INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS' DAY BLOG HOP 2015

Welcome to the International Authors' Day Blog Hop 2015

Hosted by Book r3vie3s

To honor authors and readers, I have a $25.00 Gift Card to Amazon so that the winner can purchase some of their favorite authors' books. Don't forget to enter at the bottom, and visit the other blogs where you can also win some fabulous prizes.





Bloggers from around the country have come together to celebrate books and authors, and to say thank you. As an author I truly appreciate this, and as a reader I'd love to say thank you to all the wonderful authors who made my childhood an imaginative world of fascination.  Even now I love to get lost in a great book and if I'm not writing -- I'm reading. Some of my favorite authors have been Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Kay Hooper, Tami Hoag and occasionally Stephen King. And I will say thank you to these wonderful authors for many hours of reading pleasure and some nightmares.

Two years ago I discovered another wonderful author, Indie Author, M. A. Comley. I have thoroughly enjoyed her Justice series and getting to know DI Lorne Simpkins, now DS Lorne Warner.  Thanks to social media I've had the opportunity to "meet" Mel online and we've become friends, as many of her fans do. It doesn't take long to know that not only is she a very talented author, but she's also a warm, friendly and wonderful person.  I consider the opportunity to talk with authors one of the greatest advantages of social media, and I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mel and her wonderful characters.  I will warn you up front, not all of her books are for the squeamish. She tackles real life subjects that most of us would like to pretend don't exist, and she does it in a way that's both informative and entertaining. A long time fan of shows like Criminal Minds and Blacklist I've found her insights into the criminal mind both terrifying and refreshing, and I do  thank God it's fiction, although many times it reads like true crime.

Meet the Author:

New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, iBooks top 5 bestselling and #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble.  Mel is a British author who moved to France in 2002, and that's when she turned her hobby into a career.

Mel shares her home with Mum, and her wonderful dog, Dex, who keeps her in shape by dragging her on long walks around the village.


I wanted to share two of my favorites from Ms. Comley for 2015.

Dubious Justice, Book 11 in the Justice series is definitely one of my all time favorites. An emotional, fast paced mystery that will have you reaching for Kleenex and cheering at the end.

Wrong Place - the debut novel in the DI Sally Parker series has quickly become my favorite read of 2015.  Absolutely loved the fact that although the head of a law enforcement unit, Sally Parker reads like a real person, and someone you know before you finish the book.  Mel has a way of pulling you into her character's lives, giving you a real glimpse into the everyday problems they face while trying to solve gruesome crimes.   A fabulous read, and one I highly recommend.



If you're looking for a new series author, I can highly recommend Ms. Comley as she has several other series that are equally good, but these are my favorites.  A great big Thank You to Mel for hours of reading enjoyment.  Please keep them coming.

Join her on twitter at:  @melcom1
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Visit the remaining bloggers to honor more great authors and fabulous books. Don't forget to enter to win some fabulous prizes as you take your tour.

$.99 Mystery/Suspense - Book 1 in series

“Imagine a killer who can kill at will from a distance. No gun, no weapon. Nothing more than a thought."
Catherine Mans has the ability to see and hear what others can’t. With the help of Homicide Sergeant Cody Allen, she’s turned that talent into a successful profession as a psychic consultant.
But Catherine’s past is coming back to haunt her. Someone is threatening the lives of everyone she loves.
Nine bodies have been discovered, and Catherine is the FBI’s prime suspect.
To prove her innocence, she must unravel the secrets of her past, and answer the challenge of a deranged psychic.
Bet you can’t…FIND ME!

"If you love the psychic suspense of Kay Hooper and the witty characters of Tammy Hoag, you'll love Find Me!"

Review by Jud:

Psychics. Not something I would believe in or indeed think that I could believe in so I was very surprised when I found myself not cynical about this story! Linda Prather really drew me in and had me 100% convinced, there was no 'like that would ever happen moments'. I don't quite understand how she did that, if someone was to tell me a first hand account of something like this happening I don't think I could be as riveted as I was to this story. However, I was hampered by the fact I kept reading psychic as physic but that is no reflection on the author although perhaps I should get my eyes tested...

The story starts with a psychic Catherine, who is helping the police with a missing person investigation. Suddenly, the FBI appear and it seems that Catherine is wanted for murder, but did she really do it? The reader is taken on a roller-coaster journey following Catherine and 3 other characters as they try to get to the bottom of the strange happenings. At times it is unclear even who can be trusted or indeed if any of the characters can be trusted. The case finally takes them to Louisiana and the Bayou where the story reaches it's climax and resolves.

The whole way through the story I couldn't wait to read what would happen next, there seemed to be so many twists and turns that I couldn't predict what was coming. I couldn't read the story fast enough, a brilliant read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a crime novel, especially if they enjoy something a little bit different to the norm.

Thanks Linda!

Amazon Kindle Ebook - "Evil had its own special feel...Excerpt From The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery

“Fire’s out, Sheriff. We opened the windows, but the smell is still pretty bad.”'

Sarah nodded, her eyes misting. “Thanks, Billy.” Swallowing hard, she tried to stop the gagging reflex that hit her the second she entered The Lodge. There was nothing in the world worse than the smell of burned flesh. Tommy and three of the volunteer fire fighters were still outside vomiting, and Joshua looked slightly green, although he was holding up better than most. Dammit! They weren’t prepared for this. She wasn’t prepared for this.

“Are you okay, Doc?” Sarah noted the grayness of the doctor’s face, the blueness around his mouth as he slipped on his mask and nodded.

Sarah allowed her gaze to drift around the room, looking for something, anything to look at besides the badly charred body of what she knew must be Marisa Hutchins. They had caught the fire in time to save most of the room, but the body was burned beyond recognition. She swallowed hard again, concentrating on breathing through her mouth. She had to focus on her job, not her feelings. Her gaze fell on the small pink card on the dresser. Picking it up, she shivered as emotions ran up her arm, making her skin crawl, chilling her to the bone. Evil had its own special feel, and this was evil. A gift from me. You’re next.

“Anything on McAllister’s whereabouts?”

Sarah felt Joshua’s keen gaze on her face. She would have to look at him eventually. Struggling to control the overwhelming fear that threatened to pull her into the darkness, Sarah placed the card inside a plastic package and handed it to Joshua. She wanted a hot shower.

“He told me he was going to Richmond, but I didn’t ask where. Said he’d be back tomorrow.”

“I’m finished.” Doc Hawthorne rose, his shoulders drooping more than usual. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. He’d delivered these children, watched them grow up. He shouldn’t have to sign their death certificates. “Not much more I can do here. I’d say it’s Marisa Hutchins. You can wait for the autopsy to make it official.”

Sarah grimaced. She didn’t need an autopsy.

“The Edgewood forensic team is on their way. Said they’d be here within the hour,” Joshua stated.

“Thanks, Joshua.” Sarah had hated calling in outsiders, but they just didn’t have the equipment, or the expertise, to handle this type of situation. Nothing like this had ever happened in Glade Springs. Gavin McAllister had a lot to answer for.

“What do you make of the card?”

Joshua was turning the package over in his hands. Sarah glanced at it, a cold chill running down her spine. . . . never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

Mysteries, Mysteries, Mysteries

Review of The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery on Goodreads:

The premise of this novel left me a bit shaken. The supernatural gifts of the title were so well rendered as to appear natural, making me a believer that anyone consciously aware of their surrounderings and attuned to the workings of the universe could develop these same gifts. Of course, making me a believer is a sign of a talently writer, one who phrases her words to build suspense. The simple repetition of a statement, one that claims failure on the part of its recipient, causes the reader to react as one does to the first audio notes of the "Jaws" theme.

Linda S. Prather built tension into the opening scenes of The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery. She kept the action taut with solid characters moving the story, and the reader, effortlessly forward to the satisfying climax.

Dean Koontz - One Door Away From Heaven

Being a Dean Koontz fan since his Odd Thomas series, I have to admit that I’ve been trying to read this book for years now. I normally get so far in, and then stop. This is truly an unusual characteristic for me, as I love stories and books and especially page turners. I’ve tried to decipher my problem with this book, and it’s difficult as it truly is a masterpiece of beautiful artistic flowing words, and leads you down the path of three individual and yet titillating stories. If asked to rate the book I would have to give it five stars across the board for character development, story development and as I said, beautiful artistic flowing words.

I found myself following three distinct stories, each captivating in their own right and yet each time I was caught up in the story line I was immediately transferred to another captivating story with another character. I would at times have to go back and read the end of the chapter on the first story prior to going forward on that story as my mind was caught up in the story I’d just read.

Are the stories good? Yes. I found myself totally immersed in the problems of Michelina Bellsong and Leilani. And then totally immersed in young Curtis Hammond and his flight from killers, as well as his tagalong partner, Old Yeller. Anyone who knows me knows that the story of Old Yeller has always been my favorite, and the fact that young Curtis named his dog Old Yeller only endeared that story to me more. And then there’s Noah Farrell, a burned out former police officer now turned detective with his own deep, dark burdens of guilt. All three fascinating stories that up through Chapter 28 have absolutely nothing to tie them together. I know that’s coming, but I’m on page 214 of 606, and truthfully tired of trying to follow three distinct stories that I love individually and keep the pages turning and the story line flowing.

Can a book be too eloquent? Possibly. As I’m reading it’s almost as if each paragraph was written individually. Not that they don’t tie together in the individual stories, they do. But each paragraph offers its own descriptive eloquence that sometimes leaves you thinking too much about the words you’re reading, and then losing the story line. Once again, there have been many times I’ve had to back up and reread. And miss a day reading a chapter, well I’m totally lost on which story I’m following and where the character has been and where they’re going.

As I stated in the beginning, I’ve been a Dean Koontz fan for years, and I loved “False Memory”, “Fear Nothing”, “Hideaway”, “Midnight”, “Watchers”, “The Key to Midnight” and the “Odd Thomas” series. His style is truly unique, and his characters always masterpieces of literary genius. I did something today, though, that I rarely if ever do with a book. I went to the end and read the last page. Why? I guess I wanted to know if the stories ever truly came together. They do, and perhaps someday I’ll finish this book. I hope so, because I learn so much from Mr. Koontz’s writing. But life is simply too short, and I have so little time to read, that I feel I must once again move on to something else. I will miss my travels with Micky and Leilani and with Curtis and Old Yeller, and I’ll even miss Noah Farrell, but with almost 400 pages in front of me to finish, I think I’ll leave it for another time period in my life when I can snuggle up with a good cup of hot chocolate and hopefully make my way through to the very end.