Saturday, October 5, 2024

*Book Tour & giveaway* The Three Investigators Series

 


 The Three Investigators series are a wonderful and wholesome mix of adventure, mystery, comedy, and critical thinking/detection. They enthralled several generations of readers worldwide – and in these new 60th-anniversary editions, they are again ready to take on the world!


The Secret of Terror Castle

The Three Investigators Book 1

by Robert Arthur

Genre: Middle Grade Mysteries with a Supernatural hook


 In the first adventure of Robert Arthur’s classic mystery series, it's 1964 in the town of Rocky Beach, California. Working out of their newly established Headquarters – an old trailer hidden behind carefully arranged junk in the Jones Salvage Yard – and driven around southern California in a gold-plated vintage Rolls Royce they've won the use of in a contest, Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews decide to get publicity for their fledgling detective firm by finding a real haunted house for the renowned film director Reginald Clarke.

But although the highly rational Jupiter starts with the belief that there is no such thing as a ghost, a spook, a phantom, or a spirit, Terror Castle – the old mansion supposedly troubled by the ghost of the late Stephen Terrill, the silent horror film star called the Man with a Million Faces – may prove him wrong!

By turns exciting, spine-tingling, and humorous, The Secret of Terror Castle promises to please not only the existing fan base of The Three Investigators series but a whole new generation of readers who will find in its pages three very different boys whose imagination, courage, and intelligence can remind us that curiosity, perseverance, and rational inquiry are just as vital as friendship and cooperation.

At the end of each Three Investigators book published by Hollow Tree Press are notes written by Robert Arthur's daughter and son-in-law, exploring three subjects connected to the story – in this case, Silent Movies, Salvage Yards, and Rolls Royces – and young readers may want to use the notes as guidelines for further investigation. After all, the motto of The Three Investigators is "We Investigate Anything," and their trademark is “???” – three question marks, taken together.

On the 60th anniversary of the creation of The Three Investigators series, the first-ever English-language e-book editions of Robert Arthur’s novels, as well as the first new English-language print editions in over twenty-five years, stand ready to delight a whole new audience. Be sure to seek out all ten titles!


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The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot

The Three Investigators Book 2  

 In the second adventure of Robert Arthur’s classic mystery series, Jupiter, Pete and Bob are in search of a missing parrot. The case soon gets complicated as they discover that not one but six talking parrots and a mynah bird have disappeared.

With the help of their new friend Carlos, the Three Investigators figure out that each of the birds has been taught to recite part of a complex puzzle, that, when taken together, could lead the boys to a great painting. But as their search takes them to a spooky graveyard, they're not the only ones hot on the trail!

By turns puzzling, compelling, and absorbing, The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot promises to please not only the existing fan base of The Three Investigators series but a whole new generation of readers who will find in its pages three very different boys whose imagination, courage, and intelligence can remind us that curiosity, perseverance, and rational inquiry are just as vital as friendship and cooperation.

At the end of each Three Investigators book published by Hollow Tree Press are notes written by Robert Arthur's daughter and son-in-law, exploring three subjects connected to the story - in this case, Puzzles and Word Games, Parrots, and Sherlock Holmes - and young readers may want to use these notes as guidelines for further investigation. After all, the motto of The Three Investigators is "We Investigate Anything," and their trademark is “???” - three question marks, taken together.

On the 60th anniversary of the creation of The Three Investigators series, the first-ever English-language e-book editions of Robert Arthur’s novels, as well as the first new English-language print editions in over twenty-five years, stand ready to delight a whole new audience. Be sure to seek out all ten titles!


Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads



**Don’t miss the rest of the series!**

Find them on Amazon or B&N


ROBERT ARTHUR is best known as the creator of THE THREE INVESTIGATORS, the classic mystery series for young readers, for which he wrote the first ten books before his untimely death in 1969. By the time the last English-language-original book was published in the late 1980s, there were forty-three titles, some of which had been translated into over twenty languages.

Young readers in the U.S., Canada, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia, as well as in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world grew up on the books, and many credit their lifetime love of reading to having discovered the story of three young American boys who form a detective agency.

Robert Arthur got the idea for the series while working in Hollywood as a story editor, showrunner, and scriptwriter for Alfred Hitchcock's TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1963, he left Hollywood and moved to Cape May, New Jersey, where, in a brown-shingled house two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, he created The Three Investigators. The Secret of Terror Castle and  The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot were published in 1964 by Random House. The series' original title was ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE THREE INVESTIGATORS.

The books have supernatural hooks -- haunted houses, whispering mummies, gnomes, ghosts riding carousels, screaming clocks, talking skulls -- that turn out, after closer examination, to have rational explanations.

From his memories of his years in southern California, Arthur created the small fictional town of Rocky Beach, not far from Hollywood. His disbelief and dismay at the way old houses were being torn down and their contents junked resulted in his placing The Three Investigators Headquarters in a salvage yard, where all sorts of goods have been reclaimed and are for sale. He based his head investigator, Jupiter Jones, on his idea of a young American Sherlock Holmes, and the boy who keeps records and does research -- Bob Andrews -- he based on himself (they have the same initials!)

The books are a wonderful and wholesome mix of adventure, mystery, comedy, and critical thinking/detection. They enthralled several generations of readers worldwide – and in this new 60th-anniversary edition, they are again ready to take on the world.


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Friday, October 4, 2024

*Book Tour & Giveaway* Savage Lust

 


 Ready to Ride?

  

Savage Lust

Desert Kings MC Book 1

by Candi Scott

Genre: Dark MC Romance 

  


 At the end of my rope and out of options, I’m on my way to Dry Valley, Nevada. To attend the funeral of a father I’ve never met and into a world I could have never imagined.


A world where I’d do anything to survive.

I’d expected the outlaw bikers, the drugs, and even the violence. What I hadn’t expected was the six feet of leather clad bad boy, Cam Savage, pinning me to a mattress.

Now I can’t think of anything else...


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 Candi Scott is the ultra steamy pen name for award winning author Leslie Scott.

Author of Two Hearts, One Stone and the Black Water Magic Series, Leslie Scott has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. The happier the ending, the better. Currently, she lives and writes amidst her own happily ever after with her soul mate, son, and domestic zoo. http://www.lesliescottwrites.com


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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*Book Tour & Giveaway* The Mark of the Salamander-GUEST POST

 


 THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.


The Mark of the Salamander

The Island of Angels Book One

by Justin Newland

Genre: Historical Fiction

  


1575: Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.

Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.

The Mark of the Salamander is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.


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JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.

Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.

His second book is a historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) is an historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

His latest is The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023) and is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.

The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), charts of the uncanny coincidences that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada and is due for publication in October.

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews.

He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.


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GUEST POST

My historical fiction novel, The Mark of the Salamander, was published in October 2023. It’s the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. Book two is out in October, 2024, and is entitled The Midnight of Eights.


This blog explores the some of the unwritten story of Sir Francis Drake’s voyage around the world, which features in the novel. It’s unwritten because Drake was only the second person who achieved this extraordinary feat of seamanship.


The first was Ferdinand Magellan, who achieved the same feat between 1519 and 1522. The main ship in Magellan’s fleet was the Nao Victoria or the Victory in English 


When Drake set about designing his command ship, where did he look for a template? The obvious thing to do was to base his design on one that had worked before - namely, that of the Nao Victoria (see image of the replica of the ship).


Drake set sail from Plymouth Hoe in December 1577 with a fleet of five ships. Whereas today, a ship navigates using modern satellite technology, Drake had none of that. So how did he navigate the world’s oceans, when he, nor any other Englishman before him, had ever done so?


Drake had access to a rudimentary globe provided (see image), by the Flemish cartographer, Abraham Ortelius. 


It shows the general lay of the land and the sea, but in itself would not be much use in navigating say, the treacherous seas of the Straights of Magellan.


He needed specific information about the sea currents and the winds, the lay of the shores and the weather patterns.


He did have some technological help, in the form of the astrolabe (see image), which was used for making astronomical measurements for navigation. 


The planisphere astrolabe was used to calculate the position of the sun and prominent stars with respect to both the horizon and meridian.


But only Magellan had sailed that way around the globe before him, so how could Drake know how to navigate the world’s ocean? Well, he tapped into local knowledge, namely that provided by local pilots. A standard practice at the time was to beg, borrow or steal – depending on which way you look at it – the pilots from the local fishing vessels the fleet encountered. One of them was a man named Nuno da Silva, whose prolific local knowledge helped Drake sail across the South Atlantic from Africa to South America.


Remember as well that this was a time of high religious morals and profound belief in the intervention of the Almighty in affairs of the day. In other words, people were superstitious, and none more so than sailors. 


Drake was effectively leading his 164 men and boys in the crew into the unknown, albeit the known unknown. Yes, he had some technological help, the astrolabe and the globe, the pilots and his own skills of seamanship. But he also relied on those that knew the way, and that had travelled the course before. No, not just the pilots, but the sea birds and the fish. Those creatures knew instinctively how to get the assistance of a tail wind, and the benefit of a sea current pushing them forward. I imagined that Drake did the same – and followed the flocks of sea birds and shoals of fish as they crossed from one continent to the other.  


This is how I imagined Drake achieved this incredible feat, and one that could be said to have changed the course of English history.


Images:

The Nao Victoria

Rudimentary globe by the Flemish cartographer, Abraham Ortelius.

Astrolabe 


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Thursday, October 3, 2024

*Release Blitz* The Minotaur Who Got Away



Title: The Minotaur Who Got Away

Author: Bea Gallo

Genre: Monster Romance

Cover Designer: Melissa Gill Designs

Publication Date: Oct. 3rd, 2024

Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR


Blurb: 

When Callie Angelos sees her mate again after he humiliated her in front of her family and friends, she’s not ready to forgive or forget. She’s ready to fight.

For three years, she’s lived in the quiet town of Sparta, NC, trying to move on from being rejected by her mate, Tauro Constantine. So when he shows up, asking for a second chance, she’s determined to put him in his place. On his knees.

Tauro Constantine knows rejecting his mate was the biggest mistake of his life. He’s prepared to do what it takes to earn her forgiveness, even if it means bringing Callie along on his dangerous path to redemption.

Starting over isn’t always easy. As Callie and Tauro work together they have to confront the biggest obstacle of all - their past.

Return to Minos Falls with Callie and Tauro in this second chance, small town monster romance!


 


Bea Gallo is the centaur-curious author of steamy, small town monster romance. She is also the other half of contemporary romance author Rebecca Gallo. Bea Gallo lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with the monster of her dreams, their monster child, and four-legged monster pet.

 

Author Links: 

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*Cover Reveal & Giveaway* P.O.O.F. Happens

 


Can’t find love? Love will find you and poof into your life.


P.O.O.F. Happens

Twilight Temptations Book 1

By D.G. Carothers

Genre: LGBTQ Urban Fantasy, M/M Paranormal Romance 




Can’t find love? Love will find you and poof into your life.

Greetings, Nozzag here, an Agent of P.O.O.F. and one of the dedicated caretakers for the Creator of Important Nexuses. It has been over a century since we last shared some of the success stories we helped initiate.

For the first time since the Uprising, we are thrilled to present a new collection of Twilight Temptations tales. Launching this series is a story I hold dear and one that almost didn't come to fruition. Without further delay, I present to you Pako and David.

Pako – Orc, Fashion Model, Boy, and tired of being walked on—literally.

David – Elf, Human Social Worker, Daddy, and too overworked to be looking for love.

Pako represents what David needs to remember about slowing down, while David embodies what Pako must remember about self-love. However, without a gentle push from fate via the Creator of Important Nexuses, their paths may never cross.

P.O.O.F. Happens is the first in a new series set in the world of Bloodlines of Fate. These are instalove, high heat, low angst stories that will feature different kinds of creatures and a guaranteed HEA.

 

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Within the shimmering guise of a mortal walks D.G. Carothers, a dragon of cunning intellect. A weaver of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy tales, this enigmatic being revels in crafting narratives that dance between realms.

D.G. stands resolute in their commitment to unfurling tales unfettered by constraints. For in their eyes, love transcends all boundaries, a truth woven into the very fabric of their creations.

  

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*Book Tour & Giveaway* The Discovery of Magic-GUEST POST

 


 Transported to an ancient realm of magic and mystery, can a young woman survive scheming royals, shifting alliances, and impending war? 


The Discovery of Magic

The Intrigue of Magic Book 1

by L.J. Evias

Genre: Epic Fantasy

  


Transported to an ancient realm of magic and mystery, can a young woman survive scheming royals, shifting alliances, and impending war?

Alice Harper yearns to determine her own fate. Desperate to change her parents’ minds about moving away from everything she knows, the gifted archer sets out to win a coveted scholarship. But the seventeen-year-old feels completely out of control when she and her friends stumble through a strange portal to a mysterious world.

Separated from the others, the bold and reckless teen finds herself whisked away to an impossible palace where charming mages offer help. But as she becomes entwined in the politics of the court, Alice grows suspicious of her new allies, and she struggles to distinguish friend from foe...

As she’s pulled deeper into treacherous plots, can the heroic young adult rescue her peers and get everyone home?

The Discovery of Magic is the captivating first book in The Intrigue of Magic epic fantasy series. If you like relatable characters, powerful enchantments, and fast-paced action, then you’ll love L. J. Evias’s battle for courage.

Buy The Discovery of Magic to begin the adventure today!


**On Sale for Only .99cents for a limited time!**

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L. J. Evias writes exclusively in the fantasy genre, infusing stories with a dash of adventure and mystery. In Evias’s worlds, moral absolutes do not exist, giving life to a diverse cast of intriguing characters.

The Intrigue of Magic is Evias’s debut series, featuring accessible world-building, intricate plots, and unforgettable heroes and villains. Released in 2024, The Discovery of Magic is the first book in this series.

When not immersed in the pages of a novel, Evias enjoys real-world adventures both in the UK and abroad. The enchanting settings of The Intrigue of Magic series draw inspiration from personal travels, notably the unique architecture and evocative landscapes of Morocco.

Bonus material and a sample short story are available from the author's website.


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GUEST POST

What kind of world ruler would you be? 


An evil dictator for sure! I can imagine starting with the best intentions, trying to do everything right and make everyone happy—but realizing quickly that it never works out. In that situation, no one benefits. Kavir from my novel has got it all figured out. He barely has to lift a finger to ensure people obey his wishes because they’re all too afraid to challenge him—at least openly. Even the kingdom’s rivals respect him. Meanwhile, the benevolent king? He gets accused of being weak, and people start plotting his downfall. It’s easy to see why a democracy might be appealing after all.






How did you come up with name of this book? 


I wanted a title that would convey the central theme of the story. For a light fantasy novel with a dash of adventure, Discovery felt like the perfect fit. The teens in the story are discovering a new world and new possibilities, so the title reflects their journey.


The discovery isn’t just about the magic of spells, though magic is prevalent throughout. Magic can be fun and liberating, but also symbolises unequal power, which can sometimes be oppressive. The series name, The Intrigue of Magic, ties into that idea, hinting at the constant scheming and power plays that weave throughout.


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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