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Dear Followers:  If you are willing, I could use a little help you could provide with the touch of a finger. A friend and fellow blogger, Don Messenzio, had written a new thriller Blood Match. This novel  is currently a candidate in the Kindle Scout Program. I’m hoping you will give it your vote. First, a little about the book to tempt you!      Intelligence analyst Jake Balrich boards his Monday morning flight, as he has so many times, for routine field work. When the plan lands, a passenger fails to wake up. Jake soon realizes that the death was not accidental and that the murderous plot was meant for him.       The situation soon spins out of control with Balrich running for his life trying to prove his own innocence as he struggles with an unknown enemy that seems to guess his every move. Blood Match is a terrorism thriller examines how far someone will go to reach the height of power and ambition with little regard for human life.     Follow Balrich as he enlists the help of Commander Brad Rafferty, to take down an enemy more powerful and dangerous than the United States has ever faced. Some of you may recognize this story. It originally appeared as a weekly serial on Don’s blog under the name Road Kill. The story has been reworked and many extras have been added to turn it into this novel. About the Author Don was born in Syracuse, New York to first generation Italian American parents. He’s an avid reader, with Harlan Coben, David Morrell, Stephen King, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham, and Hugh Howey among his favorite authors. He started writing as a way to combat the long hours of travel and numerous hotel stays that are part of the ‘glamorous’ world of corporate life and as a therapeutic outlet to combat his homesickness. His first published book, Frankly Speaking, rose to the top of the Amazon charts. It was the first in a series of books focused on the character, Frank Rozzani, a Florida private detective. The series is a throwback to the days of pulp detective novels with a tip of the hat to Jim Rockford from the 70’s television show, The Rockford Files. He has also written a non-fiction book, The Ultimate Guide For Independently Published Authors: Tips for Improving Quality and Selling Your Work, now available on Amazon.com as an eBook or in paperback Don moved to Jacksonville, Florida 22 years ago where he currently lives with his wife, daughter, and three dogs. What is the Kindle Scout Program? KSP is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, an advance, royalties and featured Amazon marketing. If Don’s book is selected for publication by Kindle Scout, it can help take his writing to the next level in terms of exposure and recognition. How can you help? First and foremost, you can vote to nominate the book. The campaign goes up on September 20th at midnight and will continue through October 20th. You can vote for it and preview the opening of the book by clicking HERE. How can you help even more? Spread the word. Don has made it easy for you using something called Thunderclap. Thunderclap is a social media tool that allows you to effortlessly spread the word using your social media accounts with a pre-written message. All of your followers will receive the message. You can help by signing up for the Thunderclap campaign HERE. And You Get Goodies… Apart from Don’s eternal gratitude, if his book is selected, you will receive a free pre-launch copy from Amazon and will have the opportunity to officially review it before its launch. That is a free book for you, but it also helps, yet again, by allowing the book to launch with established reviews. So this is a big win-win for my followers. Please help Don (and me) out here by voting. And then enjoy his book! 0 0

I chose to review this book because I am largely ignorant of the history of the Dark Ages, except for some marginal knowledge of Charlemagne, King Charles the Great. However, I am acquainted with The Song of Roland (La Chanson de Roland), an epic poem based on the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, during Charlemagne’s reign. It is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. This book is an homage to that epic. The Dark Ages was a time of great turmoil and the collision of empires. As the young Frank kingdom, led by King Charles, prepares to defend itself against the Saxons in the east, Roland, heir to the Breton March, has been relegated to guard duty. Everything changes when a foreign emissary entrusts him to bring Charles vital word of a new threat to the kingdom from a Muslim invasion from the south. Roland joins the king’s retinue and discovers there are traitors plotting regicide within the peerage and knights. Roland is well-acquainted with one of them – his step-father, whom he suspects of killing his father on the battlefield to assume his lands and take Roland’s mother as his wife. The story is written from an omniscient point of view, which sometimes breaks the train of the main story, but is necessary to understand the many obstacles faced by Charles as he works to hold his kingdom together. Nevertheless, the focus is on Roland’s development into a great warrior and the right hand of Charles, along his deepening love for the sister of his good friend and the plots of his step-father and others who desire to seize the throne. It revisits an age of court intrigue, chivalry and valor, the clash of arms, and a final, fateful decision made before the Battle of Roncevaux. I enjoyed this book. It is filled with superb medieval historic detail as it pulls together various threads in the life of King Charles and Roland. I particularly liked the visitations of Roland’s father William in ghostly form, to advise Roland and counsel him. While Charles remains a less formed character, Roland’s progression from an impetuous youth seeking revenge to a canny and powerful warrior is well limned. Most of the other main characters – the stepfather Ganelon and his equally treacherous son Gothard; Saleem, the son of Marsilion, the Muslim king; Oliver, Roland’s good friend; Aude, Oliver’s sister and Roland’s love – are also three-dimensional and unforgettable. There are many minor characters, related to various aspects of the story, who require vigilance on the part of the reader to keep in mind, but they added to the richness of world the authors have created. The Silver Horn is reminiscent of the stories of King Arthur, with courtly love, knightly honor and dark treachery; it also reminds me of a favorite book of my youth, Ivanhoe. The unrelenting battle scenes, although a necessary part of the story, can be overwhelming: their descriptions are not for the faint of heart and bear witness to the brutality of waging war in medieval times. I could still hear the clash of swords and the screams of dying men after I put the book down. With its sacrifice and loss, the ending was deeply affecting, and the discovery of the silver horn in the future was a reassuring testament to the endurance of Roland’s legend. This is a truly epic tale which will resonate with many readers and which does honor to La Chanson de Roland. About the authors Michael Eging wanted to write since he was very young. His earliest memories are of carrying a battered old notebook around full of illustrations and stories. While in college, he was inspired by professors and visiting writers. Literary classics such as Song of Roland and Inferno were often in his backpack, along with Russian textbooks. Recently, Eging has pursued an interest in writing screenplays for feature films with his first option being The Song of Roland. He continues to focus on a variety of script/movie projects, most recently a horror thriller, Feast of Saint Nicholas, and a political thriller, The Prince. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Lori and his children. You can find Michael Eging On twitter: @MichaelEging On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.eging And on Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/michael-eging.html Steve Arnold grew up on a farm in Northeast Ohio where he spent his free time reading Burroughs, Lovecraft, Zelazny and Tolkien, and his earliest writing efforts were creating adventures for his Dungeons & Dragons group. After several years of supporting his family through blue-collar jobs he joined the military and returned to school in his thirties, obtaining a BS in mathematics and then an MD. A veteran of the Army and the Navy, he is currently a Family Medicine physician near his hometown where he lives with his family, their dog, cat and two geckos, and relaxes by creating pencil illustrations, working on other literary projects with Mike Eging, and dreaming of building an airplane. Eging and Arnold have previously co-authored Anwyn’s Blood, a dark fantasy tale with elements of the undead. The Silver Horn: A Song of Roland can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Horn-Echoes-Song-Roland/dp/1532020201/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 0 0

Hey everyone, check out some of these new followers’ blogs! Kristi at https://bostonbookreader.wordpress.com As her blog name indicates, she lives in Boston, my home town, and LOVES to read. https://universaltrimming.wordpress.com  For all you seamstresses out there, this is a manufacturer that specializes in braids, cords, fringes, tassels, and passementeries. https://fancypaperblog.wordpress.com  is written by an Irish mom with two little girls under two. It’s about parenting and the joys and not-so-joys of having children. https://syedamahamriazblog.wordpress.com/ is written by Maham, who is a chartered accountant working for one of the big four audit firms. She is passionate about reading, writing, fashion, beauty, art, travel and food. https://marcbatesphotographyblog.com Marc Bates a freelance photographer from Cramlington in Northumberland, England. Stop by his blog to see some spectacular photos! Kanika at http://kanikachughs.com KC writes wonderfully lyric poetry Like to play bingo? This site https://perfectbingositesuk.wordpress.com will tell you all about the various kinds of bingo and where you can play and the rules. https://edgepropsg.wordpress.com  Is a site for sales of properties. You need a LOT of money to buy any of them! https://donmassenzio.wordpress.com  Don is a friend and a fellow mystery writer. I’ll have a post about his new book very soon! He’s also written  The Ultimate Guide For Independently Published Authors: Tips for improving quality and selling your work, now available on Amazon.com as an eBook or in paperback. Willie Gordon Suting at https://williegordonsutingblog.wordpress.com is a poet, writer, freelancer, bibliophile, vintage watches collector, blues and vocal jazz fan and country-jazz crooner who lives in Shillong, Meghalaya, Northeast India https://reasonstoresist.com is a fairly virulent anti-Trump blog. There may be some who would like this. https://emotionspassion.wordpress.com is an empowering, supportive blog about emotions. Let’s Roam the World at https://elaineroams.com is a blog written so the author, who admits to a bad memory, can remember all the places she’s been and things she’s done. A wonderful, eclectic travel blog. The Mad Movie Ranter at https://youtheman77.wordpress.com has a BA (with Honours) degree and took a two year part time Master’s Degree in Television Scriptwriting. He reviews LOTS of movies. You can check out almost anything new on his site. Sanjeef Jain at Digital Passion: https://www.shoutmepassion.com  He posts about how to make an income from your site or blog, how to redirect traffic to your site. Good information! Akataka076 at https://laughingmega.wordpress.com His site has comedy videos set in Africa and they did make me laugh! Sujata at https://abhikavya.wordpress.com  She writes poetry, but I need a translation. From the comments, it sounds like she has a real way with words! 0 0

The last Friday of the month is FlashbackFriday, started by Michael D’Agostino – I was reminded of it by a post from Jemima Pett at http://jemimapett.com/blog/2017. For my flashback, I’m re-posting something I wrote in October of 2012. I’m still swimming outside (the weather has been HOT) because the pool is holding at 80 degrees. I’ll keep it up until it his 70. And I’m still scooping leaves and picking out Cardinal feathers! **** Yes, you read that right. I’ve been walking in my pool. After my shoulder joint was rudely removed by a damned fine surgeon and replaced with a titanium replica that promises to outlast the rest of my body, I was told no swimming until the incision’s completely healed.  Bummer.  In addition, the machinations of the surgeon left me pretty anemic.  The thought of becoming a couch potato in a pool of blubber was not appealing, so I’ve taken to walking in the pool. Traversing the shallow end 50 or 60 times is absolutely mind-numbing, but it has the advantage of being close to home should I start to fade. This type of exercise has left me to my imagination and observation.  One of the things I’ve seen in the pool every day is a bird feather.  The adult wing feathers have a gray base and the loveliest pink-red tips, clearly from one of the cardinals living in the bushes near the house.  We feed them in the winter time, and to get to the food, the male meanly shoves aside any female on the tray. By spring, however, he has more urgent things on his mind and will delicately choose a seed to feed his mate.  Males of every species are clearly driven by their hormones! Each year a pair nest in the tree outside our family room window and raise a raucous brood which doesn’t want to leave.  But being territorial, by the time fall rolls around Mom and Dad have asserted themselves and we are back to one pair.  They apparently like to bathe in our pool, despite the fact that we have provided them with a fantastic bird bath. Occasionally, one or the other sheds a downy breast feather, totally pink, that floats gracefully on the water’s surface.  I do love seeing that fluff. I also use these walks to remove leaves from the pool, which are slowly taking over its surface.  I enjoy watching a sere and folded leaf land on the water and sail across the pool, pushed by the wind like a ship of state.  Makes me think of the Niña, Pinta, Santa Maria, Mayflower, Golden Hind, Trinidad and Santiago, ships that flew before the wind carrying explorers across the oceans and around the world.  But mostly I just scoop them up with a net, while walking mindlessly back and forth. 0 0

A Kiss Before Killing is the latest in a long line of crime thrillers involving forensics and pathology by author Keith McCarthy, who is himself a practicing pathologist. The story: Edward Marsham is admitted to the Royal Infirmary, having hung himself in his prison cell. There he dies. It had been predicted, but to Dr. Claire Woodforde, it is the latest in several unexpected deaths at the hospital, all on one ward, and she suspects there is a killer on the staff. Detective Chief Inspector Beverley Wharton and her new sergeant Tom Bayes, are assigned to investigate Marsham’s death, and soon they begin to wonder if Marsham’s death was natural or whether someone helped him along. They are being driven by Wharton’s superior and seem to be making progress when a body without limbs or a head is found in an empty house. The eminent pathologist Dr. John Eisenmenger, now retired, is asked to examine the torso in the hopes of establishing its identity and cause of death. He is soon tasked with more autopsies, as more torsos are discovered. Wharton and Bayes have a growing suspicion that there is a link between these and Marsham’s case. *** As written in the book description: This is not for the faint-hearted reader of crime thrillers — it shines a light into the darkest recesses of the human soul. I will state at the outset there are parts of this mystery which are grisly. The author is a physician/pathologist and clearly knows about dissection and forensics, which lends great reality to his story. I am a trained anatomist and have done many cadaver dissections, so I could deal with the descriptions, but there may be some potential readers who couldn’t. Fair warning. As for the story itself, it is multi-layered and the reader needs to pay close attention to detail. The main characters – Beverly Wharton, John Eisenmenger (with whom she had had a relationship), and Tom Bayes, the rookie, are well-drawn and compelling. Wharton’s relationship with Eisenmenger is interesting and nuanced and I enjoyed watching the gradual maturation of Bayes as Wharton’s partner. Superintendent Lambert was clearly intended to be an irritant as he oversees Wharton’s work, and he certainly is, but I found his interactions with somewhat over the top and not particularly professional. Dr. Claire Woodforde, by contrast, was pale and indeterminate. I never really got a feeling for her as a person, and the part of the mystery concerning the unexpected deaths in the hospital proceeded at a lethargic pace. The portrayal of the hospital administration was all too real, but even though this aspect of the book ultimately tied into the search for the murderer of the owners of the headless and limbless bodies, it never really captured my interest. While there is great tension towards the last third of the book, there was an overall lack of emotion on the part of the characters with regard to the deaths. The dialogue was realistic and the author did a good job carrying the story forward, although at drastically different paces. Overall, this book was a competent and occasionally compelling read, with enough twists and turns to hold your interest. About the author Keith McCarthy is a practicing pathologist for over thirty years, now working part-time. He enjoys writing novels in the crime thriller genre and is well known for his Eisenmenger-Flemming Forensic Mysteries. He also writes under the name Lance Elliot. He is currently learning the art of writing screenplays for film and TV. The golf course occasionally beckons him away from his writing. You can find him On Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/865816.Keith_McCarthy On twitter @keithpmccarthy On his home page   http://keithmccarthy.co.uk/ And on Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_McCarthy You can find his books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Keith-McCarthy/e/B001JS0NZO 0 0

I don’t usually post about the little day to day things, but I wanted to let you know that I am coming to grips, albeit very slowly, with losing Elijah Moon. He was the last of our pets, a total character, and our house seems very empty now without him. It still hurts my heart to see the couch where he slept every morning, and I had to put his beds away because seeing them also hurt. So there are times of tears. He lived large everywhere, so it’s hard not to see him slipping around a corner, just out of sight. Hubs has promised me we will adopt another cat, as soon as we have recovered from Elijah’s loss. I can’t imagine life without a cat to love. Elijah will always be here, with me, in my memory and heart. To all of you out there who have lost beloved pets this year, my sympathy and prayers are going out to you. And thank you to everyone who sent me messages of support. They really helped. 0 0

My beautiful cat Elijah Moon died last night. When I can manage it, I will write a short tribute. Right now I need time to grieve. Will be back on line in a day or so… 0 0

Next post up is our trip to wine country in Burgundy, France…. In the meantime, have fun perusing these blogs. There are some great ones in here! And many thanks to all of these new followers. https://stellaranimals.wordpress.com  A fun blog with dog and cat pictures and videos that will brighten your day! Holly B at https://dressedtoread.com She is a book reviewer who spends hours reading novels and finding new books that intrigue her! Her favorite genre is mystery/thriller/psychological thrillers. https://tripambitions.wordpress.com The author’s aim is to gain knowledge around the World and spread it, so there are travel, entertainment, sports and world heritage posts. Great photos. The latest post is one on the top places to travel in 2017. Matthew Seufer at https://windowsfromheaven.org  He posts on the Bible, breaking news, God, fine art, miracles, nature, peace etc. Gary Thaxton at https://garythaxton-visualartist.com His photographs are stunning. Check out his blog. https://chineseforbeginnersblog.wordpress.com This blog even gives links to other blogs and sites to help people who are just starting to learn Chinese! https://thrillersuspensefestival.com The author of this blog encourages writers to submit their work for FULL FEEDBACK, plus get it performed/showcased at the monthly festival – films, screen-lays and short stories. Aparna at https://happilymuffined.wordpress.com  who hails from Madras, India, but who now lives in Manhatten. She writes about travel adventures, recipes and memories. Zeynepsi at https://zeynepsi.wordpress.com – a new blog, just started. I need a translation! Angelic Realm at https://nicolaangelic.wordpress.com This is a blog filled with positive, uplifting messages. https://shortstory4all.wordpress.com/ by Mohammed Jamsheed / Pushpendra Gupta, who are currently working as Software Professionals in a reputed IT firm. They blog tech new, real life stories, and fiction. Stuff that millennials will dig. Taifur Rahman Fuad (sorry, have no online address) Cathy Lynn Brooks at https://cathylynnbrooks.com/ Cathy daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disease, then died in a car accident at age 29. Cathy writes her story but also inspirational and motivational pieces. https://globalcompliancepaneltraining.wordpress.com  GlobalCompliancePanel is an online training gateway delivering high quality regulatory & compliance trainings in a simple, cost effective and in a user friendly format. Sevan Malikyan at https://paintersjournal.wordpress.com https://paintersjournal.wordpress.comhttps://paintersjournal.wordpress.com Sevan Malikyan is a British expressive painter of Armenian Ancestry. He paints paints ‘ intense personal images figurative in style which draw on his personal and family history . His sketches and paintings are colorful and evocative. Rough Bandit at https://funpunblog.wordpress.com  This blog makes me laugh. I love a blogger who isn’t serious! Sumand Das Freelancer at https://sumandasfreelancer.wordpress.com/ Suman is a professional freelancer in Upwork, the technique to boost your website traffic, and ranking in the Search Engine. He  can work both locally and world-wide. Mohammed Jamsheed and Pushpendra Gupta at https://shortstory4all.wordpress.com They work as as Software Professionals in a reputed IT firm. Apart from managing this site, they like to hang out with friends, Sports activities and participating in marathons. They post about business and inventions along with stories, all sorts! And last but not least https://funnybone2017.wordpress.com/ A blog written by someone with a funny creative mindset, posting funny comedians and funny videos! 0 0

Georgia Rose is one of my favorite writers and bloggers, and she has a new book coming out, called Parallel Lies, on September 12th.I thought it might be nice to give all y’all (that’s plural of y’all) a preview so I asked her to visit me today. Her gift to my followers is her favorite scene in Parallel Lies. When I asked her to pick, here is what she said: ***** Oooh! Decisions, decisions. How on earth do you pick a favourite? Many in Parallel Lies had their moments, while some I would not want to repeat. It came down to something involving one of my favourite characters, Diane, who has already been described in a review as ‘a wonderfully free spirited woman in her 60s’. My protagonist, Madeleine, Maddy to her friends, and Diane are very close and some of the best conversations happen between them. I loved writing these! I could easily imagine myself sitting and typing the scenes, while in that kitchen perched on a stool at the end of the pine table as I earwigged on the two of them. I’ve chosen a short taster in an attempt to whet your appetite for more, oh, and you also get to meet Cat… From Parallel Lies: ‘…I push the door wider and enter a place that resembles The Burrow, home of the Weasleys. Admittedly there’s no actual, obvious, magic going on but that doesn’t matter, it’s the atmosphere, the ambience. There’s a large range with pots and pans piled up all over it and a huge black kettle coming to a boil. Bunches of plants hang drying from the ceiling and Diane is standing at the worn and well-scrubbed pine table using a pestle to mash stuff together in a huge grey stone mortar. The smell is divine. Woody, spicy scents mingle with citrus and flowers, all natural and raw, every element, fresh and dried, combining in a heady mix, and I take a deep breath as I put the cakes I bought onto the table. “Can I do anything to help?” I ask, knowing what the answer is likely to be. “No, no, no, just take a seat.” And the minute I do Cat leaps onto my lap and I push him off. It is common belief that he is Diane’s familiar, and I’m not a fan. He is stereotypically black and Diane is adamant that he is not hers hence the fact that he doesn’t have a name, other than Cat. He simply arrived one day, she once told me, and as far as Diane is concerned he is a free spirit, able to come and go as he wishes. He disappears for long periods of time which doesn’t worry Diane a jot as she believes that he is off helping people who need him. I’m not convinced and think he is merely tomcatting around but not wishing to ruin Diane’s vision of him as a cat in shining armour I keep quiet on the subject. Diane finishes mashing whatever it is she’s working on and turns her attention to a vat of simmering liquid on the range. I peer into the mortar to see an uninspiring brown sludge at the base and briefly wonder what it might be used for. My thoughts are interrupted by a bowl of golden broth being placed in front of me, a hunk of homemade bread at its side. There is no ceremony here, no side plates needed and I break off a piece of the bread and dunk it into the soup. It is flavoursome, and hearty and I make soft noises of appreciation.’                        My name is Madeleine, Madeleine Ross. It is a name chosen with thought and                                          because it is classy, and that is what is needed here…’                                         Madeleine Ross has life exactly as she planned it.                                            Cosy cottage, friendly village, satisfying job.                                                     Company… when she wants it.   Blurb for Parallel Lies: It’s an enviable existence for an independent young woman, and one she’s keen to protect. Enter Daniel – strong, dependable and a danger to everything she’s built. He’s not something she was looking for, but hearts can’t be controlled and maybe, just maybe he might be worth letting into hers. But, all is not what it seems. Because Madeleine is hiding a lifetime of secrets. Deep secrets. And they never stay buried for ever. Her darkest secret returns, like the proverbial bad penny. He is her first love, shadowy, dangerous, the baddest of bad boys. No matter how far she runs, or how well she hides, she can never escape him. Or her past. Here he is, on her doorstep, with a proposition she is powerless to resist but which could devastate the future she hoped to have. Can Madeleine satisfy the old love while keeping the new? You can’t always get what you want but, desperate to preserve the life she has worked so hard for, Madeleine is willing to risk everything to prove that she can. ***** You can pre-order Parallel Lies by clicking here: getbook.at/ParallelLies But wait! There’s also a Giveaway for you to enter, should you wish! “http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/adc035ab1/   About the Author (lots of good information!) Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. A short story, The Joker, based on a favorite character from the series followed and is free to download from Amazon. Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, a standalone to be released on 12 September 2017, encompasses crime along with Georgia’s usual blending of genre. Georgia’s background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her overactive imagination! Georgia prefers silence to noise, and, being socially inept

This is the catchall title I use in emails to my friends when nothing much is happening, but I’m overwhelmed with work. What I am up to: Trying to read at least half of the wonderful posts I get each day from fellow bloggers (I get well over 200 a day – I know, I can’t help myself) and send a reply. Doing the editing of my fourth book for my beta readers, trying but failing to keeping my nose to the grindstone. Posting at least once a week about a stop in our vacation all over Europe. Two to go… Reading books for Rosie Amber and posting my reviews Beta reading a book for a friend Doing some work on an online anatomy program (mine, actually) for Elsevier. The program won first place for a digital teaching program from the British Medical Society last year, so I am invested. Critiquing contributions from members of the two groups to which I belong. Lastly, working hard not to go nuts! PS For all the Blogger’s Bash attendees, my short story Connection was accepted by the Bella Online Literary Review! 0 0