Clarissa Johal: February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Musa Publishing Closes it's Doors...

I'm sad to report that my publisher Musa Publishing will be closing it's doors on February 28, 2015. Musa was my first publisher and a place where I learned a lot. The closing left a lot of authors sad/angry/lost/many things but I have to say, in spite of much stress, Musa has handled author concerns with respect and fairness. Rights reversion letters were available immediately and any communication has been quick and helpful. While it's easy to point fingers and lay blame, publishing is a very competitive business and they tried their best.

So, what does that mean for BETWEEN and STRUCK, the two books I have with Musa Publishing? Much like Dobby in Harry Potter, they've been given The Sock. After much consideration and contract offers from other publishers, I've decided to go indie with both of them. I redesigned new covers and kept the interior of the books as they were. Both STRUCK and BETWEEN have gotten awesome reviews and I saw no need to re-edit.

Stay-tuned for "official" cover reveals tomorrow and new buy links as I get them.
They will be available in ebook and in print paperback.

**Regarding my virtual blog tour hosted by Sapphyria's Book Blog.
Tomorrow, I will announce the winner of my Rafflecopter contest for one ecopy of BETWEEN. Business as usual

Friday, February 20, 2015

Welcome to the Virtual Book Tour for BETWEEN!

* Follow the Tour *
Read Exclusive Excerpts, Interviews & Reviews 
Enter the Giveaway

BETWEEN is a “haunting” paranormal novel that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Second Place - Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012 



How far would you go to redeem yourself?


About BETWEEN:

After a devastating accident, Lucinda moves to a small town in an attempt to start over. Unable to escape her grief, she is plagued by haunting nightmares. Just as she fears she’s spiraling out of control, two newcomers move into the coastal town. Lucas is protective and caring, and she feels an immediate connection. The other stranger is more of a worry. Though everything about Cronan warns her to keep her distance, Lucinda is attracted to him in a way she can’t ignore.


Drawn into a bitter tug-a-war, Lucinda is pulled into a dangerous twist of past and present events. She discovers the two men are locked in not only a battle for her life...but a battle for salvation.


Book Details:

Title: BETWEEN
Author: Clarissa Johal
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Musa Publishing 
ISBN: 978-1-61937-459-1
Cover Artist: David Efaw
Number of Pages: 300

About the Author:

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.


*Member of the Author's Guild

Coming May 19, 2015 from Permuted Press
VOICES, a paranormal psychological horror

STRUCK
(2014) Musa Publishing
*Indie Book of the Day Award
*Nominated for the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2014

BETWEEN
(2012) Musa Publishing
*Second place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012
*Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats

PRADEE
(2010) CreateSpace
*Second round finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest 2012

Short stories:

PIGEONS
Susurrus Literary Journal
THE ROPE
Susurrus Literary Journal

Non-Fiction:

A WAY OF LIFE
The Sacramento Bee newspaper


Praise for BETWEEN:

Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats

Escape Into a Book "I loved how original the idea was for this book, I haven't read a book like this one...fast paced and kept my interest till the very end."

MommaSez "Creepy, scary, haunting–just up my alley...gothic romance that makes the hair stand up on my neck!"

Musings from an Addicted Reader "It was haunting, unpredictable, and intriguing. All the characters were unique and draw you in from the first chapter. Excellent read."

Shut Up & Read "I love a good ghost story, and this one did not disappoint...I've heard the saying painting a picture with words, and that is exactly what the author does here. Each sentence is vivid and alive."

Happy Tails and Tales "I would recommend it to my fellow ghost lovers, Gothic lovers, and historical paranormal lovers alike. There are some interesting paranormal characters...I wasn’t expecting them...a really well done plot twist. "

Demons Do it Better "Between kept me guessing. I had no clue where the story was going to end but I made a couple of guesses along the way and I was wrong."


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


How did you come up with the idea for BETWEEN?

Three years ago, I was working on a sequel to a fantasy novel when I had this weird “calling.” Two characters came to me in a rush; Lucas and Cronan from BETWEEN. They weren’t fantasy characters nor they didn’t fit into what I was writing but they wouldn’t go away. I kept setting them aside but they’d come back, stronger than ever. I put the fantasy sequel on hold, wrote non-stop for a month, and finished the first draft. That never happens! It usually takes me months to finish a first draft. A year later, my edits were finished, and two months later, BETWEEN was picked up by Musa Publishing. I’ve got my feet firmly planted in the Otherworld now, the ideas come faster than I can write them down.

What first inspired you to become a writer? And what compels you to continue your career as an author?

I wrote my first short story in grade six. I was asked by the teacher to read it aloud to the class, which terrified me. After I was finished, I realized that I actually had everyone’s attention! I was shy and we moved every year, so I was always the new kid. When you’re in that situation, it’s kind of like being invisible. Finding my voice through story-telling made me realize how powerful writing could be. As far as continuing—truthfully? I think I’d go nuts if I didn’t write.

What made you choose the genre of paranormal gothic horror?

I started out writing fantasy fiction. I was working on the second installment to my PRADEE series when there were two characters that kept showing up on the page, over and over. They didn’t belong in fantasy novel, nor did they belong in my story! But their backstory came to me so vividly, that I set aside my series and wrote my first paranormal novel, BETWEEN. I’ve been pulled into the Otherworld permanently now. The ideas come faster than I can write them down.


Follow the Tour:



Enter the Giveaway:


TOUR STOPS

February 1  ~ Tour Kick-Off  ~ Sapphyria's Book Reviews

February 2 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~Dreamland Teenage Fantasy

February 3 ~ Tour Schedule/Spotlight ~ Clarissa Johal

February 4 ~ Spotlight ~ Sara Daniel Romance

February 5 ~ Review ~Vanessa Kings' Books

February 6 ~ Non-Exclusive Excerpt ~ Saph's Book Blog

February 6 ~ Spotlight ~ Vanessa Kings' Books

February 6 ~ Spotlight ~ Babs Book Bistro

February 9 ~ Review ~ Author Sandra Love

February 10 ~ Spotlight ~ Saph's Book Blog

February 11~ Spotlight ~ Girl with Pen

February 12 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ Tea Talks

February 13 ~ Spotlight ~ Rita Monette, Tale from the Bayou

February 16 ~ Spotlight ~ Word Forward

February 17 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ LeAnn's Book Reviews

February 18 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ An Opener's Closing

February 19 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ Are You Afraid of the Dark?

February 22 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ Author Carol Browne


February 23 ~ Exclusive Excerpt ~ Babs Book Bistro

February 25 ~ Spotlight ~ The MissPhyre Library

February 26 ~ Non-Exclusive Excerpt ~ Saph's Book Blog

February 27 ~ Exclusive Author Interview ~ Kerry Alan Denney is The Reality Bender


Tour Coordinated by:


~ Amber M. ~

Promotions Specialist and Media Contact at Musa Publishing amber.musa.ps@gmail.com

Owner of Sapphyria’s Book Promotions saphsbookblog@gmail.com


Monday, February 16, 2015

JAGANNATH 2015 Virtual Book Blog Tour Extravaganza & A Chance to WIN an ecopy of BETWEEN

I'll be at this Facebook Event LIVE @ 7PM EST on Thursday Feb. 19th with a chance to win an ecopy of BETWEEN! 

Please join Kerry Alan Denney in his

Everyone is welcome, invite your friends! FREE Giveaway Contest: Five $10 Amazon Gift Cards & 7 e-books, plus lots of fun including blogger interviews with Kerry, interviews with 4 characters from JAGANNATH (including an interview with The Reaper, the monster from your nightmares!), various guest blog posts, some wacky "Caption This" games, and guest author spots.


BETWEEN

How far would you go to redeem yourself?

As a young girl, Lucinda was able to see spirits, a gift that didn't come without its problems. Now, a dedicated young veterinarian, she is committed to the idea that every life can be saved.
After a devastating accident, Lucinda tries to escape her past by moving to a small town. There, she meets a newcomer and feels an immediate connection with him. But there is another mysterious stranger to the small town, one that stirs within her a mixture of unease and desire.
As Lucinda is drawn into a bitter tug-a-war from the forces around her, she is likewise pulled into a dangerous twist of past and present events. Forced to make difficult choices, she finds that the two men are locked in not only a battle for her life...but a battle for their salvation.


JAGANNATH

The monster from your nightmares is here. It's destroying civilization. Soon the human race will be extinct.

The year is 2037, and Corporal Kimi Jayden has one chance to rescue the lone refugee girl who is miraculously immune to Reaper absorption. Thirteen-year-old Lily walks the deserted streets of Savannah alone, ever since the Reaper absorbed her family - and tried and failed to absorb her - a year ago. An amorphous creature that has nearly wiped out civilization, growing as it feeds, the Reaper assimilates its prey's intelligence when it consumes flesh and blood. Growing smarter with each human it absorbs, the Reaper transforms into monsters created from our darkest nightmares - and it loves tormenting its victims.

Kimi and her fellow survivors in the North Georgia Renegade Enclave believe Lily's DNA holds the key to mankind's survival. But the Reaper covets and abducts Lily, and Kimi must battle a ghastly horde of Reaper incarnations to preserve humanity's last hope against extinction.

JAGANNATH reveals the resilience and determination of the human spirit in an action-filled tale of terror, selfless courage, and ultimate triumph and redemption.


Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Tangled Tuesday-The Writing on the Wall

Exploring a remote island can sometimes get you into trouble. Especially when you stumble upon a cave and awaken two demons....
(cue in foreboding music)

THE ISLAND was finally submitted to my publisher last Friday. Whoo-hoo! It's been a long year of writing, complete with a trip out to a remote island for research. Fun stuff.

I was going to take some time off before starting my next novel--but last night, I was hit with the opening scene. So off we go.

Don't forget! My new paranormal psychological horror VOICES will be released via Permuted Press May 19th. 

If you're interested in some visuals--check out THE ISLAND and VOICES on Pinterest. I just started these boards, so stay tuned as I add more. Have a great Tuesday!

Monday, February 9, 2015

#MeatlessMonday- Crockpot Gumbo #vegetarian #vegan

This is a hearty dinner that is very versatile. If you like okra, feel free to add. (I'm not a fan of it, personally). I love spicy food but my kiddos don't--hence, this isn't a spicy recipe either. If you aren't vegetarian, switching out the vegetarian sausage for shrimp or regular sausage works too. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Crockpot Gumbo

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1 large red pepper, diced
1/2 cup packed spinach, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced

Roux:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable stock

14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 zucchini, diced
2 vegetarian sausages, cut into thin slices (Tofurky Italian sausage is a good choice)

Cooked rice, 1/2 cup per serving

Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a small pot, make roux: Over medium heat, melt butter and gradually add flour, whisking to form a smooth paste. Add spices. Add slowly to heated vegetable stock, whisking until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

Transfer vegetables and roux mixture to slow cooker. Add tomatoes with juice and lemon juice and stir to combine all ingredients thoroughly. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours 

Add zucchini for last 30 minutes of cooking time
Pan fry/brown sliced vegetarian sausages on low heat (they burn easily). Add last 10 minutes of cooking time 

To serve. Place cooked rice in bottom of each bowl. Ladle gumbo over top.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Kerry Alan Denney Interviews Corporal Kimi Jayden, Heroine of JAGANNATH

Interview with Corporal Kimi Jayden, heroine/ protagonist of JAGANNATH

I got lucky the other day and managed to squeeze in a few minutes of an interview with Corporal Kimi Jayden in the North Georgia Renegade Enclave’s weapons locker room. Kimi is the heroine/ protagonist of JAGANNATH, and I’m sharing this interview so you the reader can get to know her a little better. She’s an intimidating woman, let me tell you. She’s not only super-hot and sexy, with that short, wavy, flaming red hair and those captivating emerald green eyes, but she’s also a bad-ass soldier and a tough, lethal killing machine. I wouldn’t want to come across her as an enemy. Wiry, strong, mega flexible (like a pro gymnast in her prime), and damn, the girl is fast! Every move she makes is fluid, seemingly calculated but simultaneously spontaneous. After I popped my eyeballs back in their sockets, I stumbled through my interview. 

Here it is:

The Reality Bender: Hi, Kimi. It’s an honor and pleasure to meet you. How are you today?

Kimi: Busy. What do you want?

TRB: Well, I, uhh... was hoping I could get a quick interview.

Kimi (donning her battle gear): It damn well better be quick. I got a world to try to save here, in case you didn’t notice.

TRB: Yeah, well, I did, in fact. I sure am glad you’re one of the good guys. We need more soldiers like you.

Kimi: Don’t patronize me, buddy. I don’t have time for that crap. So get to the point.

TRB: Right. Sorry. I, uhh—

Kimi: I don’t want your half-ass apologies either. Lily needs me. She’s out there all alone, and the Reaper wants her bad. We don’t have much time before it figures out how to kill her, or takes her somewhere we’ll never find her. Every second counts.

TRB: Understood. So how did you find out about Lily, and what’s so special about her?

Kimi: If you met her, you’d know why she’s so special. One of our hoverships was on a recon and rescue mission in Savannah, Georgia. They filmed a holovid of their operation—that’s a holographic video—and relayed it back real-time to our Enclave. We’d heard rumors about a young girl who’s immune to Reaper absorption, but they were sketchy, and came from a bunch of unreliable refugees who were so shell-shocked and hyper-tweaked they would’ve said anything to save their asses. But we had to check it out. The hovership filmed the Reaper trying to absorb Lily, and failing. Do you have any idea how amazing that is?

TRB: How amazing what is?

Kimi (scoffs and shakes her head): Are you even paying attention? How amazing it is that anyone could be immune to Reaper absorption. It’s unheard of, like an urban legend.

TRB: So you mean, like, everybody can be, umm, absorbed by this Reaper creature?

Kimi (rolls her eyes): How else do you think the damn thing has nearly destroyed civilization and sixty-plus percent of the world’s population?

TRB: Wow. That’s... horrible. So what exactly is this monster, this Reaper?

Kimi: Where the hell have you been hiding? It’s like a slime creature that can change its shape and form. It rose up out of the ocean sixteen years ago. Hello, do you not watch the news flashes? Have you not seen the cities burning? It can assume the likeness of anything it absorbs. Worse, it can read the minds of any creature it absorbs, animal or human, and guess what? It likes the monsters from our nightmares the most. It killed my whole family fifteen years ago, when I was just thirteen, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. I’m lucky as hell it didn’t get me. I still hear their screams as it absorbed them.

TRB: Unbelievable. I’m... really sorry for your loss.

Kimi: Yeah? Well, doesn’t matter anymore. Because I’m gonna kill that fucker, one way or another.

TRB: I have no doubt you are. And I swear I’m not patronizing you. But how? It seems indestructible.

Kimi: Any damn way I can. For one thing, it’s flammable. Our flamethrowers are kick-ass weapons against it. And the gel guns make its flesh harden and crystallize. That’s the best invention since fire to destroy the damn thing. But we need a better weapon. And we think Lily is it.

TRB: Yeah, Lily. Why? She seems like a helpless kid. What can she do?

Kimi (squinting at me): Helpless, hell. She’s the bravest little kid I’ve ever seen, even though she doesn’t know it. Yet. That thing killed her family too, you know? But she still managed to survive somehow. And I gotta save her. We think her DNA can turn things around. There’s something magic in her blood. She may be our only hope left. And she needs me.

(Kimi’s eyes get hard and shimmery, and I see the fierce compassion in them. This woman is determined to save that little girl, even if the rest of the human race perishes in the process.)

TRB: God, I hope like hell you can save her. So... what’s the plan? What’s next?

Kimi: We lost Lily to that damn thing once—I lost her—and that’s not gonna happen again. I’m going to get her back, and get her away from that worthless slimy piece of shit. And bring her back here, where she’ll be safe. Then we’re gonna learn how to use her magic to save the rest of us. Then I’m gonna hunt down that motherfucker and rip its heart out with my bare fucking hands. And you’re in my damn way. So move.

TRB: Yes, ma’am. Best of luck to you. I hate to resort to a cliché, but we’re all counting on you.

Kimi: Yeah? Well, make yourself useful for a change, instead of carrying around a damn microphone and asking a bunch of stupid questions. Go see the scientists and help them figure out a way to make Lily’s magic save us all. When I bring her back. Because I’m damn well going to bring her back, alive and safe, and you fuckers better be ready to make her mojo work. You got that, Mr. Interview Man?

TRB: Yes, ma’am. Good luck, Kimi, and Godspeed.

(with her back to me, she flips me a bird on her way out)

***

Man, you should see that woman storming out of the weapons locker room, all confidence and determination in her stride. If there’s any chance to save the human race from extinction, it’s in her capable hands.

I almost feel sorry for this Reaper creature.

Almost.
***

Facebook Online Book Release Party Saturday February 7 – 1 to 4 p.m. EST
Virtual Book Blog Tour 2015 Extravaganza Calendar 
YouTube “JAGANNATH 2015 Book BlogTour Extravaganza” promo video

JAGANNATH Buy links:



Kerry Alan Denney: Author Bio


Colleagues and readers alike have dubbed Kerry Alan Denney The Reality Bender. The multiple award-winning author of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi/ horror thriller JAGANNATH (Permuted Press February 3, 2015 – e-book ISBN 978-1618684134, trade paperback ISBN 978-1618684127) and the paranormal thriller SOULSNATCHER (Lazy Day Publishing April 29, 2014 – ISBN 978-1499251777) as well as six more novels and numerous short stories, Kerry blends elements of the supernatural, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror in his work: speculative fiction at its wildest and craziest. With joy, malicious glee, and a touch of madness, he writes reality-bending thrillers—even when the voices don’t compel him to. His protagonists are his children, and he loves them as dearly as he despises his antagonists... even when he has to kill them.

Kerry lives near Stone Mountain, Georgia with his Golden retriever Holly Jolly, a professional Therapy Dog, and is currently writing his next supernatural novel and trying his best to remain rooted in this dimension—and deciding which characters he’s going to kill.

For more information, please visit Kerry Alan Denney is The Reality Bender 

Kerry’s Amazon Author Central Page
Stop by at Kerry Alan Denney aka The Reality Bender Facebook Author Page
Kerry’s The Reality Bender Blog
Kerry’s Goodreads Author Page
Follow Kerry on Twitter (@KerryDenney) 


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Guest Author: Kerry Alan Denney Brings a Monster from Your Nightmares

JAGANNATH Synopsis/ back cover blurb:

The monster from your nightmares is here. It's destroying civilization. Soon the human race will be extinct.

The year is 2037, and Corporal Kimi Jayden has one chance to rescue the lone refugee girl who is miraculously immune to Reaper absorption. Thirteen-year-old Lily walks the deserted streets of Savannah alone, ever since the Reaper absorbed her family—and tried and failed to absorb her—a year ago. An amorphous creature that has nearly wiped out civilization, growing as it feeds, the Reaper assimilates its prey’s intelligence when it consumes flesh and blood. Growing smarter with each human it absorbs, the Reaper transforms into monsters created from our darkest nightmares—and it loves tormenting its victims.

Kimi and her fellow survivors in the North Georgia Renegade Enclave believe Lily’s DNA holds the key to mankind’s survival. But the Reaper covets and abducts Lily, and Kimi must battle a ghastly horde of Reaper incarnations to preserve humanity’s last hope against extinction.

JAGANNATH reveals the resilience and determination of the human spirit in an action-filled tale of terror, selfless courage, and ultimate triumph and redemption.


JAGANNATH excerpt: 

Chapter 1

A tentacle as thick as a railroad tie burst out of the gap in the crumbling wall. The sinuous limb shot toward the Renegade soldier like a giant compressed spring releasing. Before the soldier could aim his flamethrower at it, the tentacle coiled around him and squeezed.
He shouted for backup, and two soldiers raced toward him. They aimed their wrist-mounted nozzles at the transforming tentacle. Tight streams of blue gel spurted toward the creature’s extended limb, but the soldiers fired too late. The tentacle seeped under the soldier’s visor and touched bare skin, and the Reaper began to absorb him.
Kimi scowled, studying the holographic video of the battle against the Reaper in the dead city of Savannah, Georgia. Safe within the War Room of the North Georgia Renegade Enclave, she had a bird’s-eye view of the chaos and destruction from two days ago. The scene stoked an ever-smoldering fire inside her.
The Reaper had killed her whole family fifteen years ago, one day before her thirteenth birthday. She had hidden, helpless to stop the creature as it consumed them. The loss left a gaping wound inside her that only vengeance could heal.
Her shoulders tensed as she remembered watching her hometown of Jasper, Georgia burn. The raging flames had surrounded her as everyone she knew and loved was absorbed. The Renegade soldiers who came to rescue the survivors were too late to save anyone but her.
Kimi was an orphan in the truest and bloodiest sense of the word.
Joining the Renegades was inevitable. She signed up two years after her rescue at the lawfully acceptable age of fifteen. Ever since that day, she wore the red, blue, and orange insignia of blood, life, and flame with honor and pride.
Though the holo-vid was painful to watch, Kimi’s duty was to observe and learn. She kept her eyes on the soldier, knowing he would respond with the only avenue of escape he had left.
“Fall back!” the soldier called to his buddies. “I’m hitting the fail-safe!”
His voice was loud and close through the War Room’s speakers. He was doomed, but he didn’t cry out as the Reaper soaked up the skin on his neck and jaw. The creature’s pseudo-flesh shifted shape, forming a cocoon around him. But the soldier popped off the cap covering the recessed red button on his hand-grip control before he was immobilized.
Not for the first time—or the last—Kimi wondered why they didn’t call the fail-safe button by its true name: a suicide switch.
The two standing soldiers trained their flamethrower nozzles on the creature as they backed away. Tight streams of fire shot out and ignited the Reaper’s viscous muck, too late to save the dying soldier. But the flames started frying the isolated portion of the creature into yellow smoke and charcoal gray ash.
The doomed soldier pressed the red button, and the potent explosives in his helmet and body armor did their job. The force of the blast made creature-gook spray outward in all directions—along with various body parts.
Kimi gritted her teeth. Had the soldier pressed the suicide switch in time, or did the creature absorb his brain before he died?
When the Reaper rose up out of the oceans’ depths and came ashore sixteen years ago, it seemed like nothing more than an amorphous sludge with the limited intelligence of the aquatic mammals it ingested, a creature of transforming slime that imitated living organisms. It separated into portions like a deploying army, and quickly developed a ravenous appetite for human flesh and blood. But when it began metamorphosing into human form and mimicking people, the evidence was conclusive: the creature was growing smarter, accumulating knowledge with each person it consumed.
The Reaper was not only feeding on their flesh and blood; it was absorbing their minds, and assimilating their intelligence.
And it grew as it fed.



JAGANNATH Buy links:



“JAGANNATH: The Monster From Your Nightmares Is HERE!” 

Facebook Online Book Release Party Saturday February 7 – 1 to 4 p.m. EST 
Virtual Book Blog Tour 2015 Extravaganza Calendar 
YouTube “JAGANNATH 2015 Book BlogTour Extravaganza” promo video


Kerry Alan Denney – Author Bio:

Colleagues and readers alike have dubbed Kerry Alan Denney The Reality Bender. The multiple award-winning author of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi/ horror thriller JAGANNATH (Permuted Press February 3, 2015 – e-book ISBN 978-1618684134, trade paperback ISBN 978-1618684127) and the paranormal thriller SOULSNATCHER (Lazy Day Publishing April 29, 2014 – ISBN 978-1499251777) as well as six more novels and numerous short stories, Kerry blends elements of the supernatural, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror in his work: speculative fiction at its wildest and craziest. With joy, malicious glee, and a touch of madness, he writes reality-bending thrillers—even when the voices don’t compel him to. His protagonists are his children, and he loves them as dearly as he despises his antagonists... even when he has to kill them.

Kerry lives near Stone Mountain, Georgia with his Golden retriever Holly Jolly, a professional Therapy Dog, and is currently writing his next supernatural novel and trying his best to remain rooted in this dimension—and deciding which characters he’s going to kill.

For more information, please visit Kerry Alan Denney is The Reality Bender 

Kerry’s Amazon Author Central Page
Stop by at Kerry Alan Denney aka The Reality Bender Facebook Author Page
Kerry’s The Reality Bender Blog
Kerry’s Goodreads Author Page
Follow Kerry on Twitter (@KerryDenney) 


Cover Reveal: Melancholy of Souls by Anne Michaud

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

Melancholy of Souls (Girls & Ghosts #2) 
by Anne Michaud

Publication date: February 3rd 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Dad says we have to do everything to save Mom’s soul, but I’m scared the price will be too high.

Soul Catchers scour the land looking for ghosts to sell on the black market. Amusement parks, mediums, haunted houses and religious cults will pay good money for them, especially when fresh and new. I never really cared about what they did until Mom died and one of those assholes snapped her up.

Just this bright light shooting at her soul…

Now Dad’s mind is set on finding her on the lost souls trafficking circuit, but with each step we take death is only getting closer.

Goodreads


AUTHOR BIO:

She who likes dark things never grew up. She never stopped listening to gothic, industrial and alternative bands like when she was fifteen. She always loved to read horror and dystopia and fantasy, where doom and gloom drip from the pages.

She, who was supposed to make films, decided to write short stories, novelettes and novels instead. She, who's had her films listed on festival programs, has been printed in a dozen anthologies and magazines since. She, who always dreamed of making a feature film, is having her novels published.

She who likes dark things prefers night to day, rain to sun, and reading to anything else.


AUTHOR LINKS:

Author Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter @annecmichaud


Tour Hosted by:



Monday, February 2, 2015

YouTube Book Review | Struck by Clarissa Johal | The Dusty Library




Wow! I've never gotten a YouTube review of one of my books--I had to share. This is a very fun and awesome review of STRUCK via Haunting TV. Check out their channel!

Thank you so much!

#MeatlessMonday- Tofu and Vegetable Tacos #vegetarian

Photo courtesy of Vegan Feast Catering via Flickr
Run in fear...here it comes. A tofu recipe (cue in scary music). Okay, before you run in fear, please give these a try. I promise this isn't bland or horrid the way most tofu recipes are. Forgive me, I love tofu and eat it all the time, but most recipes don't seem to understand tofu needs spices or marinating. If you don't, it tastes like a wet sponge. Ideally, tofu tastes best if you marinate it for two days but if you can't plan that far ahead, please marinate it for at least 2-3 hours.

So, here we go. This recipe is painless and healthy. If you like hard taco shells, by all means, use them. Personally, I hate the way they crumble all over the place or end up stale after two days in the cupboard. I use whole-wheat tortillas instead. Enjoy!

Tofu and Vegetable Tacos

Ingredients:

Tofu:
12 ounces firm tofu
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 package taco seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil

Coleslaw:
4 cups shredded coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice

Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and pepper 

8 - 8" whole-wheat tortillas
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, pepper jack or feta cheese
Sliced avocados 
1/4 cup salsa

Directions:

To prepare tofu: Drain and press out excess water by laying it between paper towels. Get as much water out as you can! Cut into 1" cubes and place in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and the package of taco seasoning. Stir so that tofu is coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 or more hours.

To prepare coleslaw: Toss the coleslaw, spinach, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and half of the lime juice in a large bowl. Set aside.

To prepare yogurt sauce: Mix the yogurt with the remaining lime juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Once tofu is marinated, cook in non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tofu begins to crisp.

Fill warmed tortillas with the tofu mixture, coleslaw mixture, avocados and cheese. Top with the yogurt sauce and salsa.