of the book in the waiting room, so we read it A LOT. My mom bought us books all the time, but never allowed us to buy that one. I think she wanted to keep it “special”, so we’d be entertained while we waited.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

Wallflower’s second chance post-divorce with her high school crush.

E-Reader or print? and why?

I read romances on my e-reader because I’m in Kindle Unlimited and burn through smut. I like to read nonfiction and literary novels in print because I scribble notes in the margins like I’m still in grad school.

One book at a time or multiples?

Multiple. I’m always reading romance, but I also enjoy nonfiction and fiction in other genres. I love learning new things, so I’ll often read a novel and a nonfiction book at the same time.

I’m typically beta reading for someone else as well. I have a group of writers who’ve helped me through edits of The Peace Falls Series, and I try to return the favor anytime they need me.

Right now I’m reading The Anxious Generation about how kids use digital spaces, Laura Landish’s Never Bargain with the Boss, and a fellow RWA mentee’s beta draft.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

Since I read paper books with a pen in my hand, I usually stick the pen in the book to keep my place.

When do you do most of your reading?

I read nonfiction and beta read during the day when I’m most alert. I like to read romances at night to unwind.

Favorite genre?

Romance! The list of romance authors I admire (and read every chance I get) is long, but includes writers in different subgenres. I’ll read an LJ Shen novel one week, a Pippa Grant another, and an Amy Harmon the following. One writes fairly dark romance, one writes romantic comedies, and one writes historical romance. I love them all!

Do you loan your books?

Only if I haven’t written in them. Knowing people read the spicy scenes I’ve written doesn’t bother me, but I’d hate for someone to read my unfiltered thoughts scratched out in the margins of a book.

Re-reader or not?

I enjoy re-reading my favorites. I love Jane Austen. It should have been my first clue during my literary fiction phase that I might be writing in the wrong genre. Austen’s writing is masterful and I will die on that hill, but when it comes right down to it, she wrote romances. Exceptional romances, but romances. I have read and re-read most of her novels. I also enjoy re-reading a good series if I need to rest my brain for a while.

What would make you not finish a book?

Bad writing. I start editing the book while I’m reading, and it pulls me from the story.

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When Rowan’s two-year marriage ends with a crash, she returns home to Peace Falls, VA, riding shotgun in her sister’s 1990 Cadillac hearse. Everything about her is damaged: her heart, her pride, her bank account, and her spine—thanks to a tourist, a Segway, and finding her husband getting busy with her boss. But Rowan is determined to reclaim her career and city life as soon as she recuperates and lands a new job.

Caleb “Cal” Cardoso didn’t notice wallflower Rowan in high school, but the former football star, and Peace Falls’s newest physical therapist, can’t take his eyes off the stunning redhead now. Too bad he’s sworn off relationships. After his last hookup purposely tanked his online reputation, Cal stands to lose his job if a single patient leaves his care. Which is why he can’t let Rowan switch to another practitioner, despite the friction between them, and why he definitely can’t act on his growing attraction.

Rowan agrees to remain Cal’s patient if he helps her younger brother train for football tryouts. Though Cal hasn’t touched a football since the accident that killed his best friend, he agrees, and as Cal helps heal Rowan’s body, she begins to heal his heart.

For You I’d Break is a small town romance with a hefty dash of spice, a HEA ending, and a cast of memorable characters, including a goth sculptor who secretly loves to decorate cakes, a fearsome-looking felon with a heart of gold, a hothead with a sweet side, a karma-devoted barista who collects damaged pets and first dates, and a lovable dog with more emotional sense than everyone put together.

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Just then, the second door opened and out walked Caleb Cardoso in a pair of slate gray scrubs. Years of watching him swagger down school hallways and sprint across football fields did nothing to prepare me. He’d added more muscle to his lean frame, his broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. His dark, tousled hair looked styled to suggest he’d just climbed out of bed after an all-night sexfest. His jaw was sharper, his cheek bones more chiseled. When he looked at me with those rich chocolate eyes, all the air left my lungs.

“Mrs. Norris,” he said, glancing at the tablet in his hands.

The sound of my married name lifted the lust fog from my brain. “Please call me Rowan,” I said, relieved I’d finally managed to speak in his presence.

He studied my face, frowned, and looked back at his tablet. “Nice to meet you,” he said, studying my face again. “I’m Cal. Take a seat on the first table.”

Lauren would have politely told him that we were two years apart in school. Poppy would have flipped the embarrassment of being forgotten back onto Cal with a snide comment about his observation skills. Not that anyone ever forgot Poppy. I just turned my back to him and hoped he hadn’t seen my cheeks burn. People often didn’t remember me, but it still stung, especially when it was someone I’d spent so much time fantasizing about in my teens. As I crossed the room, I could feel him behind me, watching my every movement.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Hannah Jordan grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia but wound up in South Jersey after falling in love with her complete opposite. She's got all the degrees of a "serious" fiction writer but only smiles when she's writing romance.

She lives with her husband and two daughters in a picturesque town outside of Philadelphia where she enjoys reading in all genres, especially the spicy ones, and confusing people with her half-Southern, half-Northern accent.

The first book in her Peace Falls Small Town Romance Series, For You I’d Break, launched July 17, 2024.

Website: https://hannahjordanauthor.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hannahjordanbooks
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hannahjordanbooks
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/You-Id-Break-Second-Romance-ebook/dp/B0D5VNSHF3/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

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Straight Browsing from the Library: The Costume Box by Peter Hynes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Peter Hynes will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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This is the second edition of poetry written by Peter Hynes, after Under the Oak. I hope you enjoy reading these poems, and perhaps I can make you think about things you might not ordinarily think about.



READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM THE COSTUME BOX

Comet

a comet streaks through the finale
of a star-crossed sunset
its tail bright as sunlight,
but quickly disappearing,
a sort of dissatisfaction
following in its wake,
as if you thought it would be visible
all through the coming night;
but not so, it has shown itself and gone,
speeding through space as some men
only wish that they could do,
vast wealth spent on space flight,
yet no one’s living on the moon
nor has anyone reached Mars
-and why would they want to?-
so the comet’s indifference to
what you and I may wish for
is certainly to be expected,
however much it drives home
how small and insignificant
our lovely blue planet is…

MEET THE AUTHOR

Peter Hynes is a Canadian. He began writing poetry many years ago, in high school. His poetry has been published in various anthologies and elsewhere since. This is his first book of poems. He was born in southwestern Ontario. He still lives in the province with his wife and their small menagerie.

Website: http://www.peterhynespoetry.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetrybypeter57
Goodreads author profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18656375.Peter_Hynes
Bookfunnel promo: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ReflectionsinWords/6nob4jg2l2

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1779623313
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-costume-box-peter-hynes/1146521274
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Costume-Box-Poems-by-Peter-Hynes-Paperback-9781779623317/13930810916
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-costume-box-peter-hynes/book/9781779623317.html

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Straight Chatting from the Library: L.T. Getty

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L.T. Getty will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stop on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is your favorite book today?

Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis – it’s a retelling of Psyche and Cupid from the perspective of Orual, Pysche’s older sister. Most agree it’s Lewis’ best work, and he has many books beyond Narnia worth checking out.





Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

Siblings willingly transform into marionettes to rescue their kidnapped sister.

What are you reading right now?

Dissonance of Songbird by Alexandra Beaumont

It’s fantasy folklore – probably not for the beginner but so far it’s worth checking out.

What books do you have on hold at the library?

I have several. What comes to mind is The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. I said ‘deliver later’ and shortly after other reviewers I follow find it mixed, so now I’m curious.

Do you have any bad book habits?

Like going months or years between books and not rereading anything so I know what happened? Or starting with book 2 then reading the series, then going back and reading book 1 at the very end? I’m sure there’s more.

E-Reader or print? and why?

Hard one! I prefer print but ebooks are useful and they don’t take up as much space and sometimes it’s nice to use the audiofeature. If I’m worried about my tablet going missing, print absolutely.

One book at a time or multiples?

Multiple. I often read books for school in addition to books I liked, and the habit stuck. Plus now, I listen to audiobooks and have a print and an ebook on the go. Usually something shorter like nonfiction I knock out of the park in a few days but it can take days or even weeks to read some of the thicker fiction books I’m fond of.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

Bookmark but I use anything as a book mark. Scraps of paper, string, anything other than the beautiful bookmarks I ordered for promoting my book. Those are for other people!

Least favorite book you've read this year?

I haven’t read all that much in 2025, but off the top of my head for 2024 was Daughter of the Pirate Queen by Tricia Levenseller. My one niece wanted to read it and I said I’d check it out for her for my sister – it’s a romance where the main character’s plan is to get captured so she can look around a pirate ship for a piece of a map. I don’t understand the plan of sending a beautiful young girl to be held captive by a bunch of violent outlaws and, assuming El Capitan was smart enough to keep her under lock and key so no one has the chance she isn’t going to be able to search for the map.

It’s super popular so no shade if you enjoyed it.

Do you loan your books?

Yes, but not so much anymore to friends. Too many times I never got them back. My beta reader is an exception, but I loan books to kids and people who seem genuinely interested in a title all the time.

Re-reader or not?

Yes, but it takes time to get to do that! I tend to wait a few years between rereads unless I’m checking for something.

What would make you not finish a book?

I’m a completionist, but I also can tell relatively early whether or not something will be my cup of tea. It irks me if I thought the second book was meh compared to the first but, part of me wants to finish so I can judge the whole thing.

READ THE BLURB

Would it hurt you to just do as you're told?

The O'Connell siblings live in the shadow of their parent's past, held back by obligation to keep the people of Stagmil safe when their father has to lead the non-hunters of their village to drive off a wyvern.

Lily doesn't trust the stranger who calls herself Madeline when she staggers into the pastoral lands. The puppeteer seems to take an interest in Lily's talent with the family mandoline, and she teaches Lily new music. Lily's had songs stuck in her head before, but nothing like this.

Twins Seth and Tiffany however can't wait for their father to return so they can get on with the shearing. Seth should at least be helping hunt the wyvern, and Tiffany wants to take her best friend Molly and head to the nearest city and see the world.

The twins and several other villagers are lured by song into the woods and transformed into marionettes: Seth breaking free before he can be strung, and Lily tainted in a way she doesn't understand. They have the skills to track the woman down, but to restore Seth to his body, and rescue Tiffany and the others?

Tracking the woman takes them far from the familiar woodlands they know, across the sea to an enchanted castle, where in an effort to rescue their sister they'll learn something much more sinister than turning folk into puppets is going on. They'll get help, of course, but not from who they expected.

After all, last Seth checked, foxes are only supposed to have the one tail.

READ AN EXCERPT

“Got any more kitsunes or other surprises?” Caleb asked, squatting down without spilling his buckets. “I’d like to hear the story you were trying to tell me in the castle a little later. Right now it seems like you need help. I’ll take my sword back.”

Lily unbelted it, but Boscoe out of nowhere nabbed it from Lily, ran towards the lake, and pitched it in. Then he sat down, never breaking the squire’s gaze, and scratched behind his ears.

“Why did you do that?” Caleb demanded. “That was my father’s!” He tried to take his boots off, the lacing slowed him down.

“You’re cold, let me do it,” Lily said, sliding off her overdress. She shot Boscoe a sour look, who simply beamed at her. Caleb on the other hand turned around and shielded his eyes.

“Could you not?” he asked.

“I know you can see me, stop pretending like you can’t or I’m indecent.” Her chemise and trousers were dark, chosen for adventuring thank you very much; she’d learned what to wear to repel after a wayward ewe long ago. She hung her overdress on a low branch and waded into the cold water.

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to get these on?” Caleb asked the kitsune, who went, Yip yip! “Fine. To your left,” he offered. Part of her spitefully wanted to disobey him, but figured his father’s sword was important. “How’s the water?”

“Refreshing,” she called back, but paused when she got to about her navel. She didn’t think it was that deep. “Tell me this lake doesn’t have an overabundance of leeches.”

“I’ll help you pick them off,” Caleb offered.

“You’re very kind,” she told him. The water was murky and dark, she couldn’t see his sword so she felt around with her feet and finding it, resigned herself to the dive. Thankfully, she got the sword on her first attempt, and she brought it backup tip first.

Caleb had waded out anyway, but really had only gotten to his knees. He also looked at her with wide eyes, kind of like an idiot for a half-second. “What?” she asked, wading towards him, offering him the sword. “Go on, take it—make sure I didn’t find someone else’s sword.”

Caleb hesitated, but upon grasping the handle unsheathed it, then cast a glare back at the kitsune, who put a paw to his nose and stuck out his tongue. “You’re not a kitsune or a mermaid, are you?” he asked eventually.

Lily couldn’t stifle a guffaw. “You see a tail or scales?” she asked, brushing her hair behind her ears.

“Sounds like something a lake monster would say,” he said with just a hint of teasing.

She flicked water at him, but the way the way the water and sunlight reflected off the blade, she noticed engraving. “It’s got an inscription?”

He held it so she could read it. “Old language. Means ‘Do not unsheathe me without reason, do not wield me without valour.’ Hey, you got a little leech, right—” Caleb gestured to his own neck.

“Waaah!” Lily panicked and fell backwards, and upon getting up, seeing him chuckling and realizing it was a ruse, reached for the sword. “Give me that! Boscoe didn’t get it in far enough.” He had longer strides so she had to settle for splashing him.

MEET THE AUTHOR

L.T. Getty is a Manitoba Paramedic. She received her degree in English in 2006 from the University of Winnipeg, and has gone on to write several novels. Her latest title, Titan’s Ascent, is a sword and sorcery forthcoming from Champagne Books for 2025.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479207.L_T_Getty
Twitter/X: http://www.twitter.com/getty_lt
Blog: http://www.ltgetty.ca
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leiagetty

Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/Fable-Wood-String-Getty-ebook/dp/B0DDDQZ2LF?ref_=ast_author_dp
Amazon (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/Fable-Wood-String-L-Getty/dp/1777698073
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/it/it/ebook/a-fable-of-wood-and-string
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-fable-of-wood-and-string-l-t-getty/1145983492

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