Blog Tour: Vampyre Blood by George Earl Parker

First off, I want to apologize for posting this late.  It was meant to post this morning, but I clearly didn't get that right.

That said, I want to welcome George Earl Parker's book tour to my site and thank him for the opportunity to review Vampyre Blood: Eight Pints of Trouble.  Here's a synopsis:

When young New Orleans lawyer Bradley Harrington Chester the third lies dying in the street after being hit by a speeding car, it seems that his life is over. But as his spirit drifts away toward a distant light he is approached by an exotic fellow who claims to be both the Count Dracula of legend, and a violin player for The Techno Zombies, a Goth rock band on a world tour. 

The Count explains that with the aid of a wizard he has abandoned his dark legacy, and now finds himself in need of a legal representative. So he offers Brad a deal, he can shuffle off into the light wherever it may lead, or he can become his lawyer, and be revived by a transfusion of Vampyre Blood.

The very last thing the young lawyer remembers before dying was his wife asking for a divorce, and prior to that he remembered being handed the prosecution of a mafia kingpin on his first day at the district attorney’s office. He wondered why the DA was so friendly to him, and so nasty to his star attorney Richard Bleddon, and he wondered why Bleddon had arranged a champagne supper at a fancy restaurant for him and his wife. After which, a speedy midget had snatched his wife’s purse and led him out into the street to die.

Becoming impatient the Count presses for an answer to his offer, and after being assured that he won’t become a Vampyre himself Brad accepts, hoping to go back and make sense of the madness that brought him to the brink of death. Populated by loveable rogues, scheming lawyers, and thieving gypsies, Vampyre Blood—Eight Pints Of Trouble, is an insane romp through the human desire to get what you want at any cost, and the strange places that desire can lead to.

 Does it sound kind of "out there"?  Well, it is.  It's got a very interesting plot will all sorts of different characters juxtaposed for the readers' pleasure.  Parker skillfully develops the characters to the point that it is possible to "know" them.  This book is a wild and crazy ride that I do recommend to anyone interested in the ride.

Blog Tour: Moonlight Falls by Vincent Zandri

Today we are hosting Vincent Zandri with his book Moonlight Falls.

In MOONLIGHT FALLS, novelist and photo journalist Vincent Zandri asks the question "If you knew your life could end at any moment, how far would you go to prove you murdered your lover? " Albany, New York, is the setting of Zandri's paranoid thriller (in the Hitchcock tradition) about Richard "Dick" Moonlight, former APD detective turned private investigator/massage therapist, who believes he killed Scarlet Montana - his illicit lover and wife of his ex-boss, Chief of Detectives Jake Montana. The problem is ... Moonlight doesn't remember what happened!

Does that sound complicated and yet intriguing to you?  That is what I thought.  Moonlight Falls starts with an ex-detective with a complex and not fully explained back-story involving an attempted suicide, an ex-wife, an illicit relationship, and a difficult relationship with the Albany Police Department.  This story gradually unfolds as Moonlight tries to discover what happened to Scarlet.  Moonlight's complicated past complicates his present, making it hard for him to discover the truth.

This book instantly grabs your attention and has you turning the pages to try to gather and put together the pieces of Moonlight's past and present.  The story keeps the reader guessing.  Vincent Zandri is a craftsman and has created a true piece of art with Moonlight Falls.  I recommend it to all my readers.

Buy it here.

Blog Tour: The Big Picture by Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo

Reading The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies by Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo has been both enlightening and entertaining – two wonderful, and perhaps scarce, traits for a book about business.  A little background on the book courtesy of the back cover:

The Big Picture:  Essential Business Lessons from the Movies shows you how the stories in movies can inspire solutions in your business life.  From brand marketing to ethic, leadership to customer focus, planning to rule breaking, everything you need to know about business is found in your favorite Movies.

Want to know about brand marketing?  Believe it or not, American Gangster and Sex and the City have some can’t-miss information.  Planning a big event?  Take a look at Hoosiers.  Concerned about ethics?  Then The Bridge on the River Kwai is your movie.

Authors Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo have distilled lessons for your business and career from over 60 movies.  After reading The Big Picture:  Essential Business Lessons from the Movies, you’ll never look at movies, or business, in the same way again.

Who knew there was so much to learn about business in the movies?  Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo have found many important business lessons and thoughtfully drawn them out of the movies to share them clearly and concisely with their readers.  Because of the way the book is written and organized, it is an easy read.  Each chapter covers one or more movies that show one business lesson.  The relevant details of the movie are summarized (so that those who haven’t seen to movie can still follow) and the lesson is expounded.  The chapters are pretty short so it would be easy to read this book a little at a time for those business people out there who do not have the time to read entire books in one sitting.  All said, this book is an excellent resource for businesses and employees alike.  The lessons are applicable to most people in some facet of their lives.  And the lessons are put forth in a well-thought-out manner that makes the book accessible for all readers.  I highly recommend The Big Picture:  Essential Business Lessons from the Movies.

Buy it here.

Review: Murder in Baker Company by Cilla McCain

Today I am hosting Cilla McCain on my blog.  I received a copy of her new book Murder in Baker Company: How Four American Soldiers Killed One of Their Own.  This book is the sobering story of the murder of a soldier shortly upon his return from his honorable service.  It presents the events and circumstances leading up to the murder and presents information implicating those who may be indirectly responsible for the horrible death of this soldier.

I struggled with the decision of whether or not to read and review this book as my husband is in the Army and we are a very patriotic family.  We have been introduced to some problems with regard to the way things are sometimes done in the Army, but remain loyal to our Country and her Armed Forces.  That is not to say that we would close our eyes to the problems that exist, but that we choose to be positive about righting things.

That said, I obviously decided to read and review Cilla McCain's book.  I will admit that I read taking everything with a grain of salt.  Because of this, I was very appreciative of Cilla's presentation of the evidence from many perspectives.  This book was clearly well researched and the story is presented from each participants' individual points-of-view.  Therefore, for the most part, I felt that I was not being presented the author's interpretation of the facts and testimonies, but the direct histories.

That said, the book clearly presented an agenda.  As I finished the book, I understood that the primary purpose of the book was to bring to light the details and facts left out of the trial as well as articles and movies written on the murder.  Both the author, as well as the soldier's father, seem to hold the Army itself and their protocols and rhetoric at least partially responsible for the murder.  They seem to believe there is a conspiracy or cover-up involved.  I remain unsure, but I do agree that the information presented in this book is the kind of information that people should be able to have access to thereby allowing them to come to their own conclusions.  It is a weighty subject, but a worthwhile read to those interested in learning more about our soldiers and some of the worst horrors they may face.

Spotlight: Murder in Baker Company by Cilla McCain

About the Book

Murder in Baker Company begins as a journey to uncover the truth about what happened to Army Specialist Richard Davis. By using court transcripts, personal interviews, and police records, Cilla McCain unfolds the events of the case and soon reveals a disturbing, eye-opening look into today’s military that goes beyond the Davis case and that affects all troops and their families.

Soldiers are handed antipsychotic drugs and sent into battle. Treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder is stigmatized. Gang members carry their affiliation from the streets to the barracks. And many of our soldiers are forced to face down two separate enemies, one in the same uniform they wear. By the end of the book the reader will learn the devastating truth about the injustice and disrespect our military families are forced to endure when their soldier dies a non-combat death.

About Cilla McCain

Cilla McCain works within all genres of the literary field with a focus on the injustices of society.

You can visit her website at CillaMcCain.com

Blog Tour: Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan

Today I have the tremendous privilege to host Christa Allan on my blog.  Her debut novel, Walking on Broken Glass is the story of a southern socialite, Leah, who, with the help of her best friend, realizes that she is an alcoholic.  Leah admits her self into a rehab program, but that is only the beginning of the story.

Leah's story is the kind that grabs you by the heart and pulls you in.  The descriptive language allows you to understand and even feel what Leah felt throughout her journey.  I felt fear, anger, hostility, confusion, and later understanding through Leah.  I recommend this book to anyone who would like to take a journey of self-realization through the eyes of Leah.

You can buy Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan here or wherever book are sold.  Enjoy!

Blog Tour: James Hayman's The Cutting

I am so excited to be able to host James Hayman today on his blog tour.  I have loved reading The Cutting and am anxious to share it with you.

Someone is Stealing the Hearts of Beautiful Young Women.

 NYPD homicide detective Mike McCabe left New York for Maine to escape his own dark past and to find a refuge from the violence of the big city for himself and his teenaged daughter, but on the fog-shrouded, cobblestone streets of Portland he finds far more than he bargained for.

On a warm September evening the mutilated body of Katie Dubois, a pretty high school soccer star, turns up, dumped in a Portland scrap yard. Her heart has been neatly and expertly cut from her body. The same day Lucinda Cassidy, a young Portland business-woman and competitive runner, disappears during her morning jog.

Soon other bodies turn up. All young, all blond, all athletes. Very quickly McCabe discovers he’s on the trail of no ordinary killer. Rather his prey is a brilliant, psychopathic surgeon who kills in a bizarre way to satisfy his own strange and frightening desires.

McCabe knows he has to move fast. He has less than one week to find the killer before Cassidy dies and Casey, McCabe’s own daughter is threatened.

 He also knows the clock is ticking.

James Hayman's The Cutting may well be one of my favorite books ever read.  This is in part due to my favor of the genre, but largely a result of the skillful delivery of such a well-crafted story.  The book draws you in from the first pages and doesn't allow you to escape.  Even on the occasions I was able to put the book down, the story continued to run through my mind until resolution was found on the last pages of the novel.  There is enough of a story to draw you in and keep you going, but not so much that you get lost in the details.  The plot itself is an amazing creation.  I urge all readers to take the opportunity to read The Cutting.  It will capture you and draw you in.

Buy it here at Amazon.com.