Return to the streets and alleys of Victorian London, where the game is afoot once again! The Great Detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and his steadfast companion Dr. Watson are back for ten new cases, spanning the length of the quintessential detective’s illustrious career. Beginning while Holmes was still a green investigator in Montague Street, this collection encompasses the 1880s and the 1890s, up to the dawn of the new century. Walk with Holmes as he puzzles over the problem of a drunken teetotaler, celebrates an old English Christmas at the Red Lion, tracks down the Camberwell poisoner, and experiences the horror in King Street. If you’ve been pining for new traditional, canonical Sherlock Holmes tales, Ten Steps from Baker Street is the collection you’ve been waiting for.
About the Author
Thomas A. Burns, Jr. is the author of the Natalie McMasters Mysteries. He was born and grew up in New Jersey, attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, earned B.S degrees in Zoology and Microbiology at Michigan State University and a M.S. in Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He currently resides in Wendell, North Carolina with his wife and son, four cats and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. As a kid, Tom started reading mysteries with the Hardy Boys, Ken Holt and Rick Brant, and graduated to the classic stories by authors such as A. Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, John Dickson Carr, Erle Stanley Gardner and Rex Stout, to name a few. Tom has written fiction as a hobby all of his life, starting with Man from U.N.C.L.E. stories in marble-backed copybooks in grade school. He built a career as technical, science and medical writer and editor for nearly thirty years in industry and government. Now that he’s retired to become a full-time a novelist, he’s excited to publish his own mystery series, as well as to contribute stories about his second-most favorite detective to the MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories.
Paladins are nothing but trouble. Stories about paladins are everywhere, noble warriors riding magic steeds into battle against terrible foes. Champions of their gods. Heroes to everyone, except those who already have everything. Paladins are notorious for upsetting the balance of power, to the detriment of any who don’t worship their deity.
So when Krell is called to service by the capricious god of the seas and skies, ReckNor, those with wealth and power can’t help but be concerned. ReckNor hasn’t called a paladin in years, and his nature is ever-changing and erratic. The fact that Krell is also an uneducated nobody with a stubborn streak as wide as the sea turns their concerns into fear.
All of which matters less than the threat clawing its way from the waves, ready to turn the ocean red with spilled blood…
Gerrard fell
back and walked beside Krell for a moment.
“So, Krell, how
do you know about the Forge Father and all that? Never heard you say anything
like that before, you know?” Gerrard smiled up at him.
Krell laughed.
“It’s true enough, Gerrard, that my education could best be described as
lacking. Most people say I don’t know anything. I grew up alone, you see, so
nobody taught me anything useful. I had to learn it all myself.”
Gerrard looked
at him questioningly. “Alone how? I can’t see humans, even as insane as they
often are, abandoning a youngling to grow up alone.”
“Oh, I had a
family. Still might, somewhere, maybe. But I was lost at sea when I was young.
Not sure how young. Washed up on an island somewhere and spent a bunch of years
surviving.” Krell looked up at the sky. “My memories there are… poor. Can’t
remember much, but I remember the cold, the loneliness, and the hunger. Those
stand out in my mind.” Krell shook his head and frowned.
“Olgar taught me
basically everything I know, aside from how to survive alone. Whatever
knowledge I have is thanks to him, and one thing he made sure I knew well was
who all the gods and their followers are. Paladins apparently spend a lot of
time in conflict with faiths other than their own.”
“Ah,” said Gerrard,
nodding in agreement.
Krell shrugged
and looked back at Gerrard. “Whatever else I am, Gerrard, I’m a survivor. Maybe
that’s why ReckNor chose me to be a paladin. Maybe he wrecked the ship on
purpose to see if I had what it took. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, I hear the
call. My blade is in his service, my will is his will. His voice thunders in my
head, making his will known to me.”
“Wow. You know,
Kraven’s right, you are intense!” Gerrard walked along in silence for a few
minutes next to him. Then he turned and said, “That sounds really hard, having
another voice in your head all the time.”
Krell laughed.
“Nah, it’s really easy. When he tells me something, I do it. When he doesn’t
say anything, I do whatever I want.”
Gerrard frowned.
“I thought paladins had all sorts of rules they had to follow.”
Krell grinned at
him. “You’re thinking of followers of Hieron the Honorable, lord of justice.
There’s a big temple of his in Heaford, just up the coast, where the duke holds
court. I’ve never met one of his followers, but apparently he loves calling
paladins, and they’re pretty common in that faith. Most paladin stories are
about paladins of Hieron.”
“Not common in
ReckNor’s faith, though?”
“Not remotely.
Apparently, Olgar can’t remember the last time ReckNor called one. He’s… well,
most people think he’s insane, and that if you don’t appease him, he’ll destroy
you. A cult of sailors and the mad. That he’s temperamental enough that even if
you appease him, he still might destroy you. Which is all… somewhat true, I’d
say.”
Ahead, Tristan
laughed. “You’re telling me you think your god is insane?”
Krell shook his
head. “No, but temperamental? Absolutely. Appease him or else, which is how his
faith works. Sailors and those who live and work on the sea pay homage, though
for many, it is out of fear. He’s often thought of as a survival-of-the-fittest
sort of god.”
Krell noticed
they were all looking at him now. Orca looked unhappy, Kraven appeared to be
controlling his laughter, and Tristan and Gerrard were looking at him like he
was dangerous.
“So… what does
ReckNor teach, then?” asked Gerrard. Krell thought about it, and Tristan looked
like he was dreading an explanation. Better to keep things simple for now, he
thought.
“Basically two
things. The first is that the seas and skies are his, so make offerings when
you use them and he’s happy. The second is that he takes joy in the freedom of
choice.” Krell went silent, and they walked on for a few moments before anyone
said anything.
“I thought you
were going to drone on incessantly about your god and how great he is all the
time,” said Tristan. Krell looked at him and smiled.
“I’m a paladin.
If you want that, go talk to Olgar. I’m here to show the faith of ReckNor
through action, not through words.” Thunder rumbled in the distance as if on
cue, adding ominous weight to his words.
Gerrard snorted.
“Did ReckNor just add some thunder in the background to make you sound more
intimidating or dramatic or something?”
Kraven laughed, and Krell joined him. Orca said,
“That’s ridiculous!” at the same time Krell said, “Probably!”
About the Author:
Bryan Cole is the author of the Paladin’s Journey series. New to the writing world, he spent years working in the enterprise software space, focused on quality assurance and delivery of software applications. Which is weird, because that has nothing to do with writing fiction.
For that, we need to go back – way back – to his first experience with Dungeons and Dragons. His friend Chris brought over the box set for Myth Drannor, eager to play. Together, they realized they had no idea what they were doing, because neither of them owned a copy of the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, or the Monster Manual.
From those incredibly awkward beginnings, a lifelong passion for epic science fiction and high fantasy adventure was born. Everything from his grade 4 teacher letting him stay after school to play a video game where you were the wizard on a quest, defeating monsters by answering math problems, to some truly memorable movies like Willow that showed him a world bigger and more exciting than the real one.
Of course, Star Wars and Star Trek have had a major influence on him. Want to get in good with Bryan? Lead with a Star Wars meme.
From one of the good movies. Otherwise, your plan will backfire.
Bryan is also an avid gamer, and enjoys video games, board games, and tabletop roleplaying games.
These days, he lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, and his adorable cat.
Obedience Ties That Bind Series Book One Liza Snow Genre: Romantic Suspense Date of Publication: April 4th 2023 ASIN: B0BXJZFW6S Number of pages: 617 pages Word Count: 155000 Cover Artist: MiblArt Tagline: He’d searched a lifetime for the perfect student. She’d always dreamed he’d be her teacher. Together they’ll
soar in the silks. Book Description: Cassandra Growing up, I was mesmerized by a man soaring the skies. The greatest silk aerialist in the world, Chandler Moreau. He was once my lifeline, the dream I clung to after my parents died. I’ve always believed he was my destiny. To join him at the Dreamers Academy. To perform for him. To soar with him. He’s more than I ever imagined. Far more than a mentor. When I am high in the silks, turning, flying, falling, he’s my lifeline once again. Twisting my heart and my body into knots like the knots of his beloved Japanese rope bondage, Shibari. I don’t want to live without him. With each lesson, each touch, I crave more. Only he can satisfy me. And only he can destroy me… But I must keep him safe from the past that relentlessly follows me. Chandler
She is my protégé, the student I’ve been waiting to take under my wing for my entire career. Someone with whom I could share my lifelong journey in my family’s circus, Cirque du Lys. I never intended to fall in love with the student I was supposed to protect—from myself and the demons that lurk in my shadows. But sometimes fate has other plans. Cassandra, my beautiful butterfly. I know she’s off limits. Forbidden. Still, I want her in my life. My heart. My bed. My grandfather’s taunting words still linger. Mieux vaut plier que rompre. Adapt and survive. It’s what we must do. Cassandra and I share a history that entwines us more than the silks we’ve spent our lives mastering ever could. There are secrets from the past that must never be told. And truths that could destroy what we’ve just begun…
About the Author: A bestselling independent author from Florida, Liza has been putting romance books into her readers hands for over a half decade and has loved every minute of it. Liza lives with her husband, her two dogs and her cat, ten minutes from the beach. When she isn’t writing, you can often find her walking and enjoying outside, with a coffee and a book in hand. Website: http://www.lizasnowauthor.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lizasnowauthor Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lizasnowauthor Newsletter: http://bit.ly/3yBrJhm
She stopped in front of Kari and
knelt. Despite the darkness of her eyes, they gleamed with untold levels of
cruelty. Kari had always seen such evil inside of Raven, yet she had never
imagined
things like this.
“I want you to ask a different
question, Kari. I want you to ask yourself, what are you going to do to stop
me?”
About the
Author:
Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she
fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she
was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape
reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to
sharing with other children and children-at/heart looking for a place to call
home.
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing Queensland Australia
Throughout this book we learn about the sufferance of a baby boy, unwanted by his teenage parents.
This boy grew up with an aggressive and womanising father that constantly reminded him that he was a mistake that ruined his father’s life.
While been beaten and mentally abused, all he craved from his parents was love but received nothing but humiliation and sufferance from his father.
This caused detrimental trauma to the young boy, and he grew up believing that he would never achieve anything in life.
I was this little boy, and this is my story.
What Readers Are Saying
“Great read, very compelling, could not put it down. Read in one sitting. You are a good guy, glad that I know you!”
– Peter Healey
“Reading Escaping my Demons gave me an insight into how difficult Joseph’s childhood was … This would be a good self-help book for those who have had less-than-ideal family life and the proof has shown that in the end we make our own lives and can choose toe either be a victim or a winner.”
-Vicki Ebert
“The book ‘Escaping my Demons’ is Fagarazzi’s road map to the emotional freedom he now enjoys today.”
-Kez Wickham St George
Joseph Fagarazzi was born in Venice, Italy in 1951. His life story, and his book, Escaping My Demons, are based on his strength and persistence in surviving as an unwanted ridiculed child by biased parents.
The life of a cat groomer isn’t just pampering purring felines, it’s murder.
Mobile Cat Groomer Molly Stewart loves her job. Until she finds the dead body of one of her pet parents stabbed with a garden implement in his back yard. When Molly’s uncle Russ becomes the prime suspect in the murder and the sheriff won’t consider anyone else, Molly claws through obstacles as she prowls for clues.
With help from handsome veterinarian Hank Chenowith and Molly’s two cats, Percival and Jasper, will Molly succeed in proving her uncle’s innocence before the real murderer pounces on her?
Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.
Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.
Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.
She voiced one of Disney’s most infamous villainesses. With her husky timbre and most unforgettable cackle, Betty Lou Gerson terrified an entire generation as Disney’s original “Cruella de Vil” in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). Betty used her whiskey-soaked voice to give us an innovative portrait of elegant villainy beyond entertainment’s stereotypical “old hag” antagonists in radio, film, and television. She had a prolific radio career in both Chicago and Hollywood before the silver screen and was featured in many popular television series in the 1950s and 1960s such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Hazel. Though “Cruella” is perhaps her most recognized role, she also performed in other beloved film classics including Cinderella (1950), Mary Poppins (1964), and Cats Don’t Dance (1997).
The great irony of Betty’s story is that while her voice frightened audiences through nearly all mediums, off mic, she was in fact no villainess at all. Betty traversed through some of the most volatile eras in American history, while overcoming many personal tragedies of her own. She was among twentieth century entertainment pioneers and an iconic voice of feminism.
Learn the compelling story of Betty Lou Gerson as the “voice of villainy.”
Lona Bailey is a Golden Age of Hollywood researcher and writer of “Uncredited: The Life and Career of Actress Virginia Gregg” and “The Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story.”
As a PhD and former therapist, Lona is passionate about telling the untold #storiesofwomen who perhaps weren’t finished using their own voices during their earthly journeys. Lona is a mother of three with a balanced perspective on the multidimensional elements involved in legacy-maintenance with particular interest in the preservation efforts of the #GoldenAgeofHollywood. Lona’s #biographic works are delicately researched and written with a candid and fair pen and plenty of room for levity.
#OldHollywood holds millions of secrets in its gothic #sensationalism; with its #darksecrets, come just as many shimmering triumphs– and Old Hollywood wouldn’t be as we know it without both.
It’s been almost a century since Zachary Philips was turned into a creature of the night. A brooding man with a thirst for freedom and for blood. When he hears of the prophesied Vampire Queen being reborn, he hatches a plan to gain his freedom. Soon, their lives collide and although they are opposites, their sizzling sexual chemistry binds them together. It doesn’t take too long before Ivy Litt finds herself ensnared by Zachary. She also realizes she can’t stay away from him. If only she knew about the web of lies he was spinning. Will Zachary’s past and cry for freedom ruin his one chance of happiness, or will Ivy’s thread of humanity change the course of what could be something special?
Silver Medal Winner – Suspense Fiction – 2017 Global Ebook Awards
“…fun and fast-paced…Packed with thrills and fun characters…” Ashton, Beauty, Books & Babble
“Katerina—I need some help. Be a good girl and come over here and I’ll make it worth your while.”
It’s an offer NYC college student Katerina Mills should refuse. But how can she?
A desperate situation….
After ditching her cheating lover (and boss), she’s stuck in dead end temp jobs. Her dad just ditched her mom and his promise to pay Kat’s college tuition bill. She has two weeks to come up with $14,000 or she’s out of her apartment, out of school, and out of luck.
A dangerous world….
Katerina falls into a job as a “fixer” for New York City’s wealthy and privileged men. They have problems they need “fixed,” quick and on the QT, and they’re willing to pay. The rules are simple: collect the money, use your contacts, fix the problem.
Kat’s first job is easy: tail a shopaholic socialite wife. But who’s tailing Kat? Kat’s second job is not so easy: steal a VHS tape hidden in an antique chest. She can’t do it alone. To be a thief, she needs a thief: handsome, reclusive Alexander Winter to be exact.
Kat soon learns the real rules for a fixer: there are no rules, there are no refunds. Get in. Get results. Get gone. As every step brings her closer to her goal and closer to danger, there’s one rule left for Katerina Mills to learn: once you’re in, there’s no getting out.
Silver Medal Winner – Thriller Fiction – 2017 Global Ebook Awards
“The Fixer: The Killing Kind (The Fixer – Katerina Mills Book 2) by Jill Amy Rosenblatt is every bit as good, if not better, than the first book in the series. Even more action is packed into this edge-of-your-seat tale as Kat leads us on another thrilling journey.” Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
Kat’s back and in over her head with cops, criminals… and killers.
Christmas is around the corner but professional “fixer” Katerina Mills isn’t feeling the holiday spirit, juggling college classes, a lovesick cop, and demanding clients.
Obnoxious hedge fund manager Simon Marcus wants Kat to get his prized Porsche back from his vengeful wife—but Simon isn’t the only one after the car.
Rock star writer Paul Patel needs something “special” to finish his next bestseller—something that will send Katerina straight to prison if she gets caught.
And what about mysterious Thomas Gallagher? His jobs are simple and easy. Is he just a bored billionaire, or is he watching Kat’s every move, making his own plans for her?
Katerina needs help. Enter handsome, elusive thief Alexander Winter. He’s back, tutoring Kat in all things criminal. But is that all he’s going to teach her?
Katerina Mills is still haunted by her first assignment…and her first assignment is about to come back to haunt her…a deadly enemy who’s closer than she thinks…
Kat’s back for the third installment in the suspense thriller series that’s been called “a rollercoaster ride of an adventure.” (Jennie Reads)
“My name is Katerina Mills. Make sure I disappear.”
Katerina Mills is getting out . . .
Desperate to escape a psychotic former client, a vengeful mobster, and a dirty DEA agent, professional “fixer” Kat Mills is ready to drop out and disappear.
She doesn’t trust her employer, the shadowy MJM Consulting, but Katerina can’t say no to one last job for the biggest score yet, enough money to get lost for good . . . until the client asks the impossible . . .
Dmitry Zilinsky claims he is a direct descendant of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, and he demands Katerina steal the item that will prove it.
Kat must get the job done or she can’t make her escape. But when professional thief Alexander Winter reappears in her life, Katerina Mills faces a new choice: go it alone or risk everything to be with the one person she doesn’t want to live without?
Jill Amy Rosenblatt is the author of Project Jennifer and For Better or Worse, published by Kensington Press.
She received her master’s degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Burlington College.
The Fixer crime/suspense series is Jill’s first adventure in self- publishing. The Naked Man, The Killing Kind, and The Last Romanov are available wherever eBooks and paperbacks are sold.
She is currently editing the fourth book in the series, The Good Criminal.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to visit with you. I’m so happy to be here.
What are your top favorite books/authors? So many to choose from! I know I’ll make this list and then a week later realize I forgot one. Richard Stark – Parker series Donald Westlake – Dortmunder serries Daniel Silva – Gabriel Allon series The Road: Cormac McCarthy Atonement: Ian McEwan Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen The Widow’s Season: Laura Brodie A Prayer for Owen Meany: John Irving Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum series 1984 – George Orwell
How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing since college. I started with screenwriting because I love movies. I had worked on a screenplay for a while and then decided to turn it into a novel. It became my first published book, Project Jennifer. Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? My characters never come to me at the same time. They always come up as I’m writing the story. A character always forms through conversation. When I write, I always start with a conversation between two characters and then they reveal themselves by what they say and then what they do.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book? All kinds! I love research! But sometimes I wish it was possible to write something without having to look something up first! I read books and articles; I do internet searches. If it’s possible to walk in the character’s shoes and visit the place I’m writing about, I will definitely do that. I have been so fortunate to be able to interview experts and ask questions to ensure that I’m on the right track with the plot and details. Any errors in any of my books are my fault as the writer, not the wonderful people who are so kind to talk with me.
Do you see writing as a career? Absolutely. I believe having a full-time career as a working writer is possible.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre? Yes, I read as much as I can. My taste in books vary but I always gravitate back to mysteries, suspense, crime, spy novels, and dystopian. Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? Great question! That depends on my mood and how well I’m able to settle my mind and concentrate on that particular day. Some days I find it difficult to concentrate so I like it quiet. Other days, I’ll put on my headphones and play music. Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time? I was currently working on books 4, 5, and 6, in The Fixer series at the same time. I felt it made sense because one plot line is running through all three books and I didn’t want to complete books four and five and then get to six and realize I left something out! Since then, the stories for the later books are flowing so fast and easy that I’m setting up files for books later in the series and typing everything in while it’s fresh. Pen or type writer or computer? It used to be pencil and yellow legal pad only. That’s changed recently and now I’m typing directly on the computer. I’m not sure the change will work out for the best but since that’s how it’s been working, I’m going to go with it. A day in the life of the author? I work a full-time day job, so after work I will be on the computer for a bit getting some writing done and I write on weekends as well. Usually, I’m so busy during the day that I don’t think about the books at all. If something comes to me, it’s usually while I’m driving to work or driving home from work. Do you have any advice to offer for new authors? I try not to give any advice because what works for one person may not work for someone else. I do suggest that it’s helpful to read as much as possible and read different genres. Describe your writing style. I would say my style is brisk. The books start off a little slow at the beginning but then I pick up the pace until I really try to put my foot on the gas to keep it as exciting as I can as it races to the end.
Thank you again for having me. I appreciate it!
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