The Order of Curse-Bound Knights Blog Tour

Book Blurb for The Order of Curse-Bound Knights 
(book 4 in The Fateful Series)

A dying knight, the infamous Sir Maximilian...

He is saved by a curse. That curse makes him even more dangerous...and he likes it. To him, a new life as a vampire is an appealing thing.

The man who turned him into this great, fearsome warrior tasks him to watch over and protect his mortal daughter, Nadia. But the beautiful Nadia puts Max’s skills as a knight to the test, captures his heart, and bewitches him with eyes of emerald green. A power more potent than any magical curse.

Inspired by ballads of Robin Hood, Nadia is a bit too rebellious for her own good. And with a kind heart, she is much too trusting and forgiving for Max’s peace of mind, because those attributes get her into a great deal of peril. Deadly creatures surround her—some of them are there to protect her and some want to lure her into a trap—and she has no idea...

But can a knight in shining armor heal a lady’s heart when her love for the legend of Robin Hood is used against her?

Author Cheri Schmidt
BioCheri is the bestselling author of Fateful. Think "The Vampire Diaries meets Jane Austen." Fateful is followed by Fractured, Forever, and The Order of Curse-Bound Knights. And she has one other book in another series out entitled, Fair Maiden.

Her Fateful Series has been a bestseller ever since she published it, and well over a 150 thousand copies have been downloaded worldwide.

Cheri will say that her head is a very crowded place, and she wishes she could write faster. She will also tell you that if you do not like glittering fairies, hot vampires with British accents, knights in shining armor, the dashing Mr. Darcy, girly-girls who wear skirts, modern-day vigilantes, or large amounts of snogging, then perhaps her stories are not for you.

Currently she is working on The Trapping Club, a sequel to Fair Maiden, a contemporary/spy romance series, and a Steampunk series.

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No More Black Magic Blog Tour

Blurb

Explosions, body parts, and black magic are all part of Abby Collins’ typical day. As the top Paranormal Investigation Bureau agent, she only gets the best cases, but when the Cult of Ra comes to play she might in be over her head. Finding a murderer while up against a hex, an overprotective coven, and a stubborn werewolf reminds her that nothing in the paranormal world is easy. As the death toll rises and a decades old crime, linked to Abby, is uncovered, disturbing information is brought to light. Abby must unlock an ancient language steeped in black magic to uncover the truth before the murderer comes for her.

Excerpt (from the ARC):

I pulled up to the crime scene, a farm property in the middle of nowhere, and parked my SUV next to a State Trooper’s cruiser.

The one thing I loved about crime scenes is the amount of people who gather around them. We’ll feign terror and true desire to know what happened, but in reality we are curious as to what kind of creature or person would commit such a crime.  Human curiosity was disgusting. This scene lacked that. How odd.

A tall man started towards the yellow crime scene. His hair was cropped close to his head giving no hint to the color. His black jacket had his detective shield attached to it.

“Bout’ time you got here Abigail.” He’s blue eyes met my gaze. “I was starting to think you were going to chicken out.”

“Yeah, not an option.” I shrugged and ducked under the crime scene tape. “Where are the gawkers?”

“No idea. Just the lady whose dog found the body. Corpse’s been out here for a couple days at least.”

Great. That meant it was going to smell. “And the markings you want me to take a look at?”

“Are all over the barn walls. That’s all I’m going to tell you.” He started walking towards a barn in the distance. My long legs were great for treading through the tall unkempt weeds that had taken over the area. The uneven ground made it a struggle to keep balanced, but there was no way I’d let myself fall. I already caught enough flack out on the field, being a witch and a woman.

I grumbled as we got to the barn and scrunched up my nose. “Oh God.” The smell churned my stomach and it was times like this I wish that I had a spell or something to mask it.

An officer at the door handed me a facemask and then motioned for me to go in. I walked in and looked around. A tarp covered a lump that I imagined was the body, dried blood coated the packed dirt floor and it looked like whatever it was had exploded. Well, that explained the arm.

I tried to focus as my gaze crawled up the wall. Symbols were scattered over the wall drawn in something black and I could see the faint glowing of whatever magic it held.

I frowned and pulled out my phone taking pictures of them. “They’re still active.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m trained in magic. I can see the power behind the marks.” I took a few more pictures.

“You can’t take pictures, Abby.”

“I don’t know them on sight, I’m going to have to do some research.” Hopefully the camera could capture the symbols without going haywire. A chill went down my spine and I cursed at the feeling of malevolent magic being activated.

“Get out, get out!” I shoved at Detective Mason and ran out after him. I felt the magic trail after me and I cursed. Grabbing Mason and the uniform at the door, I held on to their wrists and muttered a protection spell under my breath. In my mind I envisioned a purple circle and threw my energy into that vision to make it manifest.

The barn exploded the moment my circle went up. Shrapnel flew around us and the blast was hot enough to feel through the purple haze of my magic. Had I not managed to get my circle up, we’d be crispy humans. Holy shit. When the smoke cleared all that was left was a smoking pile of wood and the smell of burnt flesh in the air. I let the circle down when I felt the magic in the air fade.

“What the hell was that?” Mason snapped spinning me around to face him.

“Magic. Strong, terrifying magic.” I took a deep shuttering breath and pulled my own magic back into me.

Character Interview (thank you to my Beta team who helped with questions):

Q. Do you have a nickname?

A. Depends on who I’m talking to. Sometimes it’s Abby other times it’s Agent A.

Q. Do you have any siblings?

A. Nope, only child here. I don’t know what Levi would have done if he had to adopt two children. I’m pretty sure one was enough for him.

Q. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

A. I brought a date home with all intentions of sex, I was a grown adult, and I was living in the guest house. Apparently, Levi did not appreciate it and decided then was going to be the best time to tell me about my new assignment. Needless to say my long term relationship ended then. That was also about the time I decided I needed to move.

Q. Did you date in high school?

A. A little bit, but a lot of people were scared of me. They knew I was a witch and that my guardian was one of the most powerful vampires in the area. That tends to make dating rough.

Q. Why won’t you date Simon?

A. People I love and get attached to die way too often for me to consider dating him. Even if that’s what Levi wants I can’t date Simon, not right now.

Q. What’s the one place you always feel at home?

A. My chamber, Levi had it constructed especially for me. I can let my magic go and practice there. Most of the time people leave me alone while I’m in there and the whole room just brings peace to me.

Q. What are you most afraid of?

A. Becoming a psychopath. You laugh, but there are rumors that people in my family have gone insane with the amount of power they hold. I’ve also seen it happen, I’ve track down serial killers who have lost control of their magic and their mind. I’m not okay with becoming that and it scares the living shit out of me.

Q. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?

A. I’ve killed someone…okay a few people, always in self-defense and always as a last resort, but the guilt still eats at me.

Q. Would you ever consider getting a familiar?

A. Normally a familiar choses you, they offer you companionship and you accept. The closest I’ve gotten is considering getting a cat, but mostly so I have something to come home to. If the right creature comes a long and choses me, then I’d be okay with adopting a familiar.

Q. How do you think your life would be different if your parents hadn’t died?

A. I think I would have grown up with more control over my magic than I have now. So many things in the past wouldn’t have been hidden from me. I might have been a linguist like my father or maybe a healer like my mother, not a Paranormal Investigation agent. It’s hard to say what else would have changed and who would or would not be in my life at this point.

Q. Did you ever have a crush on Levi growing up?

A. No, not really. Since he took me in when I was for I’ve only seen him as a parent figure and he’s always made sure he stayed as such. Nothing weird going on here, despite what the supernatural tabloids say!

Character Bio:

Twenty-four year old Abigail Collins is the best of her age and the top Paranormal Investigation agent. Raised by the vampire of the local territory, she didn’t grow up with a normal childhood. Levi did the best he could when it came to her magical education. She prefers to work alone and doesn’t always do things by the book. She’ll charm you with her humor and burn you with her sarcasm. If you have a paranormal baddy to catch, Abby’s your girl. She always gets her man. When she’s not chasing bad guys, solving murders or learning her abilities, she can be found enjoying a glass of wine and junk TV. Don’t get on her bad side, she’s got abilities that go far beyond other witches her age and she knows how to hide a body.

About the Author

A.L. Kessler is a paranormal romance, urban fantasy and steampunk author residing in Colorado Springs. Since she was a teenager she's loved weaving stories and spinning tales. When she's not at the beck-and-call of the Lord and Lady of the House, two black cats by the names of Jynx and Sophie, training a playful puppy named Zelda, playing with her daughter, or killing creepers and mining all the things with her husband, she's either reading, participating in NaNoWriMo, or writing in her Blog Writing Rambles.

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A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp: Book 1

A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp: Book 1 of the Secrets of Farbookonia Series Once you find out your mother is an alien, what ISN’T possible?! That’s what 12-year-old Anne and 10-year-old Atticus Reade want to know. Minutes after learning that their mother is from the planet Farbookonia and that their parents’ secret project has put them all in danger, the children are wrenched from their sheltered existence in the Midwest and whisked off to a safe sleep-away camp in New Jersey — each with a tiny, protective “Globot” on one shoulder. Painfully aware they’re not like the others at camp, Anne and Atticus do their best to fit in while concealing their alien background and the “special talents” that go with it. But everything is so new to them, they have a hard time sorting reality from fiction. Quirky campers, campfire ghost stories, a bizarre camp director, Anne’s mysterious dreams, and Atticus’s unusual animal encounters are all equally disturbing. Just as they start getting the hang of life among young Earth humans, a broadcast on the Rec Hall TV shakes things up, and things that are truly strange emerge from normal newness. It turns out Anne and Atticus — and their new friends — may not be safe at camp after all. A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp soon thrusts them into a reality they wish was fiction.

Character Interview With Maylin Sòng (Anne’s Bunkmate in A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp)

Q. Welcome, Maylin! Thanks for agreeing to talk to us. Should we get started? What is your favorite thing about yourself?
A. Oh. Well, that’s kind of an embarrassing question. So-o-o ... hmm. Okay, I guess I’m — wait, really? I mean, I hate to use up my pass on the first question but ... Yeah. Pass.

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A. Much easier! I would be more — patient? When I have something on my mind, I can’t think about anything else. Even if there’s nothing I can do about it. Like right now, for instance. Anne’s father gave me Anne’s email address, but I have to wait until they get moved into their new house and someone sets up her computer and hopefully a phone. Right now we can’t video or talk or even write because Dark Ages! How did people even live before technology?! It’s only been one day — and I probably only have to wait a day or two more — but I can’t take my mind off it. It’s a problem. I need to talk to her. When she finally logs on, she’s going to see about 50 emails from SO-not-patient me!

Q. You talk about your mom in A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp, and we meet her at the end of camp. Who else is in your family?
A. *shrugs* My dad’s not really in the picture, you know? It’s okay that you asked, but I don’t really want to talk about him. And I totally hate it when someone gets all “oh I’m so sad for you” over that, so please, don’t be sad for me! I’m not sad so I don’t really know who you’d be sad for. I live with my mom and Aunt Mingmei (my mom’s younger sister) and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Q. No judgment! Sounds cozy! So what’s your favorite thing to do together as a family?
A. Yay! Another easy one: Watching movies together at home. All three of us love it. If competitive analyzing and talking was a thing, my mom and Aunt Mingmei would be the world champions. When I was little, they sat on either side of me and talked to me through every movie we watched to make sure I got stuff! I loved it then, but when I got older it got annoying because I wanted to get stuff on my own. So get this: Now they take notes so they don’t forget what they want to talk about! After the movie’s over, I just sit back at let them go at it. I can barely listen as fast as they can talk! The thing is, they’re super interesting. And I totally love it when I say something they didn’t think of. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, they go quiet for about 10 whole seconds, then take off again, only on the reboot they include what I said! Okay, so it’s nerd joy ...

Q. In A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp, Anne and Atticus go to camp for the first time. But you’ve spent other summers at the same camp. How was this summer different?
A. Wow, how wasn’t it different? Did you ever do that thing with two magnets where they snap together? That’s how Anne and I became friends. It was instant. I never had a friend like that before. But really, everyone was different — and not just because we were a year older. I think because Anne and Atticus were new and questioned everything, we all started asking ourselves the same things. Like yeah, why is so-and-so always so mean? And why do I hang out with this person and not that one? You know? It’s like we all suddenly realized we had choices — then these invisible gears rotated, shuffling people I already knew into this perfect group of friends! Who knew that was even possible?! Amazing. And that doesn’t even touch on the bad stuff (which Marie said I shouldn’t talk about by the way). So the short answer? Before and after. My life will be forever divided into what it was like before this summer and whatever comes after it.

Q. It’s pretty clear from A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp that you really like science fiction. A. You can say it. It’s okay: I’m a little obsessed. No, wait — you can’t be “a little” obsessed – obsessed means “a lot,” right? So okay, I’m just obsessed. I don’t skip meals or not do my homework because of it or anything, but I’m definitely into it. Wait – what was the question?

Q. I haven’t asked it yet! If you could be in any science fiction movie ever made, what would it be.
A. Wow. Okay. Right back to before and after. Up until this summer, I would have said Star Wars. I wouldn’t want to be a character though. I’d want to be a techie behind the scenes — the one in charge of the robots. I kind of have — had — a thing for C3PO and R2D2. Dream job: Keeping the robots in line. But that’s all changed. You do get that my very own life became science fiction this summer, right? For as long as I can see into the future, I think reality’s going to be enough for me — it might even be more than I can handle.

Q. What would be the perfect gift for you?
A. *big smile*


Q. I sense that you are thinking about your perfect gift ...
A. *bigger smile*



Q. Okay, you’re right. This is a no-brainer. A robot?
A. * huge smile while nodding vigorously*


Q. All right, Maylin. Thank you so much for talking to us today. In A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp, you promised Anne and Atticus you’d send them a sci-fi watch-list after camp, and I understand you’re going to share it with us, too. Is there anything you want to say about it?
A. Oh, yes! Thanks. Well, first of all, this list could easily have been 100 titles long. It was SO hard to keep it to 20! To make it work, I tried to define science fiction as our relationship to science, space, or the future. This eliminated paranormal and horror, which is an arguable distinction, but definitely helped me stick to the limit. Also, I tried to choose an early representative of what you might call each subgenre, then didn’t repeat other examples in that category. For example, I included Gozilla, but left out Mothra and King Kong. The way I see it, if you love Gozilla, you’ll be motivated to seek the others out. As another example, I included The Thing From Another World, but left out The Blob. (Heehee, notice I just secretly added some titles to the list?) There are definitely some places where this gets blurry. That probably just reflects my personal taste. The only other thing I would say is that, in terms of how sci-fi has evolved so far, you can’t leave out sci-fi books! But that’s a topic for another day. ☺

Marie C. Collins lives in Lambertville, New Jersey (USA), with her two dogs, George Eliot and Henry James, who — in spite of their snoring and a tendency to sniff horrifying things — are very good company (and in return, willingly endure Marie’s insistence that they love being kissed on their snouts). Marie holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from Douglas College at Rutgers University and a master’s degree in English Literature from Temple University. She has held sundry jobs throughout her life, like caregiver, cook, waitress, newspaper reporter, and even a brief, misguided stint as a ballroom dance teacher. However, for most of her adult life she has written for hire, usually on topics related to education, as writing is the thing she likes to do best. Marie has a daughter she adores, Laurel Pellegrino, who is now a doctor in Seattle. Throughout Marie’s life, she has at times felt like an alien — mostly because she was extremely shy and didn’t react to things the way other people did. When she decided it was time to try to write a novel, she found herself wondering what it would be like to actually be an alien — then it struck her that that might be a good place to start. But since she’s also intrigued by the way cultures blend to make each of us feel a bit “different,” she decided her aliens should be half Earth human as well. Marie is currently writing the second book in her Secrets of Farbookonia series: The Quest for Normal. Her goal is to publish it at the end of 2015.



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Blog Tour - My First Travel Books

 About the Books

Are you ready to take to the skies? Then welcome to Angelic Airlines! Come join the adventures of Captain Frankie and the Angelic Airlines flying as they safely travel across the world to the “Wonders of the World”. Captain Frankie is waiting for you to book your ticket, safely stow your bags, and open your eyes and enjoy the most beautiful places in the World for all of us to visit and learn in My First Travel Books series. Anna Othitis’s  Bestsellers Children’s “Travel Book Series” with “Captain Frankie” and the crew keep the children excited to see and learn more of our wonderful world beyond us.

Interview with Captain Frankie

Captain Frankie what made and inspired you go into flying and becoming a pilot, flying over these wonders?

I loved flying model airplanes from a young child and fascinated with the world around us. I wanted to show the children of the world what a wonderful world we have around us and the natural creations by man and all the natural creations that were made in a natural way. Our earth is a wonder! Look at all the lovely natural sites like, Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, The Northern Lights, Grand Canyon,  The Great Barrier Reef, The Volcanoes, Mount Everest, The Serengeti – (where all the African wild animals roam freely) and more.
Is that not a wonderful world that we live in!
Now children you can see them and learn about these creations from the comfort of your own homes. As I fly you over these Wonders you can view them from high above and learn so much. One day you might have the opportunity to visit these wonderous inspirational sites yourselves and see them in real life.
One day too you can have your dream come true and become a pilot just like I was inspired to fly the skies, to discover the horizons and visit these amazing sites.

Interview with the Author Anna Othitis

What inspired you start writing these children’s book series “My First Travel Books” ?
I started writing these children’s books when I relocated from Zimbabwe, Africa to the USA. I found that children and adults did not know much of the world beyond them. They questioned and wanted to know more about Africa where I lived with my family all my life and in general the world beyond their borders. Not many people and children get the opportunity to visit and travel abroad. My travels have taken me to see many beautiful places and countries in our wonderful world.
Historical Wonders created by man is a wonder of its own!
Natural creations created over millions of years are amazing to see and discover!
I wanted to educate the children and give them the opportunity to visit our world by writing and illustrating inspirational places and sites. Teaching them to take care of our earth and to preserve our environment is very important, especially our wild life that is being poached today and might become extinct.
Our son, Frankie who is “Captain Frankie” in our “My First Travel Book” series took up his loved career as a pilot, his DREAM come true. He was given this wonderful opportunity to teach and educate the children of the world to become pilots, discover and fly the deep blue skies and fling into the beautiful colorful horizons high up above into the skies, just like he loves doing now.
One day they too can also be inspired to discover and take up their careers making their dreams come true.

Guest Post

I loved writing my children’s books which give in site and information of value. The wonders of the earth and world amazed me and coming from Zimbabwe, Africa, I wanted to teach and educate the less fortunate and fortunate what the schools do not teach – the History and Geography about the world and the earth. They are not fortunate enough to travel to experience and to see these wonders. In this way they are able to learn, read and see the actual famous sites from their homes. In the rural areas of Africa the children do not get the opportunities that first world countries do. They yearn and hunger for books to read under the trees. These children travel on foot walking long distances to get to their schools, they sometimes have no school buildings to go into, they learn in their homes and under the trees in the vast plains. I would like my charitable instincts to reach the children worldwide. Parents teach your little children well, read to them and teach them on your laps, they love to learn and are always curious and fascinated. “Reading is Knowledge”

Author Bio

Anna Othitis lived and was raised in the beautiful land and country of Zimbabwe, Africa (home will always be home. She left all of her life long memories, endless charity work and good people behind vowing that she will continue supporting the needy children in her land Zimbabwe, Africa and beyond. After traveling long and short distances from the East coast to the West coast twice she and her family eventually found their sense of belonging and final settling destination in New Jersey, USA.

Her husband George, sons Johnny, Elia and Frankie encouraged her to write her first children's book titled "My First Travel Book", inspired by Frankie (Captain Frankie), who is graduating from his Masters degree in Aeronautical Science and beginning his career as a professional pilot. Anna's favorite saying is "Be Bold Be Brave".

She was inspired to write her children's books with a vision to link up the children Africa and of the world on Angelic Airlines to so many beautiful places of interest and popularity on our wonderful planet Earth with all its beautiful some natural and some man made creations and resources. One of the beautiful natural wonders featured in her books is in her birth land of Zimbabwe "The Mighty Victoria Falls" All of her books educate our children and widen their scope of interest in the amazing surroundings, creations and nature to appreciate and look after our environment for many generations still to come.

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