Virtual Book Tour for Agency Rules by Khalid Muhammad

 
Welcome to the Virtual Book Tour for Agency Rules by Khalid Muhammad. This critically acclaimed political thriller is an action-packed page-turner

 

 

 

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Agency Rules

Celebrated as a ragtag force that defeated and broke the Soviet Union, no one predicted the Mujahideen would bring with them a plague that would spread like wildfire through Pakistan in the years to follow. When the battle-worn fighters returned with no enemy or war to fight, they turned their sights on the country that had been their creator and benefactor. From the same battlegrounds that birthed the Mujahideen, a young Kamal Khan emerges as a different breed of warrior. Discarding his wealthy family comforts, Kamal becomes a precision sniper, an invincible commando and a clandestine operative bringing intimidation, dominance and death with him to the battlefield. Ending the plague is his prime directive. Shrouded in political expediency, hampered by internal power struggles, international espionage and doublespeak that makes Washington’s spin doctors proud, Kamal’s mission is a nightmare of rampant militant fundamentalism that threatens to choke and take Pakistan hostage. For him, the fight is not just for freedom, but the survival of a nation.

Excerpt from Agency Rules – Never an Easy Day at the Office

 

Standing in the hall of the abandoned warehouse, blood dripped from his body, leaving a trail on the grimy floor. A body was slumped in the chair in the middle of the hall with a singular light hanging above, illuminating a small radius around it. Another lay in the doorway propping the door open. The fight inside had been more than expected from the three days he spent surveying the warehouse. By his count, there should not have been more than five men both inside and out. Instead, he had found almost seven men around the facility.

They had prepared well for his arrival.

On his approach, he saw one man guarding the entrance. There were usually two… where’s the other one? Kamal shook off the thought and sized up his enemy, noting that he was a scrawny soldier that didn’t fill his uniform. He ducked into the shadows where he could use the darkness against the soldier, catching him by surprise. He rushed the guard, knocking him to the ground before he could set himself or draw his weapon. With a quick strike to the head, the first guard was neutralized. Before he could get up, he heard the door to the warehouse open. Jumping to his feet, Kamal saw the second guard emerge, finding Kamal hovering over his partner’s incapacitated body. The guard, surprisingly, dropped his AK-47 and rushed at Kamal, driving him into the concrete wall of the warehouse with a shoulder block. As he pulled back from Kamal, he landed two solid right crosses to his jaw stunning Kamal and giving himself time to set for the fight. Kamal pulled himself up from one knee, gasping for air and taking the time to assess his opponent. The guard didn’t wait for Kamal to position himself and struck again with a swift kick to his midriff, bring the taste of blood to Kamal’s mouth. Oh, that is just unacceptable.

Kamal spat the blood onto the ground and spun around, taking the guard’s legs out with a vicious kick to his knees. As the guard hit the ground, Kamal launched himself onto him, grabbing his neck in a chokehold. The guard threw elbows behind him, and kicked helplessly in the air as Kamal increased the pressure on his throat. Within minutes, his body stopped fighting and he was down.

Kamal stood, spitting a few times to clear the blood that had filled his mouth, finally using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the remaining away. He smirked, admiring his work. Not as tough as he looked.

Standing over both bodies, his plan rapidly changed. Grabbing the second guard by the legs, he dragged him around the corner and pulled his uniform off. Silently and rapidly, Kamal undressed and pulled on the FC garb. Wow, this fits well. The guard had seemed so much larger than himself. He ripped his own shirt in half, using half to tie the guard’s hands together and the other half to seal his mouth, in case he came to and tried to warn the others. Kamal laughed silently, giving the guard another hard kick to the head. Just for good measure, you son of a bitch.

He entered the warehouse corridor, looking for the other guards. Spotting one about fifty feet down, he straightened his shoulders and called to him, “Did he come through here?”

The guard was surprised by the question. He hadn’t heard or seen anything. He strolled over to Kamal to find out what his colleague was talking about. “What?” Kamal waited till he was close enough, and casually raised his arm, as if to indicate towards the door. Gun in hand, he brought his arm down in a vicious swipe to the guard’s head, knocking him out cold. He fell hard into the wall from the blow and as he slid down, his gun clattered to the ground noisily. The commotion alerted another guard who came rushing around the corner, sidearm in hand. Seeing his compatriot laid out on the ground, with a fellow soldier standing over him, he slowed down.

“What happened to Ayaz?”

“I don’t know! I came in looking for the guy that knocked Sheraz out and found him like this,” Kamal said, quietly pulling his sidearm from the holster. “We should warn Faheem that we have a guest,” the soldier said, turning to warn his superior. Kamal waited for him to get a safe distance away and fired two rounds into his back, dropping him to the ground like a wounded deer. The guard tried to roll himself over to fire back at Kamal, but the round had damaged his spine badly, leaving him face down on the floor. Kamal went over and fired another round into his head, and almost like a second thought, changed his sidearm with the guard’s.

Kamal moved a few yards down the corridor when another soldier jumped from behind a crate hitting him with the butt of his AK-47, stunning him. What the fuck? Kamal thought, reaching up to find blood coming from just above his eye. “What’s your problem soldier? Don’t you recognize your own?” he said, glaring at the attacker. The guard hesitated for a moment but something must have alerted him, because he drew his weapon back again. Kamal used all his body weight to jam the weapon and soldier against the wall; he could feel his eye swelling up already, and he preferred not to expend any more energy than he had to.

You can buy Agency Rules at the link below:

 Amazon

 

 Khalid Muhammad

By day, Khalid Muhammad is a mild-mannered business executive keeping himself busy running a marketing and brand management company. He takes someone else’s product and creates concepts, ideas and brand stories—things that make consumers want to buy, invest and save their hard-earned money.

By night, his alter ego emerges; one that has a penchant for sadistic retribution towards those who have wronged him, and that spends its time devising intricate and detailed plans for a nefarious end. If he hopes to continue to have friends and family, though, he has to keep his alter ego under control. So, Khalid chooses to write novellas, novels and short stories to let the wickedness escape; the other option means a great deal of blood, numerous torture implements and…well, infinite ways to dump a body. The writing is better for everyone involved and less dangerous for the guilty… until he writes them into another story.

 You can find Khalid at these links:

Website  | Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

 

Giveaway

This Giveaway is open internationally. Must be 16+ to enter.

There will be five winners each of a $10 Amazon Gift Card

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

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Meet and Greet with Nancy King and Review of Changing Spaces

Changing Spaces by Nancy King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Laura’s husband asks her for a divorce, her heart is cracked. Then it is further shattered when she learns the reason is because he has been with another woman, and she is pregnant with their child. Broken and alone she flees to a conference in Albuquerque, and then takes the first shuttle to Santa Fe. What she finds there is extraordinary.
When we get married, two individuals become one. The trick is to find a balance where the original individuals are not lost completely. This book deals with gaining the power of finding yourself and the understanding it is okay to do so. I would recommend this book to anyone who is has been or is going through a divorce. I would also recommend it to anyone who is still happily married and feels like they may be missing a part of themselves. Read this book if you are lost in someone’s shadow, even if it is your own.


View all my reviews

I would like to welcome Nancy King to my blog today.

1. I’ve written in a lot of genres: essays, plays, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. The genre I choose comes from what I need/want to say and write. 

2. I’ve been writing since I was a child. My first “official piece of writing: happened when I was in 4th grade. There was a Christmas play but no Chanukah play and when I asked why not, was told there were none. I went to the library and the teacher was right, there were none. So, I took out a play, used the form, wrote a play (a whole lot harder than it looked) and that year there were two plays at Christmas time—The story of Jesus and the story of Chanukah.

3. I’m inspired to write by ideas, events, something that catches my eye . . . writing is something I need to do. If I’m not writing I feel as if something important is missing in my life.

4. It’s hard to say. My first novel, A Woman Walking began in 1983, was published in 2008. My second novel, Morning Light, began in 1990 and was published in 2009 but The Stones speak, began in 2006 was also published in 2009. I began Changing Spaces in 2011 and it was published din 2014. The first two novels were written initially while I was teaching full time, undergoing treatment for a rare form of leukemia, and, when I didn’t understand a lot about my early history.

5. The hardest part of the writing process is finding a publisher and then doing the publicity needed to get the book out into the reading world. The easiest, although I’m not sure I’d use that word, is creating the characters, developing their stories, finding the arc of the novel, then fine tuning it so that it coheres into an interesting and engrossing read.

6. I relate to all my characters, not that all of them are a part of me. When I write, I write from the character’s point of view, which means I have to embrace that character rather than judge. This process helps me acknowledge and explore parts of myself I might otherwise not know or acknowledge. For example, Max, in Morning Light, is a man who needs to be in control. When Anna threatens his sense of being in charge their marriage takes a disastrous turn, but Max isn’t a bad man. He’s a man who is unaware of his inner damage and that lack of knowing wreaks havoc on Anna.

7. Paul, in The Stones Speak, seemed to be a monster when Naomi first hears about him but when she meets him she discovers he is not what she thought him to be, that he had a story as compelling as hers.

8. Least favorite part of writing—finding a publisher. Most favorite part of writing—writing. I also love to revise since each revision, usually prompted by insightful questions by my editor, leads me deeper into the story.

9. I weave. I’m very active outdoors, depending on the season. In winter I ski, snowshoe, cross country ski and hike. When it’s warmer I ride my bike, play tennis, walk, and hike. I enjoy going to the theatre, watching films, reading, visiting with friends, and, of course, reading.

10. I prefer fiction, then autobiography, than biography. If I’m interested in a particular subject I’ll read nonfiction but if there are no stories to make the facts make sense, my brain usually shuts down.

11. There are too many authors to name although two novels reverberate in my mind: The Bone People by Keri Hulme and The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Rosner. I’m interested in how characters choose to change. Not interested in violence, fantasy, detective stories, or sic-fi.

12. My four novels, as well as a nonfiction book about my work with stories here and abroad, Dancing With Wonder: Self-Discovery Through Stories, can be found or ordered by any bookstore. They can be ordered from my website: www.nancykingstories.com, from Amazon, Abebooks, Barnes&Noble, and other online sites. The novels are also available as ebooks.

Stories have saved my life on several occasions and they play an important role in all of my writing—both fiction and nonfiction. I’m interested in the stories we tell ourselves as well as the stories told about us, by others. Often, the stories parents tell their children may be true for the adults, but not necessarily the children. How we change the stories we tell ourselves is a powerful incentive toward living what we might call an authentic life.

 

 

Thank you!

The Dancer's Ghost by Jayne-Marie Barker Review and Meet and Greet.

The Dancer's Ghost by Jayne-Marie Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this book a child is stolen, the dancer searchers, a woman dreams, and a flamboyant inspector solves all the mysteries to tie the loose ends together. I would recommend this book to everyone it is filled with romance, rhythm, mystery, action, the lost, the found, and the crazy. At first I was unsure of what was happening but as soon as this book took off I could hardly put it down. I am so glad I read it. I would even like to see more books staring the tall pencil chewing inspector and his pudgy partner.

View all my reviews

I would like to thank Jayne-Marie Barker for joining us today to talk about herself and her books.

1) What genre do you like to write?
Crime fiction. I like seemingly impossible mysteries.

2) How long have you been writing? What prompted you to start writing?
I first started to enjoy creative writing as a child, aged about eight years old. Imagination prompted me to write. There were too many ideas and tales spinning around in my mind.  I wrote my first novel when I was sixteen. I call it a novel but in reality it would be called a novella. At the time though, I didn't know this!  I studied English Literature for A-Level and read Margaret Atwood. This was the turning point in my writing life; when I thought, I want to write, to create the imagines for other people just as she had for me. When I reached my early twenties I began to dedicate time to writing every week.  Now, a decade later, I find myself with three published crime thrillers on the shelves.

3) What inspires you to write?
Other people, things I see, hear, random thoughts, almost everything. Most of all, I'd have to say other writers. In particular Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and Margaret Atwood. I am also inspired by tales told from an unusual angle or viewpoint. I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger and Zadie Smith's 'White Teeth'; both very well written and unique.  The English language inspires me. Every day there are words or phrases that fit together in harmony, and make me smile.

4) When a story idea pops into your head, how long does it typically take to write it (from start to finish)?
About ten months, give or take a week or two.

5) What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process? Easiest?
The research is the easiest part. People tend to be very happy to assist with literary research. Plotting and planning I find very enjoyable. The middle section of the first draft is the most difficult. It is like finding your way through fog. By this time, I may have deviated from my plan very slightly (often for the better), and need to find my way back to the path!  Things always come right by the end.

6) Of all your characters whom do you most relate to?
That's a tricky question but I have to say Cathy in 'Distant Shadows'.

7) Is there one of your characters that you did not like when you started writing about them, but found yourself liking by the end of the story?
Yes - Inspector Allen. I planned to have my main character solve the mystery, and didn't initially want to feature the police very much. This all changed once I added Inspector Allen. I knew I would have to have a police character to tie up the loose ends and bring justice forward, but I hadn't planned on him entering the books quite so much as he did. During book 1, 'Beneath The Daisies', he developed in my mind and by book 2, 'Distant Shadows', he was fully formed, persistently entering scenes I hadn't planned for him to be in!  Strangely, I am not sure I would like some of his habits or characteristics in real life, but in my fictional world I can't help smiling about him.

8) What is your least favorite part about writing? The Most?
Promotion is the most tricky for me, simply because I don't have the experties or natural abilities of others in this area. Technically, promotion isn't writing, and maybe that's why. The most exciting bit is writing the final chapter. There is a mixture of relief and excitement when the story is almost told.

9) When you are not writing or editing what do you do for relaxation?
Aside from writing, my other grand passion in life is dance. I have various amateur examination achivements in Ballroom, Latin, Argentine Tango, and Salsa. In former years I learnt Carnival Samba and performed in carnivals across the UK. As we speak, I am in training to take my first dance teachers qualification exam. Dance brings a lovely social side to life, by contrast to writing, which tends to be solitary.

10) What genre of books do you like to read?
Surprise, surprise - I like reading crime fiction. Anything with a mystery to solve wins my attention quickly. Tales with unsolved mysteries dating back in time are a particular favourite of mine. I also enjoy romantic fiction from time to time, and the classics. Shuffling the order of genres to read works well, and retains variety.

11) What author(s) do you enjoy reading? Why?
I like to read a wide variety of authors because variety is the spice of life. I can't really pick an absolute favourite, but the top few would include Elly Griffiths, Adele Parks, RD Wingfield, Linwood Barclay, Lynn Shepherd, Jane Austen, Alison Bruce, Agatha Christie, Margaret Atwood, Audrey Niffenegger... there are lots!!
Every year I read 'Pride and Prejudice' and enjoy it as much as the first time.

12)Tell us about your books. Where can people find them?
My website has lots of information: http://www.jaynemariebarker.com/
Blog http://jaynemariebarker.blogspot.co.uk/?spref=tw
Facebook page http://t.co/V1pP6dqA
Twitter @JayneMarieBarke
I'm also listed on Goodreads.com and LinkedIn.com
UK author page http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jayne-Marie-Barker/e/B007EDJ7SW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1373976999&sr=8-1
US author page http://www.amazon.com/Jayne-Marie-Barker/e/B007EDJ7SW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1373977066&sr=8-1
'The Dancer's Ghost' - back cover
Where we come from can change everything.
When a baby is snatched the famous parents keep the tragedy secret, but this doesn't prevent Joyce Capelli from searching, attracting trouble at every turn. An anonymous writer claims to know everything, but it will cost Joyce more than she realises. When a shot is fired all she finds is an open window, and a room of photographs.
In the modern day Rebecca Houseman finds herself widowed, suffering persistent dreams, and threatened. What she doesn't know is why. When the unconventional DCI Allen says her husband's apparent natural causes was in fact murder, she wonders what he was trying to tell her in his final breath.
A stranger is watching the Houseman family, an unsettling familiarity that could change everything. As the attempts grow increasingly deadly, the inspector strives to solve the case, but can he crack the mystery before the assassin finds Rebecca?
Meanwhile, in the 1960s, Joyce's delight at finding her baby is tragically short lived. What could ink Rebecca Houseman and the young dancer's missing baby all those years ago?
HS ISBN 9781849633291

I wrote 'The Dancer's Ghost' very quickly. It flowed naturally onto the page. The dance element was a delight for me to write, and something I had wanted to add into a novel for some years. It is a little sad but ends with new promise and hope. The story is about a lost child and the consequences that has on other people.

'Distant Shadows' - back cover
One shot in the dark and everything changes. When Richard Burkett shoots his victim in 1935, and gets away with it, he doesn't expect to be caught over seventy years later. The death of one man can affect so many lives...
Zoe Peterson is shocked to find two police detectives one being the captivating DC James Clark interviewing her grandparents about an unsolved murder.
Simultaneously Cathy and Stephen endure emotional turmoil in 1957. The revelation of her father's identity frightens Cathy.
Zoe is concerned about her father's health and her ex won't accept her ditching him; until James plants his size twelve's firmly into her life. Will finding the dying gunman and earning her grandparents' gratitude be enough for James to win Zoe's heart?
In 1957 someone is stalking Cathy, the shadows following her, the darkness choking her, until breaking point finds her in Stephen's arms and the awful secret is revealed. Wedded bliss could so easily be snatched away by terminal heartbreak.
A chance comment reminds James that the identity of the victim is more important than that of the murderer...
HS ISBN 9781849631761

When I was much younger I wrote a novel entitled 'The Letter', a purely romantic tale that featured Cathy and Stephen. This came to nothing with publishers at the time but in later years I had the idea of turning it into a thriller by incorporating a stalker. As time went by this idea developed and the title of 'Distant Shadows' sprang to mind. Finally, I sat down to re-work my original text and 'Distant Shadows' as we know it today is the result. It's a special story for me because in some ways, it was my first, although published second.

'Beneath The Daisies' - back cover
Sometimes love can be a shortcut to heaven - literally!
A gift from the dead? Sophie Harris thinks so until her appointed handyman - the delectable Andy - unearths skeletons in the garden of her inherited new home.
Could a secret murderer lurk in her family tree?
Simultaneously the buried victims live on in their own time - 1930's - as their story breaths through Elise's diary. The touching love story twists through intrigue and heartfelt sympathy; but can happiness ever be theirs?
Delving into family secrets, Sophie finds herself at the mercy of a poisonous pen, her life threatened - just how far will they go to keep the truth hidden...?
Police efforts do nothing to dent the poison pen's composure and a plot to murder Sophie begins to take shape. With the truth inches from revelation, Sophie is left clutching at the jaws of death; but will the police arrive in time?
HS ISBN 9871 84963 0733

The digging up of skeletons in the garden has been written by many people many times over but I was keen to have a go at it myself. Having always been fond of the inheritance link to the past, I opted to merge these two fields into one novel. I'm very keen on 'cold cases' and 'ancient unsolved mysteries', so 'Beneath The Daisies' ticked both boxes for me. It's the shortest of my three published novels, and the first to have made it past the slush pile, so I'm understandably pleased with it!

If there's anything else you'd like to know, or want jpegs of the book covers, just let me know.

Thank you again for taking the time to interview me and review my work.
Kind regards,
Jayne-Marie

MythBehaing Blog Tour for Simon by V.A. Dold

 

 

 

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Simon by V.A. Dold! This bestselling author is heating up the Paranormal scene!

Simon

NOTE: Complete novel. No cliffhanger. Dual POV. Rated 18+ for language and strong sexual content. Four years of honorably serving his country has left Simon, Cade’s younger brother, damaged and trapped in wolf form. Little did he know the only person with the ability to heal him completely would be found at home. Literally. Now that he’s found her, he is desperate to claim her. Rose is a beautiful, voluptuous woman with limited experience with men. Although she's confident, she still has reservations. Never having a family of her own, her fear of abandonment has her fleeing romantic relationships, and doubting herself. Travis is insane. A deadly loose cannon that a secret organization hired to destroy the Le Beau family by denying them their mates. Permanently. Simon’s dream will be lost forever unless he is able to maintain human form. Rose needs unconditional love and a mate to create the family she’s always wanted. Travis’s all-consuming drive is to take Rose for himself. Will Simon ever be whole again, able to claim his mate, giving Rose the love and family she so desperately craves? Or will Travis destroy them both?   You can buy Simon: Le Beau Brothers: New Orleans Shifters (Le Beau Series Book 2) at Amazon.  

Read on for about V.A. Dold's Paranormal series!