There are two stops on this week’s review tour.
The first, Locks, Hooks and Books
 
Sun Storm is my first introduction to Marlow Kelly’s writing. It, also, begins The Gathering Storm series. I had no problem having it read in a few hours. The suspense and mystery made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next with Dr Marie Wilson and David Quinn. 
 
I give Sun Storm four and a half stars. I look forward to the next installment from The Gathering Storm series. 

The second, Our Town Book Reviews
 
A really tough book to put down. This is a good thriller with lots of twists and turns. Marie is a child prodigy, a scientist trying to create another source of energy for us. A small mobile type of solar energy. One to help med units, army units, people living in the wild, well many, many things. Enough things to make the big companies nervous enough to make sure she can’t sell it. One of the guys that intends to make sure she can’t sell it was told she stole it and he intends to get it back for his company. David, a decorated soldier, has no idea that a killing is in the planning. 
 
This is a different sort of plot; maybe a little more modern than what you might be used to. Different enough to keep me reading and good enough to keep me guessing a little at who would be good and who would be bad. This is not a book with a huge amount of main characters although there are several characters involved. I had no problem knowing “who was who”, so to speak. I think that’s because Kelly did a very good job with defining her characters. Each seemed to have his or her own unique personality. There is a little romance in this book; not enough to ruin the book for me. It is more romance in the sense of desire than sex (can there be a difference for that). 
 
Sun Storm is Book 1 of a series titled “The Gathering Storm Series”. Marlow Kelly has several books published, all with good reviews.

​This is a review tour for Sun Storm. A $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC will be awarded to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. There are weekly stops with one review being posted today and two reviews each week until 26th March.
No purchase is required for entry.
All you have to do is visit these sites on the dates listed and enter the rafflecopter.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Looking for a book where the action starts right off and never really slows down? This would be a very good choice for you!
Just a few pages into this story, our heroine, Marie, is alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere when four men with guns burst in through the door. She’s dressed in long underwear and nothing else, and does whatever she can to escape. Thankfully, one of the men has a change of heart when he realizes what they are actually up to, and helps.
I liked Marie right off. It’s funny, she has this idea that she’s a frightened, incapable woman (I blame this on her good-for-nothing father) but she manages to escape more than once from the people trying to capture or kill her. She’s smart and actually pretty darn fearless. I guess we never know what we’re capable of until we’re put into a situation where we have to step up or die. She was, thankfully, never stupid (okay, one time I questioned what she did, but…) and always smart and brave.
I like David, too. He really just wants to live his life off the grid in peace, but finds himself smack dab in the middle of trouble. Never one to take injustice lying down, he does everything he can to figure out who’s on his side and who isn’t, and to protect Marie.
The suspense portion of this book is pretty well spot on. Lots of action, lots of intrigue, never entirely knowing who’s a good guy and who isn’t (with some exceptions). The suspense and action kept me turning pages. I read this book in just a couple of days because it definitely held my interest. I was honestly surprised to find out one of the cops was not what I thought he was at the end. And I do hope to see the head of the Syndicate get their comeuppance (what a horrible sociopath that person turned out to be).
The romance portion took a little suspension of disbelief. It’s not that Marie and David didn’t have chemistry–the absolutely did. My big issue is, I’m not a fan of “instalove” and these two weren’t together long before they were madly in love with each other. I remember a line from the movie “Speed” where Sandra Bullock’s character says, “…relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last.” And I always wonder about that when I read this type of book. They meet while dodging bullets, the spend every minute running and dodging bullets and proclaim their love for each other in a few days. What happens when they settle down, raise bees, live a quiet life? Again, I honestly think these two will be fine because at heart they’re both really kind of quiet homebodies, but I probably would have been happier with a “happy for now” than an “HEA” in this case (and, since this is the start of a series, we could see the relationship develop some as the other books are released).
The thing I liked best about this book was the clear, strong relationship the friends had with each other. Clearly there is absolute trust between them, and each would do anything to help one of the others. I like Michael the best of the group (outside of David, of course), but Finn was interesting as well, and were their tidbits of a “twin bond” between Sinclair and David that might come up again? Only time will tell. I’m a sucker for character driven stories, and despite the action here, it was the strong, interesting characters that kept me reading.
This is a great start to what promises to be an intriguing series.

​This is a review tour for Sun Storm. A $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC will be awarded to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. There are weekly stops with one review being posted today and two reviews each week until 26th March.
No purchase is required for entry.
All you have to do is visit these sites on the dates listed and enter the rafflecopter.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
To enter go to The Long and Short Reviews

Eight Steamy Romance Reads.
 
ONE ANTHOLOGY YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS.
 
Pure Textuality PR is proud to present SEDUCTIVE, an anthology which speaks directly to the romance lover in all of us. Featuring eight of today's best romantic storytellers, this anthology promises to deliver the love stories you crave.
 
FEATURED AUTHORS
Brea Viragh, Donna Mercer, Jade C. Jamison, Krista Ames, M.C. Cerny, Marlow Kelly, Michelle De Leon, RaeAnne Hadley

TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY 
​
To celebrate the release of the SEDUCTIVE anthology, we're giving away one $100 Amazon gift card and five paperback copies of the anthology!
 
LINK:  https://bit.ly/2Duicvr
 
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open internationally. One winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Five winners will each be chosen to win a paperback copy of the anthology. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR.  Giveaway ends 3/31/2019 @ 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per reader. Duplicates will be deleted. By entering, you agree to sign up for the newsletters of the eight participating authors and Pure Textuality PR's reader newsletter. ​​

​About Disturbance:

Held captive by violent bank robbers, they must put the betrayals of the past aside and learn to trust each other again.
 
Sophie Reed is the top criminal defense attorney in Granite City. She champions the wrongly accused and ensures the justice system works for everyone. 
 
Detective Mateo Ramirez can’t believe he used to love Sophie. Everything she does is a betrayal of his work as a cop, but when she’s near his body reminds him of just how close they used to be.
 
When they are held hostage in a bank robberythey realize their attraction for each other has never diminished, but can they overcome their conflicting viewpoints and work together. 

Excerpt:

Heat coursed through Mateo’s veins as it always did whenever she was around. Her large, luminous green eyes, her upturned nose, and her smooth skin always disturbed him, throwing him off balance. He reined in his physical reaction. She was one of the most gifted lawyers he had ever encountered and could have had a career with any prosecuting attorney’s office.  But no, she had to practice as a defense attorney. It wasn’t logical, but it felt like she had betrayed him. It was as though she had gone out of her way to hurt him.
“You should’ve told Needham he’d mixed up the cases.”
She stared at him as though he’d lost his mind. “That’s crazy. It’s not my job to do his thinking for him.” She rocked back in her chair.
He either had to release his hold on the armrests or end up in her lap. He chose to stand. 
She placed her feet on her desk. The action made her skirt slip up her thighs, revealing the top of her stockings. 
He imagined running his hand over her pale, silky flesh. Back in the day, she’d had the sexiest underwear collection, and from the look of things, that hadn’t changed. Blood surged to his penis. He thumped the desk, burying his unwelcome attraction. “Bullshit. You have a responsibility—” 
“No. I have a responsibility to my client.” Her smug look told him she felt no remorse for letting a dangerous kid back onto the streets.
“You should at least have—”
“If you cared that much about the case, you should have gone to court yourself.” She crossed her ankles. Was it an intentional attempt to distract him? Maybe make him remember what it felt like to have her long, luscious legs wrapped around his waist. 
She gave him a knowing smile. She was playing with him. She knew he had a physical weakness for her and was using it to confuse him.
He shook his head, denying not only her charge, but also his own emotional turmoil. “It wasn’t my—”
“Bull.” She sat up straighter in her chair. Her skirt hitched farther up her legs. “You were off duty when you came upon the scene.” 
“We stopped to help a fellow officer.” He glanced at her breasts. Her nipples pressed against a plain white blouse that wasn’t sexy or revealing in any way, yet was somehow more enticing than her lace stockings. He licked his dry lips. He had to keep his mind on the case. “There’s nothing wrong with that?”
“Right, but why is your partner testifying in a case that clearly belongs to the patrolling officer?” 
He bent over her, closing the short distance between them so they were inches apart. “The kid was drunk.”
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze, not backing down. “He’d just lost his mother. Where’s your compassion?”
His nose was almost touching hers. “Where’s your compassion for the woman whose house he wrecked when he swerved off the road and drove into it?”
“She has house insurance and she can sue. No one was hurt.” 
“What about next time?” He was very aware of her scent, honey mixed with apples. God, he wanted to taste her.
“There won’t be a next time.” She snapped out the words like a volley from a rifle.
“You have an answer for everything. If I had any sense, I would shut you up,” he replied in the same tone. Her body, her mouth, even his own anger, were getting to him. He should back away, but he couldn’t.
“I dare you,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his.

Disturbance is only available in

​This post is for those of you who are thinking of starting the New Year doing a weight loss regime. I want to take this opportunity to say – YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. The scale tells you nothing of importance. It doesn’t tell us if you are a good person if you’re talented, and most importantly it does nothing to describe the music in your soul.
Increasingly doctors are starting to realize that your BMI (Body Mass Index) is not a good indication of health, especially for women. 
 
As I mentioned in a previous post, my own weight loss journey started when I was diagnosed with bone loss and was advised by my doctor to consume 1200 mg of calcium daily. I’m allergic to dairy, and although I take a supplement for 600 mg of calcium (the maximum safe dose.) consuming the remaining 600 mg was a challenge. Eventually, after many allergic hives, I figured that drinking two glasses of soymilk was the most calorie efficient way to go. Fast-forward six months and I were 10 lbs. heavier and none of my clothes fit. 

I’m not a great fan of weight loss fads or New Year’s resolutions for that matter, but I have always had success with Weight Watchers. Plus, I needed to figure out how drinking two cups of soymilk would fit into my daily regime.
As I mentioned in my September blog post, I joined Weight Watchers on 19th August 2018. 
A month later I had lost a total of 3.5 lbs. and I had stalled, which was disheartening considering I stuck to my daily total of 23 points. I used my weekly allotment of 28 points at the weekend, never going over. I religiously weighed myself every Friday morning, hoping the scale had budged just a little. I wanted to have something to show for all my hard work and sacrifice, but it had stopped moving.
To make matters worse, I was always hungry, and a hungry me is a cranky me. I seriously thought about giving up. Then one Friday evening I broke down. I ate everything. I didn’t count points. I didn’t work out, and I didn’t stop until Saturday night. I just relaxed, enjoyed the flavors, and the feeling of a full stomach.
Come Sunday morning I was ready to get on with counting points and sticking to the Weight Watchers plan. I dreaded my weigh-in the following Friday believing my weekend indulgence would have ruined all my work. Imagine my surprise to discover I had lost 2 lbs.
After some researched I discovered I had stumbled onto Cheat Day. This is a concept outlined in a post from Dr. Oz’s blog Cheat on Your Diet and Still Lose Weight
Here’s a quote:
“Tons of dieting experts agree that you should build in “cheat days” since too much deprivation can actually lead to more cravings, causing you to break from your diet. In addition, going off your diet once in a while stimulates the thyroid gland and can “wake up” your metabolism. Cheating in a sensible way will help steer you toward success in the long-term.”
I have now reached my goal. A week before Christmas I was down 10 lbs. I’m not slim, and I most definitely do not weight the same as I did twenty years ago, but I do fit into all my clothes, and that was my goal.
If you are planning to diet think about incorporating a cheat day into your week.

As we race towards the holiday season I thought it might be fun to do another sale, and take part in another exciting multi-author giveaway. 
With that in mind I enrolled in a holiday 99 Books @ 99 Cents fair. This three-day event is a fun way to find bargain books, win free ebooks and enter to win daily free prizes.
So if your wallet is feeling the pinch during the holidays, but you’re looking for some awesome new reads, you’ve come to the right place. As the name suggests, there are 99 books on sale December 12-15 for 99 cents each. Less than a buck for hours of amazing storytelling!
Plus, check in daily for a chance to win Amazon gift cards or play instant ebook giveaways for one of 12 books being awarded to lucky winners each day.

I’ve spent the last week formatting my books files for IngramSpark. This was a pain in the butt, and took a lot of time and patience, but I believe it was worth it in the end for the expanded distribution.
When I published my first book I paid someone to format the eBook for me. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I would want to update my books to include information on my latest release. 
I have to admit formatting is not my favorite thing to do, but like all other aspects of the publishing industry it is necessary.
I don’t believe you have to pay for expensive software to do the job, especially when it comes to eBook fomatting. All you need is Microsoft Word and the right attitude. 
Here are some of the websites and software I have used to format my work. All of them are free or can be used on a free trial.

Interior files for eBook
 
Free course in eBook formatting from Book Reality 
I can’t say enough good things about this course. This course teaches you to use styles in Word to format your work. You progress at your own speed, and can redo a lesson if you need clarification. Best of all, it’s free.
 
Draft2Digital
I’ve never used this service because after doing the Book Reality course I can format my work as I go, but they claim to format your book for you. You can also download copies of your book in mobi, epub, and pdf for your own use.
 
Amazon  - Kindle Create
My full-length novels are published exclusively on Amazon through their KDP Select program. You can download Kindle Create software free to format your eBook for KDP.
This program works really well with the formatting principles I learned in the Book Reality program. 
I use this because it’s Amazon. They know what they want and by using their software I can create a book that works well on their platform.
One thing to note; you have to make all your hyperlinks for your front and back matter live before you upload your book to Kindle Create. This software is not capable of creating a hyperlink.

Interior Files for Print
Personally, I find formatting for print much more demanding. There are a lot of variables that you just don’t have to consider when formatting for an eBook; such as page size, trim, margins, page numbers, headers, and gutters. Urgh!
 
Formatting Templates
To help with all these variables I found these handy-dandy templates on a Createspace forum.
I suggest you check them out. I have found them to be invaluable.  
 
IngramSpark
IngramSpark are a little fussier about formatting and cover art. In fact, my cover artist won’t work with them.
If you decide to publish your books with IngramSpark, all your documents have to be saved as PDF/X-1a:2001. This means you can’t use Word’s save as function to create your PDF. You actually have to convert the file. To do this I used Adobe. My computer didn’t come with any Adobe software so I downloaded Adobe DC on a 7-day free trial. Then I googled the instructions for converting the file, which worked well.
​ 
As I said before, my cover artist only makes paperback cover art for KDP / Createspace and I can see why. The cover art I have been successfully using for the last eighteen months was rejected. It seems that the letters on the spine were too close to the edge.
There was a fix.
IngramSpark will send you a template to use with InDesign, which is another Adobe program. Once again, you can download a 7-day free trial for InDesign, and then google the instructions.
I had to play around with the image to make it work. I didn’t use InDesign for this. That was way too complicated. I just uploaded my work to Canva, and then downloaded the altered image.

If you want to save yourself some time and effort you can transfer your paperback file from KDP Paperback to IngramSpark. Here are the instructions.
You can transfer your files from KDP Paperback to IngramSpark. Here are the instructions they sent me:
- Make sure your IngramSpark account is fully setup first.
- If transferring a title from an existing IngramSpark or LSI account, please copy in original publisher or let us know publisher name so we can get their approval for the transfer.
- If you are transferring from Create Space the title has to first be in expanded distribution so it arrives in our system. If in expanded distribution, please remove it. If not, please add it. We will communicate on our end with CS to transfer the title. We also recommend that you reach out to CS yourself to expedite the process. You must notify us BEFORE we move title over if you need to update price or return status. We only send pricing to retailers once a month.
- Complete attached transfer form. The form is to be completed by the person taking over ownership of the title. Current publisher does NOT complete the form. If you already have submitted a form to us, do not send another one. Just notify us that you have one on file.
- Reply back to this same email with your ISBN/s you would like to transfer and the completed form. Do NOT write the ISBN/s on your transfer form.
How to complete form: (Please read this to make sure your form is completed correctly. This will help avoid delays. )
- Enter your COMPANY NAME in top line and in bottom client field. Do not enter your name in the fields (unless your name is name of your publishing company)
- Enter your FULL address in the second line. This includes your zip code.
- Physically sign the form at the bottom of the signature field (or use Adobe's digital e-sign option).
- Enter your IngramSpark account number.
- Enter the current date
Next steps:
- Your form will be reviewed and approved by our support and finance teams.
- Once approved and once we receive confirmation from the current publisher/Create Space then we will transfer title to your account.
- You will be notified when the title is listed on your account via email.
If you follow these steps it will eliminate delays so you can start ordering and managing your book. 
Please allow up to 30 days for confirmation and transferal. 
 
I take no responsibility for the transfer instructions. I just copied and pasted them from an email IngramSpark sent me, but if they're helpful to you...great

As some of you may know, I occasionally write historical romance. So for all of you who love a dashing duke, a brave Scot, and a clever maiden I decided to take part in A Love That’s Forever Giveaway
Join thirty authors of historical and time travel romance as they celebrate these genres. Will you take home a Kindle or a pack of your favorite ebooks from Amazon? Enter now! You might be one of 7 lucky winners!
 
Plus, stop by and shop our awesome sale on Medieval, Regency, Victorian, Western, and time travel romances. We even have a bonus giveaway for a stunning porcelain teapot!
 
https://bookwrapt.com/love-thats-forever-book-fair/
​

If you would like to enter the Giveaway without going to the book fair. Here's the rafflecopter

​(Sponsored by the 30 authors listed below)
 
Alexa Aston • Amanda Roberts • Angelique Armae • Annie Boone • Aubrey Wynne • Cheri Champagne • Cherie Mitchell • Christine Sterling • Dawn Marie Hamilton • Deborah M. Hathaway • Emilee Harris • Ginny Sterling • Heidi Kimball • Jennae Vale • Joanna Barker • Johanna Evelyn • Jen Geigle Johnson • Joyce Alec • K A Servian • Karen Michelle Nutt • Kari Trumbo • Kate Cambridge • Kristy Tate • Laura A. Barnes • Marie Higgins • Marlow Kelly • Natalie Dean • Rose Pearson • Sally Britton • Victoria Saccenti • Aileen Harkwood
 

​On 19th August I joined Weight Watchers. To date I have lost 3.5 lbs. Its not a staggering amount, but I’m a firm believer in the saying “start as you mean to go on.”
Which in this case means any fool can loose weight if they don’t eat carbs and sugar, but can you keep the weight off long term, or will you fall back into your old eating habits and undo all your hard work.
For me personally, enjoying food is part of enjoying life. With that in mind, I’ve been experimenting with some low fat recipes.
One of my family’s favorites is low fat brownies. They aren’t as moist as a brownie made with butter, but one serving is only 7 points.

Low Fat Brownies
 
Ingredients
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons 50% fat margarine
⅔ cup granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
½cup all-purpose flour
 
Directions

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. (If you don’t have parchment paper spray with nonstick cooking spray.)
2. Using a medium saucepan, over a low heat, melt margarine. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until blended. Then add cocoa and mix thoroughly.
3. Stir in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
4. Mix in baking powder and flour.
5. Spread batter into square pan.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until edges pull away from sides of pan.

Makes 8 servings
 
Notes:
If you want to make these even lower in fat you can use 2 egg whites instead of whole eggs.
Feel free to add ¼ cup of walnuts. I’m not a fan of nuts in brownies that’s why I left them out.

I thought September would be a good time to do another sale. Then I learned about this awesome promotion where you can purchase a ton of books for 99¢ each and win some awesome prizes. So I've included Sun Storm in this promotion.
 
All you have to do is visit our special 99 Books @ 99 Cents Book Fair. Almost 100 books ON SALE in all genres, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, mysteries, thrillers, and more. All books less than a buck!
Plus, check in daily for a chance to win Amazon gift cards or play instant ebook giveaways for one of 12 books being awarded to lucky winners each day.
99@99 BOOK FAIR
NEW GIVEAWAYS DAILY
September 6-12