Friday, January 09, 2015

The Love Brothers by Liz Crowe








Love Garage
The Love Brothers
Book One
Liz Crowe

Genre: Contemporary Romance for Real Life

Publisher: BeerWench Enterprises LLC

Date of Publication: 1/5/2015

ISBN:
ASIN: B00P4GJCL8

Number of pages: 268
Word Count: 67,000

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde Media

Book Description:

Antony Love is the quintessential responsible oldest brother of a boisterous, Italian/Irish family, placed in charge at a young age by his parents who are busy running the family business. He manages his siblings with a fair but iron hand, until his life is shattered by personal tragedy leaving him the shell of the man he once was.

When outspoken matriarch Lindsay Halloran Love becomes ill, the youngest brother Aiden shows up at Antony's garage, having dropped out of school (again), needing work and a place to crash. Antony provides both, with three caveats: "Don't smoke in my truck, don't be late for work, and don't mess with my girlfriend."

But Aiden Love, budding novelist, gets one glimpse of Rosalee Norris, young widow of Antony's lifelong best friend and all bets are off.

Set in horse country near Lexington, Kentucky, The Love Brothers Series is a saga of family devotion that runs as wide and deep as the Ohio River--except on Sundays when brothers Antony, Kieran, Dominic and Aiden work out their frustrations on the basketball court, Love brother style.

The Love Brothers: A family saga with humor, heat and heart—not to mention beer, bourbon and basketball.

Available at Amazon





Love Garage Excerpt:

Love Garage opened bright and early the next morning, a Saturday, a day Aiden had hoped to spend recovering.
“I get so many oil changes and random small jobs on Saturdays, it doesn’t make sense to be closed and let the jackasses with the Quickilube at Walmart get the business,” Antony insisted when Aiden groaned with dismay upon being awakened after two hours of drunken sleep. It didn’t help that the awakening occurred at the business end of a thrown pillow. “Get up, Romeo. You owe me rent money.”
He did, slowly, queasily hitting a shower, sore all over, his skin mottled from bug bites. But nothing topped the glorious agony of a bourbon hangover like the one that had him firmly in its evil grasp.
He slouched out the door, cursing Antony, cursing Tricia, cursing her ex-husband for throwing her in his path last night. But mostly cursing his own weak-ass uselessness. He rested his head against the cool comfort of the truck window until Antony hit a bump or two, which sent extra pain jolting down his spine.
“Sorry,” his brother muttered, glancing over at him.
“No, you’re not.”
“Got me there. And you’d better warn me if you’re about to toss your cookies. I won’t have that in my vehicle, got me?”
Aiden rubbed his neck and nodded, swallowing the urge to throw up all over the pristine interior on principal. “Why d’you hate me so much? You used to like me.” He stared over at his brother, heart thumping, ears humming, throat closing up with nausea. He despised waking up still drunk.
“I don’t hate you.” Antony turned onto the main road headed into town.
“Could’ve fooled me. You’re a real asshole anymore. Worse than Dom.”
Antony merely shrugged, not rising to that tried-and-true bait. So they spent the rest of the ride to the garage in silence. Once there, Antony sat gripping the wheel. Aiden waited, hoping he’d get something out of him—something he would assure him that the man he thought he remembered as the protective, funny, and loving guy he’d grown up with still existed inside the guy walking around wearing Antony’s skin.
Finally, he let go of the wheel, exhaled, and squared his shoulders as if prepping for battle. Aiden made a mental note to talk to Kieran about how badly Antony had descended into his life of non-stop mourning and jerk-hood.
“So, Rosalee, not putting out for you or what? You need to get laid maybe? Knock the edge off?”
The glare Aiden got for saying those particular words did make him worry Antony might punch his aching head through the passenger-side window.
He clenched his jaw in the way Aiden remembered from their childhood. “That is so far outside the realm of your business as to be in another galaxy. Get to work and don’t say her name to me again.”
And with that, Aiden was left with the fleeting thought that mentioning Rosalee directly was probably not a good idea. He surely didn’t need Antony to guess that her name was on his lips, or front and center of his mind.
He shook his head—a Bad Plan because it summoned the pounding agony back with a vengeance. Groaning, he climbed out and shuffled over to the door.
A new day began at Love Garage.

Coach Love
The Love Brothers
Book 2
Liz Crowe

Genre: Contemporary Romance for Real Life

Publisher: BeerWench Enterprises LLC

ASIN: B00PHLU0CK

Number of pages: 229
Word Count: 58,000

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde Media

Book Description:
The smoldering intensity of first love ~ the forbidden fantasy of temptation ~ the cold hard facts of real life.

When one man’s hopes are dashed apart in a split second after years spent chasing a dream, he returns home to Kentucky furious at the world and everyone around him.

Kieran Francesco is the middle son of the volatile, tight-knit Halloran-Love family. His role as peacemaker and the one true athlete is well established. He now faces life devoid of the sport he adores after a horrific, career-ending accident, which places him in a new and entirely uncomfortable position—that of the brother with no future.

Over the course of a few tumultuous months Kieran is plunged back into life at the center of the Love family, where he must cope with one self-destructive brother, one ill-timed reconnection to an old flame and a series of bad choices that land him in more trouble than he’d ever known existed.

COACH LOVE, book 2 of The Love Brothers, a family saga of sibling loyalty that runs as deep and wide as the Ohio River—at least until Sunday, when Antony, Kieran, Dominic and Aiden work out their frustrations at the weekly Love brother pick-up basketball game.

Available on Amazon

Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/CefA1aGVkpg





Coach Love Excerpt:

As he drove the twenty or so miles from his parents’ house into town Kieran’s head began to clear. The windows were down and the tunes cranked. The sun shone. Signs of summer--one of his favorite seasons--were all around him. Parks packed with families, all the basketball courts and swimming pools overflowing. The sight of a gaggle of boys on bikes riding alongside him for a while, singing along with whatever random, crappy rap song currently polluted the airwaves made him smile.

“Hey, it’s Kieran Love!” one of the punks shouted after a few blocks. “Can you come over and shoot a few with us?”

He waved and drove on, gratified but sad, the sound of their cheerful unhappiness at his refusal filling his ears, taking the stretch of four lane road at seventy miles an hour, pressing the gas pedal to the floor, the throaty, powerful roar of the car’s engine revving him from head to toe.

It would be all right because he and Melinda loved each other. They had from the moment they’d met. He passed some grandpa in a Toyota, as the deep green fields surrounded by picturesque white fences and dotted with horses filled both sides of his vision.

He’d been home and recuperating from radical knee surgery with the best prognosis he could hope for after such a nasty break--to walk normally, much less play the occasional pick up game. His depression had been deep, wide, and terrifying. He woke every day at his parents’ house, unwilling even to get out of bed, not that he could without help for the first few weeks.

Antony had tossed a laptop computer at him one day when he’d been sulking, unshaven, and eating an entire bag of potato chips, something he’d not done since the age of ten when his fate--bound for basketball fame and fortune--had been determined.

“Here, find a job, find a date, find something,” he’d said before yanking the empty chip bag away and smacking Kieran’s head hard enough to make his ears ring.

“Ow. Leave me alone, asshole. I’m grievously injured,” he’d said, not caring about the swear-free zone he inhabited.

“That’s three dollars young man,” his mother had called out from the kitchen.

“You live with this, jerk, and see how you feel about finding ‘a date.’“ He’d hooked his fingers around the words, heart in his throat at how badly he’d wanted to call Cara right then.

But by the next weekend he was caning and limping his way toward the door to some faux-fancy Italian restaurant in Lexington, rubbing his freshly shaved face and trying not to sweat through his dress shirt. The woman from the internet site sat at the bar, twirling an olive-laden swizzle stick in her martini glass, long, slim, bare legs crossed, feet encased in sky-high patent leather heels. He’d exhaled, beyond relived that he’d not been cat-fished by some troll, or worse, a dude.

He’d hesitated then, something in him telling him to turn around and leave, fast. But at that moment, she’d flashed him the whitest, most perfect smile he’d ever seen and he’d been hooked. He still didn’t know how. They’d gone out for three weeks before she let him kiss her. It’d been another three weeks before he got anywhere near her tits. It had been a solid four months before he scored but that encounter had been, in a word, epic.

Melinda liked to talk dirty, wear heels and a garter belt while he fucked her. Loved doing it with all the lights on and in semi-public places. She gave head like a pro at first, before he’d given her an engagement ring.

Her bitchiness had come across as extreme decisiveness, sort of hot in way, he’d admit, since he tended toward the spontaneous and unplanned--”wishy washy” as he now understood it thanks to Melinda’s re-categorization of his personality. Her tight grip on her emotions and her surroundings, the OCD way she ordered her life did grate on him at times but he figured she tolerated his innate sloppiness and willingness to wake on a Sunday without a plan in place for the rest of the day. When he realized he sat across from her at some overpriced, hipster restaurant near her office after going out with her for eight months, ready to present her with a ring he could barely afford, it had shocked him without seeming to even faze her.

“Well, of course I’ll marry you, but you’ve got to find a better job,” she’d drawled as she sipped her champagne.

“A new job?” He’d gotten the teaching gig at his old high school and couldn’t imagine any job he’d want or like better. She made six figures for Christ’s sake, at least he thought she did.

Elated, drunk with lust and achievement, he’d tried to get his long legs adjusted under the small table jammed between all the others and covered with small plates of “tapas” which, best he could tell were “appetizers” only twice the price and half the helpings.

“I’ll do anything you want, Melinda. You saved me, honest to God you did.”

She’d fluttered her inky black lashes and gazed at him with an expression that convinced him he’d made the drastic move for the right reasons. The following year had been a combination of frustration, anger and high school level blue balls. The double drama Antony and Aiden had foisted on the Love family during that time hadn’t helped but it had distracted him. He’d taught his classes, helped out with the basketball team pro bono without telling Melinda and had been happier than he’d ever been as a pro athlete.

The fact that she maintained her uber-bitch persona around his family killed him. But he was hooked.

Still.

Mostly.

Book 3: LOVE BREWING available in ebook format March 1, 2015

All 3 books available in print March 14, 2015

Love Brewing

The Love Brothers
Book 3
Liz Crowe

Book Description:

Every family has one—the black sheep, the problem child, the prodigal. But Dominic Sean Love could teach all of those guys a lesson or two. Stuck in the middle of a boisterous group of siblings, he’s given “acting out” a new meaning from the day he drew his first breath.

While he’s the one son who follows his strict father’s footsteps into the Love family business, he’s also the one who butts heads with him the hardest. Their epic clashes are the stuff of family legend. But they have made peace and work side by side to take Love Brewing to the next level of success.

Until Dominic does the one thing his father can never forgive.

Diana Brantley has been Dominic’s friend, girlfriend and ex-girlfriend so many times she’s lost count. When he shows up at the farm she’s slowly transforming into a wildly popular farm-to-table resource for restaurants all over the U.S. her first impulse is to shoot first and ask questions later. But she doesn’t. And their lives entwine once more, for good, bad and ugly.


FREE NOVELLA AVAILABLE FEB. 1, 2015 ON
AMAZON ONLY: “SAFE LOVE.”

Book 4: FAMILY LOVE available Summer 2015 in ebook and print
  
About the Author:

Amazon best-selling author, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, mom of three, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.

Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”

With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Don’t ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.

Website       Beer, Books & More Blog    Facebook Fan Page





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Thursday, January 08, 2015

Interview and Giveaway Unexpected Eden by Rhenna Morgan



Do you have a specific writing style?

My stories tend to fall on the side of deep character point of view told in third person. Those who’ve read my work and met me in person say they find my style closely matches my personality—edgy and colorful, and yet still very down to earth.

Do you write in different genres? If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

So, far I’m only published in fantasy romance, but I’ve just started book one in a contemporary series I’ve been dying to write for about a year. If all goes as planned, I’d have it available sometime in early 2016.

As to which of the two genres is easier, I’d say contemporary. Fantasy takes the top off my creativity and lets me go places a story based in real life never could. But creativity can also lead to enormous challenges. You just don’t realize how many nuances there are to world building until you dive into the fantasy realm. Clothes, food, customs, language…all of the details we take for granted in day-to-day life fall to the author to create. With contemporary it’s all about the characters and emotion, and I find those aspects of writing much easier to tap into.

Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

The concept for the Myren race and the necessity for a person needing to be “awakened” to their powers actually came from real life.

I was in my kitchen, scrambling to get food together for some guests, when I reached out my hand and tried to summon something from across the room. I literally expected it to fly across the room and land in my palm!

About a second later, I realized that the reason I’d been so confident the item would do as I’d commanded was that I’d been dreaming of being able to levitate items for quite some time. And I’d been flying a lot as well.

Needless to say, I was super embarrassed because everyone in the room saw what I’d tried to do, but the experience got me thinking…

What if my dreams were a sign of some ability I had that was locked away, just waiting to be awakened? What if I was really from a different race? One that looked like ours, but had more power? Perhaps control of the elements? Maybe I was lost and needed to be found by my own kind?

The result was Lexi Merrill and the Myren race.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

There are so many wonderful writers that I follow and respect—JR Ward, Sylvia Day, Karen Marie Moning, Kresley Cole, and Darynda Jones, to name a few. But hands down the one writer I would love, love, love to claim as a mentor someday is Kristen Ashley.

Her writing style is much different from mine, but her stories always leave me with the most amazing emotional satisfaction. That’s the kind of response I want to generate in my own stories. I think having her as a mentor would be a ginormous coup.

Beyond that, she seems so fun, real, and approachable. I’ve reached out to her a few times to ask her advise on small questions/struggles I’ve encountered on my writing journey, and she’s always responded. You never see her say anything negative online, and her words are always filled with life.

I can’t think of better qualities to look for in a mentor.

What books are in your to read pile?

Well, there’s a dangerous question to ask. J It’s a pretty mixed bag at the moment, but from the looks of things I’m in serious series catch up mode. I’ll keep it to the top ten:
1.    Kristen Ashley’s Wild and Free
2.    Darynda Jones’ Seventh Grave and No Body
3.    Alice Clayton’s Screwdrivered
4.    Jeaniene Frost’s At Grave’s End
5.    JR Ward’s Immortal
6.    Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Blade
7.    Kresley Cole’s Dreams of a Dark Hunter
8.    Bella Jewel’s Melancholy
9.    Kristen Ashley’s Fire Inside
10. JA Huss’ Panic


What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

Book two in The Eden Series, Healing Eden, is with my editor and is scheduled for release with Kensington’s Lyrical Press near the end of 2015. I’ve just wrapped up the first draft of book three, Waking Eden, and am now full speed ahead on my first contemporary romance, tentatively titled Accept. There’s still one more book to go in The Eden Series, Eden’s Deliverance, and it should be completed by the end of 2015.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’d love to! This is an excerpt from Healing Eden, Reese and Galena’s story, and it’s in Reese’s point of view:

With only the candle’s glow Galena’s hair gleamed more chestnut than auburn. She dipped her head and the flower he’d struggled to name registered with a kick. Lotus flower. A fitting match for her exotic eyes, like water off a white, Caribbean shore.

He’d never dreamed he’d get this close to her. Not even when he’d visited the castle with Ramsay all those years ago.

“I used to watch you.” Probably not his wisest confession. Then again, he’d be dead in who knew how many days. As repercussions went, they couldn’t get much worse.
Her gaze met his and her lips parted.

“It was a long time ago,” he said. “When I trained with Ramsay. Did he tell you about me?”
She ducked her head and studied his wound with extra focus.

Not a yes, but not a no either.

“I didn’t come to the castle often, but when I did I’d watch for you. You were barely out of your transition. I thought you were perfect.” He lifted his hand, slow so he didn’t frighten her, and cupped her cheek. “Still do.”

Galena lowered her hand and met his stare, a wary tilt to her head.

He traced her cheekbone. “Your skin’s just like I’d imagined it. Warm. Soft.”

She leaned into his touch. Not much. Probably didn’t even realize she’d done it. Her eyes softened, lids dropping, and her hair slicked against his knuckles. “Reese…”

A whisper. Nothing more.

“You see the good in me, but your brother can’t pardon what I’ve done. Nor should he. I’ll die for my actions in days, if not hours.” Was he really going to do this? Could he live with the humiliation if she refused his request?

Absolutely.

“I always imaged what your lips would feel like.” He traced her lower lip, her breath skittering against his finger. “Will you give me that gift?”

Galena froze. “You want…”

“A kiss.” He chanced another glide along her mouth and the tip of her tongue trailed the path he left behind. “Just one.”

She swallowed and her eyelids fluttered shut as she pressed a kiss into his palm.
He braced, ready for her shutdown.

Her eyes opened and his body jolted beneath the passion in her gaze. “One.” So much emotion. Need. Urgency. Fear and shame. All rolled into one power-packed word.

He leaned forward and curled his free hand around the side of her neck. A decent man wouldn’t follow through, but a primal drive buzzed beneath his skin. Instinctive. Not at all gentle.

Her lips were close enough his own tingled. He held himself there, soaking in the sensation. Something to remember.

“Please.” A soft plea, barely spoken.

Compulsion tightened his fingers and angled her face for his advance. Slow. Careful.

Her lips gave way, soft and sweet, parted just enough to lick along the lower one.

She moaned and edged closer, opening to the bold sweep of his tongue.

He growled at her taste, mint and something that reminded him of long lazy mornings and sunshine. Her breath mingled with his, hot and heavy between each slick glide of their lips. 

Fuck ordinary air. This. This is what he wanted to live on. In his lungs, day in and day out.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The first draft. I’m good with the brainstorming, the plotting, and can wallow in edits forever, but the first draft is the hardest. Putting those initial words on the page is the most vulnerable, discipline challenging part of the process for me—but it’s also the most rewarding. It’s what a marathon runner experiences at the end of a race, or an athlete experiences at the end of an event they’ve trained years to compete in.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Surround yourself with people who love the genres you love. With people who’ve accomplished what you want to accomplish.


And write. Everyday. Without apology for those who don’t understand. And never, ever, ever give up on your dreams.


Unexpected Eden
Eden Series
Rhenna Morgan

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical Press

Date of Publication: 12/29/2014

ISBN: 978-1-61650-629-2 Print
ISBN: 978-1-61650-628-5 ebook
ASIN: B00NY9OCBM

Number of pages: 259
Word Count: 81,411

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde Media

Book Description:

Most people believe Eden no longer exists. Lexi Merrill’s about to learn they’re wrong. A hard-working bartender with a self-sufficient backbone and a wary nature, she knows pickup lines like a second language. So, when Eryx Shantos barges into her world with too-smooth words and a body to back it up, she locks up her libido and vows to keep her distance.

Eryx has other ideas. As king of the Myren race, Eryx is duty-bound to enforce the laws preventing exposure of their existence to humans. Yet The Fates have led him through his dreams to Lexi, a temptation he doesn’t want to resist. The question—is she Myren, or human - which makes her forbidden fruit?

When Eryx’s nemesis tags Lexi as his next target, Eryx insists on taking her home where he can keep her safe. Lexi had no idea “home” would mean the one-and-only land of creation…or that she’d trigger a prophecy that could doom her newfound race.

Available at   Amazon    BN    Kensington    

Kobo   iTunes   ARe



Excerpt:
Lexi high-stepped it down the hall to the room she shared with Eryx. Sconces blazed to life along the walls with each step, Eryx setting them alight with his mind to light her way. Providing what you need.
Ugh. Not something she could think about right now. His sure, confident strides sounded behind her. No matter how far ahead she tried to stay, his hunger burned inside her. Stupid gift. Now that she’d somehow uncorked it, she couldn’t get it turned it off—and damned if she wasn’t a raging inferno as a result.
She’d thought asking for time would calm his fears. Maybe ease his foot off the throttle a little bit. But oh, no. She’d tugged the lion’s tail, tossed out a slab of meat, and thrown the cage door open wide.
The door to their room whipped open and thudded against the wall.
She flinched, but kept going. “You don’t need to be so melodramatic.”
She’d gone for playful, but ended up sounding like Marilyn Monroe on a heaped-up dose of Spanish Fly. Moving to the dresser, she tugged off her blue leather sandals. “Maybe we can rest later and you can teach me how to move things with my mind instead.”
Eryx ripped his tank over his head and tossed it to the floor. Smooth muscles, flexing under tight, tan skin.
She closed her gaping mouth. Tugged the lion’s tail indeed.
“I thought I’d give you something else.” He stalked her until her back met the wall and caged her with arms on either side of her head. “Something that will feed you instead of drain you.”
He ran his nose along the column of her neck and inhaled, slow and deep.
Goosebumps prickled along her forearms and her belly fluttered. “I thought you said I needed to rest.”
“You need energy. I’m going to give it to you.” He nipped her earlobe then sucked at the same spot. “You said you’ve never known family or love.” His hot breath brushed across her skin and his tongue traced the shell of her ear. “So I’ll give you that too.”
A blowtorch, insane, leave-me-here-to-die-in-glory fire blasted from her insides out. Where the hell was her caution? Her worry?
“I warned you.” He bit her lower lip and the sting zinged to her nipples. His hands abandoned the wall and caressed her back, her thin cotton tunic a nearly non-existent barrier. “You said you could take anything I threw at you.” He whipped the tunic over her head and the indigo fabric sailed to the floor behind him. “Then you’ll have me.” His gaze lowered to her bare breasts. “All of me.”


About the Author:

Rhenna never thought a weird dream, a bucket list, and an addiction to romance novels would lead her into publishing, but that’s exactly how Unexpected Eden came to life. Okay, there might have been a jillion revisions in there somewhere, and a few points where her family thought she’d lost her ever-lovin’ mind, but pretty much everyone’s accepted that this author thing is chronic.

When she’s not working on the rest of the Eden books or her naughty contemporary romances, you’ll find her chasing two precious little girls, batting eyelashes at her indulgent husband, or driving with the top down and the music up loud. Oh, and “researching” on the internet. Those half-naked men she uses for inspiration don’t download themselves.

She’d love to share her “research” with you too and get to know you a little better in the process. Find her blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media links at www.rhennamorgan.com. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter there too for snippets, upcoming releases, and author news.

If you enjoyed Unexpected Eden, Eryx and Lexi would sure appreciate it if you shared your review at Goodreads, Amazon, or other favorite online bookstore. Lexi would make you a mean cyber-cocktail in exchange if she didn’t have her hands full with Eryx, but rumor has it they haven’t left the royal suite in days.


https://twitter.com/rhennamorgan (@RhennaMorgan)




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Interview and Giveaway: Victim Souls by Andrew Terech



What inspired you to become an author?

I’ve been intrigued by writing fiction since high school. I dabbled a bit in college, and would often tell people it was a dream of mine. However, it was just talk until I met my wife who pushed me to start making that dream a reality. I’m a huge consumer of horror fiction (film and written). As much as I love the genre, I’m often disappointed with the product, or feel I could take the same premise and make it better. I’m inspired to create content that will effectively scare, entertain, and/or incredibly disturb people. I like the idea of putting something on the page that can get a visceral reaction. I’m in a writing workshop where I get to share a lot of my work before it’s complete. The best motivation is watching the people in my group squirm in their chairs over something I wrote.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

I was watching a movie called Absentia and there was a line in the movie about “Victim Souls.” I immediately looked it up and it fit perfectly. I didn’t have a title at the time so I threw it up there as the working title and it stuck.

What books/authors have influenced your life?

Stephen King’s On Writing was probably the most inspirational and helpful book I’ve ever read about writing. It definitely shaped my writing practices in a big way.
Personality Plus at Work by Florence Littauer was an amazing book. I was running a psychiatric hospital at the time and my Medical Director gave it to me. It was an amazing tool for learning how to work with and manage different personalities. It shaped me as a leader and improved my personal interactions as well.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub and The Lost by Jack Ketchum both have elements and writing styles that I found to be incredibly effective and have attempted to learn from.

What book are you reading now?

I’m reading No Dominion by Charlie Houston. It’s the second of a series. My wife read the series and recommended it to me because it reminded her of my book. I’m enjoying the series thus far.

What books are in your to read pile?

The rest of Charlie Houston’s Joe Pitt series

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (I heard it wasn’t that great, so I’m kind of dragging my feet on this one)

The two latest Walking Dead graphic novels

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I’m currently working on the (sort of) sequel to Victim Souls, which will be much more of a straight horror novel set in the same world with the same characters. The tone and pacing will be much different and the story will be in 3rd person this time.

I’m also working on putting out an anthology called Room 427, which is a compilation of writers who each wrote a different story that occurs in the same hotel room. Each writer left an object behind for the next writer to use in his/her story. It was fun project and should be out in the next few months.

I’m also toying with an idea for a horror/sci-fi story that’s been ruminating in my brain. I had some recent inspiration and may put the sequel to Victim Souls on hold. It will be called The 28th Amendment about a new law that makes it illegal for people to die. That’s about all I am willing to say about it at this time.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

For me the most challenging thing is staying on track. I’m not the kind of writer who relies on outlines. I try to create unique characters and a situation then just see where it goes from there. This often leads to content that I’m proud of, but it can also lead the plot astray. This becomes especially difficult during the editing process where I tend to find a boatload of continuity errors or subplots that started and didn’t finish. Thankfully, I had a good editing team and was able to clean all of that up.

Since Victim Souls is comprised of a lot of fast-paced action, I found it challenging to describe action sequences in a satisfying way. There are certain things that the written form enhances over films, but creating a good fight scene is not one of them. I’ve tried experimenting with several different styles and forms, but have yet to find one that matches my vision. I even researched other novels using the same point of view, and found the same issues. After a while, it became something I had to just accept as my own neuroses and move on.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Jack Ketchum is my favorite author. He’s brilliant at writing horror stories that are rooted in reality. I actually prefer supernatural horror, which is why I love his writing so much. His style is so effective at building tension and fear. He can do it through describing mundane life experiences or delving into the darkest parts of humanity. Either way, I’ve never read an author as effective at writing this type of horror.

Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this book?

This was actually a big part of the writing of Victim Souls. Each chapter is named after a song that is meant to be listened to with the chapter. I did it as a way to enhance the experience for those who’d be interested. The songs and artists are listed in the beginning for the reader’s reference. Each song either sets a tone for the chapter and/or contains lyrics that give insight into the character’s state of mind.

Victim Souls
Andrew Terech

Genre: Supernatural Horror

ISBN-13: 978-0692330234
ISBN-10: 0692330232
ASIN: B00PEASG6Q

Number of pages: 386
Word Count: 91,000

Cover Artist: Brianna Strawn

Book Description:

Sometimes, only bad guys can beat the Devil…

The plan is simple: get the money and deliver the car. What could possibly go wrong?

What can’t?

Things start to go south when Sam Drake realizes that his brother Johnny is hiding something, a secret about Sam’s troubled childhood that goes beyond his most feverish nightmares…

Then Johnny’s girlfriend, Ash, starts sending Sam the kind of mixed signals that can only lead to big trouble…

As the trio of small time crooks falls deeper into an abyss of betrayal and violence, they will discover that the greatest danger they face is not of this world.

With everything he believes about himself and the world around him shattered, Sam will become the unlikely champion in a battle with true evil, a fight to save a soul that has already been forfeited to darkness.

His own.


Available at Amazon



Excerpt:

The silver barrel of the Colt .45 glimmered in Johnny’s hand. The obese clerk behind the counter held his arms up, eyes darting to each of our faces. His brown-stained, white t-shirt clung to his sweaty man tits. Moisture dripped off his scraggly goatee onto his protruding gut. The ceiling fan above him worked hard, trying to cool down the un-air-conditioned, Arizona shit-hole that smelled like armpits and rotting cheese. A large bullet hole from Johnny’s warning shot sat two feet from the clerk’s head, along with the standard wall of cigarettes and liquor bottles acting as a reminder of the poor bastard’s purpose in life.
Johnny’s smirking mouth twitched with excitement. He had a scary look in his eyes—a man possessed with rage.
Ash clung to him, her blond hair draped over his shoulder. Her hand gently palmed his shaved head as she leaned toward the side of his face.
            She whispered something in his ear.
            Butterflies sliced the inside of my stomach with razor wings. This wasn’t the way we did things. We were escalating. Normally, I kept everyone cool, levelheaded. All control had gone out the window.
            Simple Bob behind the counter sobbed, looking terrified. Part of me felt pity for the guy, but it was too late to turn back. “I don’t wanna be a part of no trouble, now,” he said. “Why don’t y’all take what ya need and go? Please, I got a family.” He glared at Ash.  Four kids.”
            Johnny cackled. “Family? You hear this guy, Sammy? He’s got a fuckin’ family.” Johnny gestured toward me. “That’s my family over there. My little brother. I practically raised the pecker. Parents were killed… come to think of it—by a fat, drunk piece of shit like you. So don’t talk to me about family.”
            I glanced at the clock above the entrance—eight minutes had passed. “Johnny, come on man.”
            Ash sneered at me. “Not now. This is grown up time. Go grab us some food or something.” Her dismissive tone dug into my nerves.
            “Go fuck yourself!” I spat. The last thing I needed was that crazy bitch feeding Johnny’s frenzy.
            “Quit it, bro. I got this,” Johnny said.
As usual he sided with the short jean shorts and tight, red tank top—a little cleavage and ass were all it took for him to forget about his own brother. “Get the cash and let’s go,” I said. “Stop messing around.”
Johnny glanced at me. “You think you could do better?”
I froze, unable to come up with a response, probably because I knew I couldn’t. Johnny took care of the hold-up. I collected the goods and kept us on point. That was our system, and it worked. Ash, on the other hand, was new to the mix. All she managed to do was waste time and get Johnny more amped than a rabid pit bull on cocaine. How he decided that was helpful, I have no idea. Things ran smooth before she stuck her pretty ass in the mix. Now instead of in-and-out with hands full of cash, we were wasting time scaring some poor, fat slob half to death. And for what, I wondered, shits and giggles?
I glanced back at the clock. Ten minutes in, and we were still dicking around. I started to tell Johnny our time was running out. From the corner of my eye, the clerk reached beneath the counter.
“Hey!” Ash shouted before I could react.
Johnny swung his arm, smacking the butt of the gun across the fat bastard’s face. “What did I tell you? Huh!”
The clerk stumbled back. The weight of his body slammed into the wall of cigarettes and cigars. He slid to the floor as dozens of boxes rained down around him.
My heart pounded. I took several deep breaths. We’d never had a close call like that before.
Ash pulled out her butterfly knife and flipped it open. “We need to deal with him.”
Johnny clenched his jaw as he leaned over the counter, pointing the gun. “Get up! Now!”
The blubbering man slowly rose up, his hands in the air, snot dripping from the pubes on his chin.
“What’s your name, buddy?” Johnny asked, switching to a calmer tone.
“T-T-Tony.”
            With a big smile on his face, Johnny slammed his fist on the counter. “Tony! That’s a strong name. Like Tony fucking Soprano.”
            Tony jumped and backed into the wall behind him again. His flabby arm knocked down a couple liquor bottles. He flinched as the glass shattered on the tile floor. I reminded myself to at least swipe some good booze when we were done.
            Johnny grabbed the knife from Ash’s hand and gave her the gun. “Hold this for me, baby.”
            I glanced at the clock—twelve minutes. “Bro, we’re coming up on fifteen. Forget him. You don’t have to do this.”
            “We’re in the middle of nowhere. We’re fine! And for the record,” he twirled the blade in his hand, “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want!”
I’d had it with Johnny’s unchecked arrogance. He always screwed with people, but he didn’t hurt anyone unless he had to. Tony may have been a liability, but if we’d stuck to the plan it wouldn’t have come to this.
            Thirteen minutes.
            Ash put her arm around Johnny, resting the gun on his shoulder, conveniently pointing it at my face.
            I took a step toward the counter, out of the line of fire. No way I trusted that bitch with a gun in her hand.
She flashed a smile in my direction.
            “Put your hand out on the table.” Johnny said.
            Tony extended his shaking arm. Johnny grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward, and slammed his hand onto the counter.
Tony yelped. “Please.”
My heart raced as my brother hovered the knife over Tony’s hand. “Come on bro…”

            Johnny’s finger shot up, motioning me to be quiet. “Tony. I’m going to teach you a little lesson in trust.” 
About the Author:

Andrew’s a horror fiction writer who is also a massive fan of the genre. He’s been writing short stories and working on his novel for over 5 years. He has several short stories published, as well as some editing credits. He moderates a writing workshop in Phoenix, AZ where he’s been exposed to many different forms of fiction, which have broadened his influences. He aims to write stories that creep out his readers, while offering well-developed, rich characters they can sink their teeth into. He’s also a fan of experimenting with form and structure to create something uniquely my own.

Andrew grew up on Long Island in New York, and has lived in Arizona for the past 7 years. His professional background is in psychology where he’s carved out a nice career for himself. However, writing has always been his passion.

Currently, he’s hard at work, developing additional content to publish. He hopes to find an audience that loves the genre, and is up for a good scare.


Twitter @AndrewTerech

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