Saturday, May 30, 2020

Martimus by Seelie Kay


While I normally don't post on Saturdays this intriguing book came into my box yesterday and I wanted to share it with you.

Martimus
Feisty Lawyers Series (Book 5)
by Seelie Kay
About Martimus:  Martimus. An underwater habitat dedicated to pharmaceutical research. Martimus. A facility that staffs its vessel with inmate labor. Martimus. The place where inmates visit and never return. Agent Cate Creighton is in love. Unfortunately, as the Agency honeypot, she is knee-deep in an assignment that tests the bounds of her new relationship. 

It seems eight socialites have gone missing, all wealthy twenty-somethings with influential parents. No one seems to care until a former vice president’s daughter disappears. When the vice-president shares a tale of false arrest, a broken promise of deportation, an illegal diversion into a private prison, and an alleged trip to an unwater habitat called Martimus, Cate and her colleagues must find a way to follow the same path. In other words, they must enter the right prison, meet the right fixer, wind up on Martimus, and hopefully return in one piece. And it looks like Cate is the perfect bait. 

That doesn’t sit well with Cate’s lover, former U.S. Navy Seal Warren Hazelton. He intends to protect her until death ‘til do they part. Fortunately, another possibility appears, in the form of an MISix agent who has interfered in one too many Agency operations. Tillie Henderson owes them and they are all too willing to serve her up on a plate.

 It’s race against time as the Agency attempts to lure their adversary out of hiding and into their somewhat ambiguous trap. Maybe then Cate can finally focus on love.  

Release Date: May 29, 2019  
Publisher: Extasy Books  
Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, four flames  
Buy links: Publisher: https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2862-4-martimus/ Amazon: coming June 1 Barnes and Noble: Coming June 1 Kobo: Coming June 1
 
 
Excerpt from Martimus:  
Tom cocked an eyebrow. “Warren, you’re a former Navy Seal. Isn’t there some sort of limit on the amount of time you can spend under the sea before it starts to seriously impair your health?” Warren frowned. “Usually two weeks. After that, the lack of exposure to the sun and the constant high pressure oxygenated environment would begin to take a toll. There’s also a psychological impact. Think sensory deprivation. Your senses are out of whack because you’ve been dumped into a soundproof sponge. There is no normal sensory stimulation. No sunlight, no sound… Even taste and smell become compromised. Coming back to the real world would be an adjustment. “In addition, those underwater stations are small. People are right on top of each other. Things we take for granted, like privacy, hot showers, home cooked meals, are in short supply. That can create anxiety, depression, and stress. No way he served that sentence consecutively. He had to take a break in between.” Warren gazed at Tom. “That environment is more hostile than a prison. You may not be in danger from other inmates, but you are putting your life at risk. Three months sounds like way too much time to be stuck underwater though, especially if you’re not leaving the station for deep sea diving on a regular basis. They must be breaking up the time somehow, otherwise they’d have a pretty tough situation on their hands. A lot of contract workers would be headed to a rubber room. It would be extremely difficult to survive a month, much less three, down there.” “Could they be treating the inmates like guinea pigs?” Hope asked. “Testing their limits? Tracking actual survival rates?” Warren sighed. “Possibly. It’s not like they have to answer to anyone. They are located in international waters. No country in particular has legal oversight. I imagine they could be doing anything they want without recourse. Unfortunately, when the prospect of a reduced sentence is dangled in front of some people, they grab it, damn the consequences. If one or two inmates suffer some sort of harm or die along the way, they chalk it up to collateral damage.” “And who’s going to know?” Cate shook her head. “Someone dies, they probably flush them down a chute into the deep sea and they become shark chum. No evidence left behind.” Hope cringed. “God, that’s kind of evil. But that still doesn’t answer our original question. Where the hell is Fuzzy? Has he already served out his sentence? Has he been released, and if he has, where the hell is he? He’s the one we need to find. He could have a lot of the answers.” “That lack of governmental oversight is troubling,” Tom said. “If Cassie McIntyre is down there, I can’t believe the CIA isn’t all over it. At least, our government should be doing a welfare check through the Red Cross or something.” Warren grimaced. “Unless no one knows she is down there. Think about it. They are on the bottom of the ocean, more than two miles under the sea. It’s not like you can just go down there and knock on the door. Any regular monitoring would be impossible.” Cate nodded. “And we haven’t been able to confirm that she embarked on the same path as Fuzzy. All we’ve got are suspicions. Right now, she’s missing. We need to sit down with her family and get more information. And we need to find other prisoners who contracted with Martimus. “Otherwise, we’ve got nothing.”
 

About Seelie Kay: 
Seelie Kay is a nom de plume for a writer, editor, and author with more than 30 years of experience in law, journalism, marketing, and public relations. When she writes about love and lust in the legal world, something kinky is bound to happen! In possession of a wicked pen and an overly inquisitive mind, Ms. Kay is the author of multiple works of fiction, including the Kinky Briefs series, the Feisty Lawyers series, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The White House Wedding, and The President’s Daughter.  

When not spinning her kinky tales, Ms. Kay ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. She resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she shares a home with her son and enjoys opera, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine. Ms. Kay is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!  

Seelie's Author links: www.seeliekay.com www.seeliekay.blogspot.com Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77 Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/
 
Prior Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs/ http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-too/ http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-thrice/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1734-5-kinky-briefs-quatro/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2023-9-kinky-briefs-cinque/ http://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1504-4-a-touchdown-to-remember/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1795-6-the-presidents-wife/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2263-9-snatching-diana/ http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2032-1-the-presidents-daughter https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2291-2-infamy/ https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2349-0-seizing-hope/ https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2538-8-cult/ https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2658-3-hope/ https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2796-2-the-white-house-wedding/

An Interview with Seelie Kay:  
Q. Why do you write romance?  
Because I am fascinated by the games people play to find and secure a lasting relationship, which is not always love. There’s the chase, the courtship, the falling, the surrender. That’s what I try to capture in my stories.  

Q. Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?  
I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, I they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love.  

Q. Why did you write “Martimus?” 
This is the final book in the series, so I needed a way to tie up a lot of loose ends. That meant the Feisty Lawyers needed a compelling story to accomplish that. Something in space was beyond the realm of believability, but something at the bottom of the ocean? The possibilities were endless. I went in all sorts of directions at first, but ultimately made Martimus a key step in a much broader journey. The bottom of the ocean is an unforgiving environment. Survival is never guaranteed. Divert a few socialites there to serve out a prison sentence, make then disappear, and you’ve got what I hope is an exciting story! As a former lawyer, I also developed an interest in private prisons. These are institutions that are governed by a different set of rules and not all institutions follow the same rules. In some cases, the private prison an inmate winds up in can mean the difference between survival and death. In addition, there have been several cases of prosecutors and judges who received a financial incentive to divert inmates to private prison. Some were so incentivized that people innocent of the crimes with which they where charged have been convicted just so the prosecutor or judge could get their kickback. It is an industry that requires serious regulation and monitoring. 

Q. How does your former profession as a lawyer impact your writing?  
My friends say I am obsessed with justice and I guess that’s true. After 30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but it also leads me to great stories!

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Hope you're having a safe and happy weekend. What are your thoughts on an underwater prison?
 

Friday, May 29, 2020

Save the Cat!


While the title of this post may be misleading, there is saving involved just not a cat. If you have ever thought about writing a book or even a screenplay, I have some intriguing information to share with you today.

As part of the WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR for Save the Cat! Structure Software & Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody I had the opportunity to review either or both the book and the software. I selected to check out the Save the Cat! Structure Software

Before I tell you my thoughts on the program, let me share some background on it, the book, and the author.

About Save the Cat!®
Save the Cat! provides writers the resources they need to develop their screenplays and novels based on a series of best-selling books, primarily written by Blake Snyder (1957- 2009). Blake’s method is based on 10 distinctive genres and his 15 story beats (the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet). The books, workshops, story structure software, apps, and story coaching teach you everything you need to unlock the fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation.

Find out more about Save the Cat! by visiting their webpage at www.savethecat.com.

About Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Print Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Writing References
Publisher: Ten Speed Press/Random House Publishing LLC
ASIN: B078VWDNKT
ISBN-10: 0399579745
ISBN-13:978-0399579745

An Amazon #1 best seller with over 500 reviews, it’s the first novel-writing guide from the bestselling Save the Cat! story-structure series, reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.

In this revolutionary novel-writing guide from the bestselling Save the Cat! series, novelist Jessica Brody demystifies each beat, making it simple to learn the complexities of storytelling. The bestseller also reveals the ten universal story genres to help you drill down into what makes your type of story work.

Featuring sample “beat sheets” for hits from the likes of J. K. Rowling, Khaled Hosseini, and Stephen King, this practical guide also includes real-world advice on pitching your novel, plus the quirky, original insights (like the eponymous tip to “Save the Cat”) that make this series unique. By the end of this book, your own imaginative beats will combine to create a story that thrills readers from start to finish.

Save the Cat! Writes the Novel
 is available as a print and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnesand Noble.

About the Save the Cat Structure Software

Save the Cat! Story Structure Software is adapted from the Save the Cat! methodology to help screenwriters and novelists unlock the fundamentals of plot and character transformation. The Story Structure Software is a virtual writer board with digital index cards to help map out your story against the 15 beats or plot points to your story. The software enables writers to track emotional shifts of characters from scene to scene, develop profiles and edit and version your story with ease.

You can purchase a subscription to the Save the Cat! Structure Software at Savethe Cat's website.

About the Author, Jessica Brody
Jessica Brody worked for MGM Studios as manager of acquisitions and business development before becoming an internationally best-selling author of more than fifteen novels for adults and teens including The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, A Week of Mondays, and Better You Than Me. She travels the country teaching Save the Cat! workshops to novelists.

Now my thoughts ……

While I compiled the information for the book I co-authored, I have never sat down to write a book from my imagination even though I’ve toyed with the notion from time to time. For that reason, I don’t consider myself a writer, but decided I would give the software a try to see if it could help me.

Being a novice at writing a book, I found the program needed to be experimented with a bit to get the feel of it and how best to make it work for me. There’s a helpful tutorial to assist with any points you’re not sure of. The program is one I can see being very beneficial to writers, especially those needing to be better organized.

It’s a great way to also jot down notes you want to incorporate in your story later. Using the program you don’t have to remember what you did with the sticky note you wrote last week that had the perfect description of your MC’s favorite getaway – you just pull up the digital index card.

There are prompts to help with all elements of your story and don’t worry if your story turns into a series, the program can help with that too. Also, if you have an idea you’re not sure you’re going to use but don’t want to delete it, just put it in the “litter box” and come back to it later.

If this program can help me, I’m sure it can help you get those thoughts out of your head and down in print. The software is a great help in putting the elements of your story together smoothly.

The tour began @ The Muffin, where you can find the complete tour dates and blogs.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have you tried the Save the Cat! Software or read the book? Tell us your thoughts on the pros and cons you found.


Thursday, May 28, 2020

Forgotten Magic Cover Reveal


Forgotten Magic
Eden Butler
(Crimson Cove, #1)
Publication date: June 28th 2020
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Bane Illes never smiled.
He never spoke.
But each day, that brooding wizard gave Janiver Benoit a glance.
And when she could not take another quiet stare, or the warmth that look sent over her skin, she took from Bane something he’d never give freely—one lingering, soul knocking kiss.
Ten years later, someone has stolen the one thing that keeps magic hidden from the mortals in Crimson Cove and only Janiver can recover it. But returning to her hometown means she’ll have to face the past and all the secrets she left buried there, including the one person she promised herself she’d never see again. The dangerous wizard that might make leaving Crimson Cove the last thing she wants to do.
*FORGOTTEN MAGIC was previously independently released as CRIMSON COVE. However, Eden has since sold the rights to City Owl Press and the book has been replotted, rewritten, and kicks off the new Crimson Coves trilogy which follows witch Janiver Benoit and her siblings as they try to unravel the well-hidden secrets that have destroyed their family.

Author Bio:
Eden Butler is a writer of contemporary, fantasy and romantic suspense novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum.
When she's not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden patiently waits for her Hogwarts letter, reads, and spends too much time in her garden perfecting her green thumb while waiting for the next New Orleans Saints Superbowl win.
She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.
Please send help.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. Doesn't this cover just make you wonder what intriguing adventure awaits inside?
XBTBanner1

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café


It’s a delight to welcome the Queen of small-town fiction, New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas back to Thoughts in Progress to share the debut of her quaintest and craziest Texan town yet in a feel-good new novel released yesterday, BREAKFAST AT THE HONEY CREEK CAFÉ.

Jodi has a romantic, heartwarming contemporary new series set in Honey Creek, Texas—a little town nestled in the rolling hills bordering the Brazos River, where family bonds and legends run deep, and friendship and love (and gossip!) are always close at hand.

BREAKFAST AT THE HONEY CREEK CAFÉ
By Jodi Thomas
*Series: A Honey Creek Novel
*Paperback: 320 pages
*Publisher: Zebra (May 26, 2020)
*Language: English
*ISBN-10: 1420151282
*ISBN-13: 978-1420151282

Piper Jane Mackenzie, mayor of Honey Creek, won’t let a major scandal rip her quirky hometown apart, or jeopardize her dream of one day running for higher office. So, she’s willing to welcome undercover detective Colby McBride, hired to help solve the mystery behind her wannabe fiancé’s disappearance. Colby’s cover? That he is an old boyfriend now begging Piper for a second chance—always when there are plenty of townsfolk around to witness his shenanigans.

Piper hardly knows whether to laugh or cry, especially when she finds herself drawn to the handsome rascal. He's not the only newcomer she has to deal with. There’s a new interim preacher in town, Sam Cassidy. Drifting from one assignment to another since his one love died, Sam isn’t sure he’s the right fit for Honey Creek. But as Piper knows, this is a place chock-full of surprises. And if she can keep her town—and her heart—from going completely off the rails, there may be a sweet, unexpected future in store . . .

Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with the author, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Jodi Thomas
With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 50 novels and a dozen novellas. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world.

Jodi has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. When not working on a novel, Thomas enjoys traveling, renovating a historic home, and “checking up” on her grown sons and four grandchildren.

For more on Jodi and her writing, visit her online at: www.JodiThomas.com

Thanks so much for stopping by today. What is it about small town life that has so much appeal to us as readers?