Friday, November 29, 2013

Black Friday Extravaganza

 
Book One in the Heven and Hell series

 

I'm disfigured. Scarred. Ugly.

When I look in the mirror, I see a stranger. When I look over my shoulder, no one's there…

Yet I feel watched. Hunted. Afraid.

And then he tells me I’m beautiful.

He tells me I’m safe.

I believe him.

Until someone tries to kill me.

Secrets abound, danger is near, and still… my heart desires a boy with whiskey-colored eyes and far too many secrets.

Secrets that could cost me my life.

To stay alive I have to look deep, beneath the masks everyone wears, to find the truth.

To find myself.


Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series and the Death Escorts series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor's degree, couldn't pick a major and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com
http://www.cambriahebert.com




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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Snow Series by Marita Kenney Blog Tour

 

 

Virtual Book Tour Dates: 11/25/13 – 12/2/13

Genres: Christian Fiction

 
Blurb:

 

The Snow Series:
3 Books in 1 "The Snow's Meltdown," Don't Rescue Me," and Seed of Discord"
What happens when everything seems perfect and peaceful, but all of a sudden you, your family, or your surroundings is threatened by something or someone that will rob you of what you've always known? This happens to many people, from all walks of life, each and every day. No one is exempt from the trouble that can cause one to have his or her own personal meltdown.
Some are able to overcome their meltdown. Others, however, are not so fortunate. They find themselves stuck, trying hard to deal with the meltdown of loss, pain, and hurt. Such is the case with the characters in Marita Kinney's novel. Will the Snows break under the pressure or will they be able to overcome?

 



About the Author:

 

Marita L Kinney is a Amazon Best-Selling Author and a woman of many talents. A published Author, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Marita has inspired thousands of people to overcome adversity with triumph through faith and perseverance. While facing several life changing challenges herself, Marita had enough faith to conquer tribulations, coming out victorious. She is best known for her Christian Fiction novellas and heart felt inspirational books. Loving God with her whole heart, she has vowed to live a life of transparency winning souls to Christ with the realness of her journey and the relatability of her testimony.In March of 2009 Marita published her debut book entitled The Unspoken Walk”. Capturing the true essence of what it means to turn “lemons into lemonade”, she has taken the harsh lessons of life and developed a plan for successfully living.

 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

My Review Of When The One Laughs By Tim Chante


Except:  It took a long time for Priya to think this one through. When she had a new thought come: "What is it like," she said, "When a soul wakes up into loneness, when a bit more of God comes home."

Sathmeh smiled. "That is when joy radiates through the cosmos. It is when the ONE laughs."

I give this book a five star review. Tim Chante weaves a good fantasy world with interesting characters. Thanks, Tim, for a good read.



Book Title:  When the ONE Laughs
Author: Tim Chante


Blurb:

Imagine you were on a secret mission. Imagine it was so secret, even you didn’t know about it.

When Tohmas and Hamal sign up for a bargain-rate adventure holiday, they become unwitting pawns in a cosmic struggle of infinite proportions. Fortunately they have Priya, a karate black-belt biker to help them (if she can forgive Tohmas for dumping her in their last incarnation), and their two inexperienced but enthusiastic spirit guides. Plus the ONE of course.

(When the ONE Laughs is a light-hearted, metaphysical narrative that interweaves the answers to why life started, how God thinks, and where we’re all going, with the road-trip adventures of a biker girl, her soul mate, and a weird old man in comedy slippers and a duffle coat).


Buy Links:



Author Bio:

Since leaving school in the early 80s with no qualifications (due to a combination of dislexia and dysinterest), Tim has cared for dolphins in northern Spain; taught all manner of things from IT, to Waterskiing to English; guided spiritual tourists up Mount Sinai on camels and drunk ones around Mallorca on coaches, and even cared for house-plants in a deep dark valley of greenhouses in Cornwall. He has travelled through most of Europe, to India and the Middle East, and lived for a while in Spain and the USA. He now lives on the English east coast with his wife, author J.C. Piech, and has a grown up, adopted son.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Chameleon By Kenya Wright Blog Tour


Title: Chameleon
Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy
Author: Kenya Wright
 
 
Blurb:
Cameo lives in a caged supernatural city where all species are tagged at birth with silver brands embedded in their foreheads. Her X brand identifies her as a Mixbreed, but she’s so much more. Like a chameleon, she can shift from one person’s image to another.
 
It’s a great way to make money for a habitat street kid, or Cage Punk as most people call them. Wiz, her street partner-in-crime, finds her jobs to use her abilities. Some jobs entail changing into people to take academic tests. Others require more skill and involve higher risk.
 
When Wiz asks Cameo to stand in for a Were-wolf teenager who doesn't want to go to her debutante ball, it seems like just another job, until a corpse is discovered and an old friend of Wiz appears.
 
Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sang the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.
 
However, writing has been the only constant love in her life. Will she succeed? Of course.
For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.
 
Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.
~ YouTube ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon


Giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card and Kenya Wright's Paranormal Romance ebook Bundle Giveaway (Eight Books: The first three Santeria Habitat Books, Vampire King Series, Incubus Hunter, and Chameleon)

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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Happy Birthday Ghostly Clues


Wow! I can't believe Ghostly Clues was released a year ago. Time sure flies when you're having fun. This past year has been fun learning what it is like to be a published author. I've been busy writing and I can't wait to have another book published. So stay tuned.


Blurb
The sweet scent of lilacs permeates the air around Grandma’s gravesite. Only Sarah Kay can smell Grandma’s favorite flower, and they’re not even in bloom. 

Sarah Kay and her best friend, Mary Jane, believe the lilacs are a sign from Grandma’s ghost. The girls follow one ghostly clue after another, uncovering a secret that Mom never wanted Sarah Kay to know.

Grandma makes sure Sarah Kay gets the message even from the grave.

 

 

Excerpt

The house was blanketed in a quiet slumber. I snuggled under the sleeping bag with Allison, trying not to think about ghosts, as I drifted to sleep.

Random pictures floated in my mind like ghostly images.

I tiptoed among tombstones and my heart ached as if I had lost something or someone. He had to be here, somewhere. The gravestones rose like stone walls. No names engraved on them. No dates. No R.I.P. Nothing. Just smooth, flat stones. Ghosts—grayish, smoky forms with black eyes—floated over the tombstones.  I shivered, suddenly cold, freezing. My breath visible like a little ghost. I didn’t want to look at the ghost anymore so I looked down at my feet. A tombstone with Grandma’s name appeared out of nowhere. The earth moved. The dirt around the headstone broke away and gnarled fingers clawed their way into the air, searching, grasping. Shriveled fingers clutched my leg. 

Something grabbed at my leg—the hand, I screamed and frantically wiggled out of my sleeping bag, bumping MJ as I tried to get away from the hand I thought I felt grab at my leg.


Bio

I’m Kay LaLone. Ghostly Clues is my first middle grade novel published by MuseItUp. I live in Michigan with my husband and teenage son (two older sons and a daughter-in-law live near by) and two dogs and a cat. I love to get up every morning and write about ghosts, the paranormal, and anything that goes bump in the night. Or anything that interest my characters. Making my characters come to life for readers is important to a good story. I’m an avid reader of just about any type of book. I do reviews on the books I read and post them on my website and blog.
Website link  www.kaylalone.weebly.com

Links

MuseItUp


 Amazon

Friday, November 22, 2013

Alive A Crave Novel By Megan D. Martin

Title: Alive (Crave, #1)
Author: Megan D. Martin
Genre: New Adult Post-Apocalyptic Interracial Romance
Release Date: November 22, 2013


Blurb:
Flesh-eating zombies, dirty sex, and a shattered past…
What’s more dangerous—the man who broke her heart or those trying to eat it?

Fighting to survive, Eve finds herself alone in the world after the Crave—the only parallel of her former life. On the hunt for her sister, she runs into Gage—the first and only boy to have her heart and break it. It’s been four years and he isn’t a boy anymore, nor is he the same person he used to be. Against her better judgment, Eve agrees to stay with him when he divulges information on a safe haven near the small town they grew up in—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it…

Returning home elicits a myriad of emotions that both Eve and Gage thought they had buried. The past and present collide and they are forced to the face bitter deceits that ruined them in the before and threaten to destroy them now…

Add to Goodreads 

Book Trailer
About Megan:

Megan D. Martin is a multi-published author, mother, student and editor. In her spare time she enjoys decorating her house with strange things that do not match, playing her old school Nintendo Entertainment System, and buying fish for her many fish tanks. To learn more about Megan, check her out on these social networking sites.

Website: www.MeganDMartin.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormegandmartin 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Megan_D_Martin 
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6656963.Megan_D_Martin 
Google+: https://plus.google.com/115096823539939478098/posts 

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Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Wrong One by K. C. Sprayberry

 
Blurb:

One by one, the residents of Landry, Georgia gave up on finding Lyssa Winders alive. It had, after all, been fourteen years since she vanished. The men who invaded her home left behind the bodies of those she loved with all her heart. Only one person never gave up and still searches for Lyssa. Kyle Tinker battles his own demons from that night, when he hid like a coward instead of running for help. Their eighteenth birthday looms on the horizon, and Kyle is determined to bring Lyssa home.

Meanwhile, Kim Tinker is having trouble understanding her dreams about a pretty blonde girl—she has no idea that these dreams are of her life as Lyssa Winters. She also hears a guy who has recently started talking to her--in her head. All Kim wants is to get away from a family which hates her, but doing it safely is the one thing which eludes her.

On the day of the Freedom Festival, Kyle sees the girl he never thought he'd see again. And Lyssa finds the one person she's protected for the last fourteen years on their shared birthday.  

Excerpt:

Four-year-old Lyssa Winders landed with a thump on her living room floor. Her bottom hurt from the hard wood, and her head ached from all the yelling and shouting she'd been hearing. Nothing made sense. She just wanted this to stop.

Her parents, Auntie Keisha, Nana Brandy, and Grandpa Monty kneeled in front of her. They had their hands on the back of their heads, and they looked very scared.

"Gonna talk now, Jack?" the stinky man asked. He had carried her out of the safety of her bedroom and dumped her on the floor. "Or do I hurt your kid?"

Stinky jerked Lyssa to her feet. She couldn't run. He held her tight in front of his nasty smelling body.

"She's just a baby," Daddy said. "Don't hurt Lyssa. Let her go. She won't tell anyone anything." He stared at her with scared eyes. "Right, baby? You won't say anything." She nodded, and her daddy faced Stinky. "See, she agreed. Just let her go."

"Nope." A man near her laughed.

She turned her head and saw her puppy. Rags crept out from behind the sofa. His tail stood straight in the air, and he made growly noises in his throat.

Lyssa swallowed hard. Rags couldn't come any closer. Stinky had a gun. He had a horribly tight grip on her shoulder.


Bio: KC Sprayberry started writing young, first as a diarist, and later through an interest in English and creative writing. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now in his senior year of high school.

Her family lives in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Five anthologies feature other short stories, and her young adult novel Softly Say Goodbye, released in 2012. During 2013, more young adult stories have been released: The Ghost Catcher, Who Am I?, Family Curse … Times Two, and Amazon Best Seller, Canoples Investigations Tackles Space Pirates, Canoples Investigations Versus Spacers Rule, Take Chances, Mama's Advice, Secret From the Flames, and Where U @.

Links:










Wednesday, November 20, 2013

My Review of The Sound Of Sirens By Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser


The Sound of Sirens (Book Two of the José Picada, P.I. Series)

By Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser

 

Blurb:

Having narrowly survived an encounter with murderous black magic, private investigator Josie P. Cates has settled into the humdrum life of her new profession. But she now faces a challenge far more terrifying: Thanksgiving week with her mother. Against all odds, the week proceeds nicely, at least until her friend Arthur disappears at the amusement park run by country music star Tommy Thomas and reality television celebrity Ophie Sue Rail. With help from her on-again-off-again boyfriend, her overly-peppy stepsister, and a distant European cousin, Josie must not only rescue Arthur, but unravel the ancient mystery that links Tommy and Ophie Sue.


Tell us about your book and how the story came to be.

 

Dave: I'm constantly on the lookout for inspiration for some future project. In this case, it happened at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The PeopleMover ride goes through the Space Mountain indoor roller coaster and, for a few minutes, it's pretty darn dark. This led directly to the use of an amusement park in our new book, The Sound of Sirens. You'll have to read the book to find out why. That sounds like a pathetic attempt to get people to buy the book. So if you don't want to buy the book, but want to know how the PeopleMover figures in, get in touch with me on Twitter. At the time I write this, I don't have a Twitter account. Hopefully I get one before this interview is posted.

 

Heather: I have a Twitter account, but the PeopleMover story is way too long for 140 characters. But you can send us a message on Facebook (the link is below) and we’ll tell you the whole tale. In addition to being set in a theme park, The Sound of Sirens takes place at Thanksgiving time. Main character Josie Cates, while on vacation during the holiday, runs into paranormal shenanigans. Yup, that’s just her luck!

 

What three words best describe your main character?

 

Dave: I would say female, woman, and lady. I mean "lady" in the biological sense, not the "classy person" sense. I think if Josie caught me calling her a classy person, she'd punch me.

 

Heather: I would say smart, stubborn, and kind of a goofball. She’s a newbie private investigator, and very fun to write. I miss Josie when working on other projects.

 

Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

 

Dave: We usually don't create characters before they're needed in the story. Typically, they show up out of nowhere. Their names are normally just the first thing that pops into my head. Sometimes the names might change later on if something better comes up. As for making them believable, a heavy dose of autonomy usually does the trick. Let them make their own decisions.

 

Heather: We love seeing where our characters take us.

 

Do your characters follow your plot path or do they take on a life of their own? Do you keep them in check?

 

Dave: Keep them in check? Hardly. We have a general destination in mind for the plot and turn our characters loose. The wilder the ride, the better.

 

Heather: I think Mr. Toad would be proud of us. (Another Disney reference, for those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.)

 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?

 

Dave: All the time. I have two methods for solving the problem. The first is to call Heather and talk it out. I can't tell you how many times I've come up with the answer just by talking about it out loud. The second method is to... darn. For the life of me, I can't think of the other way. Let me give Heather a quick call and I'll figure it out.

 

Heather: Ha! Yes, talking it out between the two of us is how we usually solve writer’s block, whether it’s in regard to a co-authored piece or one of our solo projects.

 

What types of books do you like to read?

 

Dave: I'll read pretty much anything. My current reading pile (some of which I've actually found time to start) includes The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter, As I Knew Him by Anne Serling, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, and A Comedy of Terrors by Graeme Smith. So just right there we have a Thriller, Biography, History, and Fantasy. If I could round this list off with a Teen Paranormal Romance, I'd have just about everything.

 

Heather: I gravitate toward mysteries and fantasy, though I’ll give just about anything a try. And I’d be happy to loan you Dream Shade, Dave!

 

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

 

Dave: Vacuuming and watching baseball. Now that the World Series is over, I have a lot more time for vacuuming. True story: I asked for a carpet shampooer for my birthday. It's so much fun.

 

Heather: I asked for a Dyson vacuum for Christmas one year. Love it! Aside from cleaning the house, my downtime is spent reading, walking my crazy dog, and hanging out with my three boys. Oh, and I travel as much as possible!

 

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

 

Dave: We're currently working together on the next José Picada book and a MG fantasy book. On my own, I'm still trying to finish my noir detective novel from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last year.

 

Heather: I’m revising last year’s NaNo book, too. It’s Chick Lit, a genre I’ve never delved into before, which is fun. I work on that one when Dave is in possession of our co-authored projects. It’s nice to switch back and forth between a co-written book and a solo project. You get to look at each manuscript with fresh eyes every time you get back to it.

 

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?

Dave: Pretty much anything Stephen King put in On Writing. Anything from the writing section, that is, not the autobiography part. I think "Don't get hit by a car" is rather obvious.

 

Heather: Yes, that does sort of go without saying.

 

Where can readers find you and your books?

 

Dave: I'm usually at home in Upstate New York. Most of my books are on the bookshelves in my basement. A few are on the nightstand by my bed.

 

Heather: As the self-appointed Social Media Manager of Brainerd & Fraser, I have a real answer for you (though I like Dave’s take on it). You can find us on:

Blog: http://drivingblindproductions.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrainerdFraser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFBrainerd

 

You can find our books on:



Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jos-eacute-picada-pi-heather-fraser-brainerd/1115288564?ean=2940016788128

I give this book a five star review. I loved it. Josie is a strong, fun character.  She doesn't give up easily. The mystery is captivating with a great ending. I can't wait to read more of Josie's mysteries. Thank you, Heather and David, for a good read.

Leave a comment below for a chance to win the prize of your choice! If your name is randomly selected, you’ll get to choose one ebook from the José Picada, P.I. Series: Deception Al Dente (book one) or The Sound of Sirens (book two).

Leave a comment. You won't be disappointed in these books. Thanks.

Friday, November 15, 2013

A Small Story For Page 3 By Jack W. Germond


A Small Story for Page 3

Harry Fletcher can’t for the life of him figure out what exactly the ‘nugget’ of information his colleague, Eddie Concannon, uncovered prior to his death is. Picking his way along the threads of information, Harry soon finds himself at odds with government officials and his own newspaper seems to be involved in the collusion.  Join Harry as he deciphers the clues and enjoy a journey into the world of investigative reporting set against a colorful back drop of characters and locations.
Short Excerpt from A Small Story for Page 3
"Oddly enough, ladies and gentlemen of the TV audience," Harry announced in his persona as Larry Largelungs of Action Central News, "the condemned man was smiling and singing as he approached the gallows."
The mood changed when he arrived at Wear's office to find the executive editor and the managing editor waiting and somberly reading printouts of the story.
"This thing has to be settled today," Wear said. "It's gone on long enough, it's tied us in knots, and we need to find a solution."
"I thought we had one," Harry said. "The story shows he has been sailing under false colors as a corruption fighter by trying to protect one of the targets of the investigation with whom he had a connection, perhaps lucrative, not previously disclosed."
"We're not the ones who have to be convinced," Mike reminded him.
When they walked into Marcotte's office, it was obvious he was not prepared to be persuaded. The publisher remained behind his huge mahogany desk and with a brusque gesture he seated the others at the small conference table.
"I've read the story you people seem to think should run on Page One as soon as possible," he said, "I think it’s still libelous horseshit, and I intend to spike it, this time for good. You still have no hard evidence that Tyler Bannister resisted Phase Two because of some personal concern. But Tyler denies it flat-out and there's no quote from him to corroborate it."
Harry was trying to contain his fury. "The only quote from him in reply was “go fuck yourself.” Do you want to use that?"
"Don't be flippant, Fletcher, this is a serious question."
"We all understand that, Dave," Wear said, stepping in quickly. "If you want a clearer denial in more decorous terms, we can do that."
"A denial isn't going to change the fact that we are doing serious damage to Tyler Bannister's reputation and potentially his political career," Marcotte said, his voice rising. "I don't intend to be a party to that."
"That was never our intention," Wear said. "We've gone where the story has taken us. The truth is that this episode raises serious questions about Bannister's candidacy."
"It shows him interceding in behalf of a friend and former business associate in an official investigation," Harry said with some heat. "That's a part of the truth about him that we know but our readers do not."
"Don't give me that truth and readers crap, Fletcher," the publisher said. "I remember you calling him a trimmer way back there. You had it in for him from the start. So did Concannon."
"This story quotes Tom Lawton saying Bannister called him with a warning about being on Carvaggio's list of targets and it quotes Rudy Myers as confirming that Bannister ordered Lawton's name stricken from that list once he agreed to retire from the bench."
"I know what the story says but, as I told you earlier, Fletcher," Marcotte said, "it is the publisher, not the reporter, who decides what appears in the News and I have made the decision on this one." After an interminable twenty seconds of silence, he continued, "I think we're through here, gentlemen. Thanks for coming in." When the elevator dropped them at the third floor, Wear beckoned them into his office and closed the door on Meg. "I don't know what we do now," he said.
"What you and Mike do," Harry said, "is keep faith with the good people here who depend on you to let them put out a good newspaper and hope for change. What I do, is clean a few things out of my desk and walk out of the building. I don't have any choice now."
"What are you going to do about the story," Mike asked.
"I haven't thought it through, Mike, but I'm not going to give it to the Trib or some television station. I don't know if the story is mine to use elsewhere or what. It would take a lot of time and effort for anyone else to duplicate it."
Wear had a different concern. "What are you going to say when the word gets out that you've left the building?" he asked.
"I could just tell the truth—that I have left the News after almost thirty years because of a decision by the publisher to spike a story I wrote. Period." He laughed. "I'll leave it to Amy Whiting to fill in the blanks."
At Wear's office door, he turned to his two old friends. "Look, this isn't the end of the world. Let's all have dinner later in the week, some place public for all to see. Meanwhile, I'll keep you posted."

1. Tell us about your book and how the story came to be.
 
Jack’s book is a newspaper/political tale, which certainly makes sense since he knew them best – Jacl was a newspaper man for almost 60 years and spent most of his time covering national politics.  The issues raised in the book are ones that mirror some of the questions in today’s newspaper and political
world.

 2. What three words best describe your main character? 
  
Jack’s main character is much like him:  tough, smart, ethical and occasionally vulnerable.
3.  Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable? 
 
Jack spent a lot of time naming his characters and he enjoyed coming up with names that fit.  He created his characters partly from being the observer he’s been and partly from fiction – or what he expected them to be.
4.  Do your characters follow your plot path or do they take on a life of their own? Do you keep them in check? 
 
As Jack wrote he discovered the characters took on a life of their own.  At one point when he was puzzling over some development and we were chatting about it I made a suggestion, he told me that was a great idea but the character wouldn’t do that.  So I think there were some checks but mostly the plot and the characters’ development, true to the characters and what they would do.

 5.  Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? If so, how did you over come it? 
 
Jack never had any trouble writing, did it his whole life, loved it and often said he would have done it for nothing.  However, he was a bit reluctant at first to write a novel, fearing it wouldn’t be good.  I’m glad I encouraged him to do it – leap and the net will appear – plus I would have told him if it wasn’t.
 
6.  What types of books do you like to read?  
 
Jack liked mysteries and realistic fiction best.
 
7.  What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?  
 
 Jack loved the race track, good conversation over dinner with friends and wine and extending the evening.  He liked reading the newspaper daily sitting on the deck with his coffee and watching the bluebirds nest.  A drink on the deck at sunset sharing the day was another pleasure.
 
8.  What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story? 
Sadly, Jack passed away on August 14th so this is his last work.
 
9.  What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?   
 
I would guess, “Just do it.”  Jack wrote fast, clearly, and as a newspaperman would, without a lot of artifice.

Jack Germond (January 30, 1928 – August 14, 2013) was a retired newspaper man, columnist and TV pundit. But like a Thoroughbred racehorse, a reporter never actually retires—he just writes about other things. The author brings his vast knowledge and understanding of the press and the business of getting the information to public to bear in his breakout novel, A Small Story for Page 3. Mr. Germond was nationally known as a bemused liberal and was a regular on The McLaughlin Group as well as appearing on other public affairs TV programs — CNN, Meet The Press and The Today Show among others. He covered ten presidential elections, and with Jules Witcover wrote a book covering each presidential election from 1980 to 1992. Timothy Crouse made Germond a prominent figure in “Boys on the Bus” his acclaimed book on the 1972 presidential election. Mr. Germond has previously published two non-fiction books, his memoir “Fat Man in A Middle Seat” (Random House 2002) and “Fat Man Fed Up” (Random House 2005) a scride on the decline of politics in the United States. Along with Jules Witcover he wrote a syndicated column that ran in 140 papers five days a week from 1977 to 2001.  2000. 
Chris Farley once spoofed Germond on Saturday Night Live. Germond was known for his no nonsense approach to reporting and his love of good food, good liquor and good friends. He instituted The Germond Rule which two generations of political reporters have adhered to. The rule simply stated that when a group of reporters dined together the tab would be split evenly, no matter who ate or drank more. This caused his many friends to eat and drink defensively when covering stories and enjoying good company.

Jack Germond was one of a kind and he will be missed. MuseItUp Publishing is proud to publish his first and only fiction novel.


 Alice Germond is the Secretary Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee.
She was elected Secretary unopposed three times from 2002 to January 2013. Alice also served on the Executive Committee, the Rules and By-Laws Committee and as Secretary for the Democratic National Convention where she called the role of states that determines the Party's nominee. Alice has participated in every Convention since 1974 when the Party wrote its National Charter.  Alice currently is an elected At-Large member of the DNC and serves on the Resolutions Committee.

Active in the Democratic Party for over 45 years, she has held leadership positions in local, state and national campaigns including Political Director for Clinton/Gore in CA, Deputy National Political Director for Michael Dukakis, and Super Delegate Director for Gary Hart. In 1988 Alice moved to Washington DC, and became Director of Political Operations for Ron Brown's successful election as Chair of the DNC. She was named his Senior Advisor, coordinating DNC Party Programs and was his liaison to the 1992 Convention. From 1993—1996 she was Director of the DNC's Government and Party Affairs Departments.

A strong advocate for issues and party values, Alice led the historic effort to put Geraldine Ferraro on the Democratic Ticket while Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus Democratic Task Force. During her tenure as Executive Vice President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Fortune Magazine ranked NARAL as the most effective women's organization in the nation. Alice also worked for the AFL-CIO's Women's Division and for SEIU. One of Alice's earliest experiences was participating in Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" March on the National Mall.

Alice has broad experience as a speaker and working with the press. Her op-eds have been published by major newspapers and on the internet, and in 1995 CBS hired Alice for their special Convention Coverage Unit. She has spoken at Party Events in 50+ States and for the campaigns, organizations and issues with which she is identified. Her international work includes lectures at Tsinghua University in Beijing, leader of two delegations to Taiwan, presentations in Madrid, London, Barcelona, Toronto, the Virgin Islands and several NDI exchanges including one for the European Parliament.

In 2013 President Barack Obama appointed Alice to the prestigious Commission on White House Fellows where she currently serves. Prior commissions include the CA Council on Criminal Justice (Gov. E G Brown, Jr.) and the LA Olympics Government Affairs Committee. 

Alice earned her BA from Bennington College, VT in 1965 where she received a non-resident term scholarship and was Chair of the school legislature.  Her MS Degree in Public Administration/Recreation was awarded in 1977 from CA State Un. LA with a 4.0 average.

Now living on a bend of the Shenandoah River in West Virginia, Alice grows vegetables and fruits, goes running with her dog Freddy, and watches the bald eagles who have returned to the region. Coffee on the deck, warm conversation with many friends and visits from six grandchildren are a constant pleasure. 

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking Political Investigating By A Winner August 16, 2013

A SMALL STORY FOR PAGE 3 by Jack W. Germond

I never expected my first review for author Jack W. Germond to be my last, but I guess if it has to be the last, it might as well be a top notch book to review...and that's the case here.

Inside a major D.C. Newspaper hub where the busy world of digging out political intrigue is daily fair that makes the headlines and sells the papers, Jack W. Germond has created a tense, boiler pot of a story. He shows one and all the glamour we all think the media news possesses is actually coated beneath many layers of tarnish, some obvious, some concealed, some seedy, and some spreading like a dry rot through the majestic limbs of our stately cherry trees.

No one alive today can look at the day-to-day business that transpires within the Beltway and not know lies, deceit, and subterfuge play huge parts in creating the ever shifting sands creating the foundation of politics. Jack Germond's ace reporter, Harry Fletcher knows this seedy world very well, and plays it with the panache of a man who's been at it for a long time.

Upon the death of his colleague and friend, Harry is given what those in the business call a "nugget"...a story not fully developed, and told to flesh it out...find the meat...get the story...if it really exists, but keep it close to his chest.

Treacherous waters. Harry must swim upstream against the odds, but when he does, who will he uncover are the real sharks waiting to tear him fin from fin?

This is a gripping story I read from beginning to end in one sitting. Mr. Germond's story telling skills captivated and had me cheering Harry Fletcher on as he came up against obstacle after obstacle and obstacle while ferreting out the truth. 



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