Sunday, October 31, 2021

Book #Review & Q&A with Robert Dugoni, Author of The Last Line: A Short Story (Tracy Crosswhite) @robertdugoni


Please welcome Robert Dugoni to the blog today!

Q&A with Robert Dugoni:

From books to movies to television, police procedurals are incredibly popular with audiences. What do you think is the appeal of these stories?

I think the appeal is readers and viewers have good guys to root for and bad guys to root against. Readers also like a good mystery. They like to see if they can solve the crime, determine the bad guy and figure out what he did and how he did it, just like the detectives. It keeps them engaged in and part of the story.


Do you recall the first detective story you ever read or perhaps you have a favorite? What was it about this type of story that made you want to write in the genre?

Years ago, I remember reading Michael Connelly’s The Poet. I don’t know if it was the first detective story I read, probably not, but it was visceral and stuck with me. I do recall reading All The President’s Men when I was in high school, and though Woodward and Bernstein were not detectives, per se, they very much functioned like detectives in that story—finding clues, trying to piece together those clues, and then solve the puzzle. In many ways, that’s what a good detective story is all about: solving a puzzle. I think that is one of the appeals to writers, as well as readers and viewers.


Del Castigliano, the police detective in your newest release The Last Line, has worked in narcotics, arson, sexual assaults, robbery, and now homicide. He has definitely seen the worst that humans have to offer. What keeps him sane and on the job?

For most police officers I’ve spoken with, they do the job knowing that they are keeping people safe—maybe people they know or even love. It’s a tough job and burnout can be a problem. Most detectives have to be mentally tough and can be frequently rotated to help minimize burn out. It’s one of the reasons detectives and uniformed officers, I believe, are underappreciated. It’s a tough job.


Throughout The Last Line, readers get to see Del at his worst—he faces loss, failure, insecurity, loneliness...yet we also respect him. He is honest, hardworking, and clever. How do you see him? If you were to sit down to have a beer with him, what would you talk about?

In The Last Line, I see Del as a guy trying to find his way after life has thrown him a curveball. If we sat down for a beer, I’d ask him if, looking back, he has any regrets, or if time has helped him put life in perspective and he realizes that what he went through as a young man actually helped him to get to a better place in his life.


The Last Line ends in a way that will have readers wanting more. Do you have any future plans for Del and the larger cast?

Very much so. Del is a central character in the Tracy Crosswhite series, and in Tracy #9, What She Found, the story of Del’s first case from The Last Line comes back to Tracy, who is now working a cold case and trying to figure out what happened 24 years ago.


For fans of your bestselling Tracy Crosswhite series, will they feel at home with Del as the lead protagonist? For readers who haven’t discovered Tracy yet, will they be able to dip right in?

Absolutely. The Last Line is a standalone story that predates Tracy arriving at Seattle PD. I’ve had so many readers ask me for more of Del and Faz! Writing The Last Line was an opportunity to dig into how they got started and what shaped them. I have a thought now about Tracy #10 being a cold case that Del and Faz investigated 25 years earlier and telling the story from both time periods leading up to Tracy solving the crime in the present.


What do you have coming up next?

The third book in the Charles Jenkins espionage series, The Silent Sisters, will be published, February 22, 2022, followed by Tracy #9, What She Found, which will be out August 23, 2022. Beyond that, readers can look for a new standalone legal thriller introducing criminal defense attorney Keera Duggan. I’m excited about that novel and working hard to get it finished soon.

***

My Review:

The Last Line is a short story in the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni. The story follows Del Castigliano as he leaves Wisconsin for Washington state. His first assignment has him working with Moss Gunderson, a veteran on the force, who hands Del lead on the case. As Del works through the clues, his leads appear credible until he continually hits a brick wall. when Del walks back through the witnesses, he opts to re-interview and things are not as they appear. Vital information is missing and Del finds out the hard way that watching his own back is critical as no one else is going to do it for him.

The Last Line is a fantastically written crime fiction mystery. I was engaged from the start and devoured the short story. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the twists and turns he threaded throughout the story. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I was shocked at the resolution of the mystery but it fit with the story. This is a must read!

I was provided a copy of the short story to read.

My Rating:
 


***

Read an Excerpt from The Last Line:

Del drove from the parking garage into a blustery and cold November morning—cold being relative. In Madison, anything above freezing was balmy for November, though Del was starting to understand what Seattleites meant when they said it wasn’t the temperature that chills you; it’s the dampness. He could feel the cold in his bones. A stiff wind rocked his metallic-blue Oldsmobile Cutlass.The wind had started blowing late the prior evening; branches of a tree scraping against Del’s bedroom window had kept him awake half the night.

He drove from Capitol Hill with the defroster on high and worked his way around the southern edge of Lake Union, noting marinas and water-based businesses. He pulled into a parking lot where Moss stood beside a black Buick LeSabre, sipping coffee and towering over a patrol officer. Moss was almost as big as Del, who stood six foot five and weighed 250 pounds.

Del pulled up the collar of his coat against the howling wind as he approached the two men. He recognized the green logo on Moss’s Starbucks coffee cup, the company name taken from Captain Ahab’s first mate on the Pequod, the whaling ship Moby Dick sent to the bottom of the ocean. The logo, a green siren, tempted sailors to jump overboard and drown. Neither was a good omen.

“Look what the cat dragged out. Did we wake you, Elmo?”

“Funny.” Del had heard iterations of Elmo since his teens, when the beloved puppet first appeared on Sesame Street. Moss introduced Del to Mike Nuccitelli, the patrol sergeant. “How’d you get here so quick?” Del asked Moss. He understood Moss lived in West Seattle, twenty minutes farther from the marina than Del’s apartment.

“I didn’t take time to do my hair.” Moss rubbed the bristles of a crew cut. “I’m like my name. You know. A rolling stone.”

Del knew. More than once, Moss had told him his parents bequeathed him the moniker because as a child he never remained still. Vic Fazzio had said it was more likely Moss gave himself the nickname. His Norwegian first name was Asbjorn.

“Halloway here?” Del asked.

“At this hour of the morning?” Moss scoffed. “Stayaway doesn’t come out this early on a cold morning unless he thinks the brass might show up and he can shine their badges with his nose.”

“What do we got?” Del asked.

“Two grown men. Looks like they drowned,” Nuccitelli said. “We’re waiting for the ME.”

“What more do we know about the victims; anything?” Del asked.

Nuccitelli raised the fur collar of his duty jacket against the wind. “Hispanic is my guess, though the bodies are pretty bloated and their skin the color of soot. I’m guessing roughly late twenties to early thirties, but again . . .”

“They didn’t have any ID?” Del asked.

“Not on them,” Nuccitelli said.

“That strike you as odd—they didn’t have ID?”

Nuccitelli smiled.“Not my job.That’s your job.”

“How far out is the ME?” Moss looked and sounded disinterested.

Nuccitelli checked his watch.“Should be here in ten.”

“We’ll take it from here.”

***

Book Details:

Title: The Last Line

Author: Robert Dugoni

Page Count: 53 pages

Release Date: October 21, 2021

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3pWzgUH

About the Book:

His old life in the rearview, Del Castigliano has left Wisconsin to work homicide for the Seattle PD. Breaking him in is veteran detective Moss Gunderson, and he’s handing Del a big catch: the bodies of two unidentified men fished from Lake Union. It’s a major opportunity for the new detective, and Del runs with it, chasing every lead—to every dead end. Despite the help of another section rookie, Vic Fazzio, Del is going nowhere fast. Until one shotgun theory looks to be dead right: the victims are casualties of a drug smuggling operation. But critical information is missing—or purposely hidden. It’s forcing Del into a crisis of character and duty that not even the people he trusts can help him resolve.

Meet the Author:


Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, which has sold more than seven million books worldwide. He is also the author of the bestselling Charles Jenkins series; the bestselling David Sloane series; the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, Damage Control, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni won an AudioFile Earphones Award for narration; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post best book of the year. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He is a two-time finalist for the Thriller Awards and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, as well as a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for mystery and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards. His books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages.

Social Media Links:

Website: www.robertdugoni.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/robertdugoni

Facebook: www.fb.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

Instagram: www.instagram.com/robertdugoni

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Book #Review - Sloth the Lazy Dragon by Regan W.H. Macaulay and Illustrated by Alex Zgud - Children's Book @MirrorWorldPub @ReganWHMacaulay

Mirror World Publishing and Sapphyria's Book Promotions present the 1-week book tour for Sloth the Lazy Dragon.

About Sloth the Lazy Dragon:

Join Sloth on his adventure to wellness…

Sloth the Lazy Dragon lives in a mountain atop his hoard of gold and jewels. He believes he has all that a dragon could possibly want, until he meets a brave dwarf named Radish who offers to help him lose weight. With Radish’s guidance, Sloth finds himself eating healthier and getting plenty of exercise. In time, Sloth gains the freedom that his new healthy lifestyle brings, which he discovers is more valuable to him than all the treasure in the world.

My Review:

Sloth the Lazy dragon is a wonderful children's book that encourages healthy habits no matter what your age or species. In many cases, having support from others assists in diet changes, exercise programs, and other healthy habits. Sloth finds his support in a dwarf named Radish. With Radish's help, Sloth completely turns his life around. Instead of being stuck in a mountain, unable to fly or leave, Sloth is now free to move around and enjoy life.

The author and illustrator have done an excellent job brining Sloth and Radish to life. The artwork is stunning, providing details that are perfectly in-tune with the story. Children and adults alike will treasure the subtle lessons within the pages and enjoy the visually creative illustrations.

I was provided a copy of the book to review.

My Rating:


Follow the Blog Tour Here:



Book Details:

Page Count: 32
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, Wellness, Exercise, Nutrition, Food, Heath
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com
Publish Date: October 23, 2021

Purchase Links:

Mirror World Publishing 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble


Meet the Author:


Regan W.H. Macaulay is an award-winning author of novels, short stories, children’s literature, and scripts. Writing is her passion, but she’s also a producer and director of theatre, film, and television. She is an animal enthusiast as well, which led her to become a Certified Canine and Feline Massage Therapist. Other picture storybooks include Dog Band, Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana, Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese, Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far, Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast, and Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat. She is also the author of The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-baked Ham, which includes Space Zombies! (based on her film, Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem!— available on Amazon Prime and on DVD), They Suck, and Horror at Terror Creek.

Social Media:

Meet the Artist:



Alex Zgud is an artist from rural Ontario, currently living in Calgary. She attended the Ontario College of Art & Design, where she majored in drawing and painting, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After finishing school she went on to begin a tattoo apprenticeship, and has since been developing her skills as a tattoo artist. Her preferred media are inks and watercolours.





Release Day Review ~ What Sounds Fun to You? by Annie F Downs ~ Illustrations by Jennie Poh @anniefdowns #ChildrensBook #NetGalley

 


No one knows how to have fun like kids do. But sometimes, even kids can use some fresh ideas for finding the fun in their lives. Fun is everywhere, and with this charmingly illustrated children's book, Annie F. Downs wants to help children ages 3 to 8 find it!

Can it be found in science experiments, at the farmer's market, or in the kitchen? Yes!

Can it be found on rainy days and starlit nights? You bet!

Can it be found with friends or parents or even annoying little brothers? Of course!

It's no secret that the world has felt a little less fun lately. What Sounds Fun to You? is the perfect book to get kids thinking about how to create their own fun right where they are, right now. And it's the perfect companion for parents who have run out of ideas!

ASIN: ‎ B08VQ7RCDB
Publisher: ‎ Revell
Publication Date: ‎ October 19, 2021
Print Length: ‎ 32 pages
Reading Age: 3-8 years

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BKQ2sM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57005990-what-sounds-fun-to-you

My Review:

What Sounds Fun to You? delivers ideas to children about where they can find fun. The world sometimes doesn't feel fun or maybe children just need inspiration. This children's book will fascinate youngsters and spark their creative juices.

The illustrations are colorful, inclusive, and diverse. The author included creative ideas to promote fun activities. There is also a page of seek-and-find objects for more interactive fun with your little ones.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating:


Visit the Author:

Friday, October 8, 2021

Children's Book Review ~ Halloween is Coming! by Cal Everett, Illustrated by Lenny Wen @Sourcebooks #EarlyReads

 


About the Book:

A fun, rhyming read-aloud Halloween picture book that starts a new holiday tradition. Perfect for kids 4-8 or any young child wanting to celebrate the spookiest season of the year!

Marching in the school parade
in frightening costumes that we've made;
Look around, the signs are clear,
Halloween is getting near!

Halloween is Coming is a lyrical celebration of the building excitement that children―and adults!―feel as the magical and mysterious night of Halloween approaches.

Book Details:

Publisher: ‎ Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 
Publish Date: August 3, 2021
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1728205867
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1728205861
Reading Age: ‎ 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: ‎ Preschool - 3
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3047bjn
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56753475-halloween-is-coming

My Review:

Halloween is a vividly illustrated, inclusive children's book. Perfect for children just learning to read, the book has fun, rhyming prose about upcoming Halloween. I enjoyed it also, as an adult. This would make a perfect gift for you're Halloween-loving children and grandchildren.

I received an ebook through the Sourcebooks Early Reads program.

My Rating:




Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Anthology Release Day #Review ~ Walking in a Witchy Wonderland (Stay a Spell #3.5) by Juliette Cross #PNR #Romance @Juliette__Cross



Attention all STAY A SPELL, fans! It’s getting hot and hexy for the holidays with the Savoie sisters in New Orleans. If you need a little extra supernatural sexiness this time of year, order WALKING IN A WITCHY WONDERLAND today!

Also available in #audiobook, narrated by the amazing Aiden Snow and Johanna Fairview. @podiumaudio

AM: https://amzn.to/3moCzRb
AM-UK: https://amzn.to/3fWDbLE
AM-CA: https://amzn.to/2XhI3nT
AM-AU: https://amzn.to/3lYUvDw
B&N: https://bit.ly/3jNlOh9
KOBO: https://bit.ly/3yKRYQL
APPLE: https://apple.co/3CIFYBx
GOOGLE: https://bit.ly/3yH5uVJ

Audible: https://adbl.co/2XT10Og

About the Anthology:

Mischief and mayhem dominate the holiday season for the Savoie sisters of New Orleans. Five sexy stories set in the STAY A SPELL world you don’t want to miss.

Books in the Anthology:

Bewitch You A Merry Christmas:

Always the peacemaker, Evie conjures Christmas magic between a hexed hottie and his witchy neighbor, while Mateo and Alpha plan to do whatever it takes to get some alone time with their girl.


Rockin’ Around The Hexmas Tree: A Dirty Santa gift with a very special hex boosts Devraj and Isadora’s sex life from sizzling hot to scorching.


Jingle Bell Jock: On New Year’s Eve, a new man puts the moves on Charlie. Tired of pining for his best friend, he’s ready to move on. Fortunately, JJ’s jealousy is just the right ingredient to move them well out of the friend zone.


You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grim: Her first glimpse of grim reaper Gareth Blackwater evokes a major case of insta-hate in Lavinia. In that same moment, Gareth is hit with insta-lust. Fate is playing with them both, and neither one is happy about it.


Jingle Spells: Nico and Violet laugh their way through their first babysitting adventure. But laughter turns to lust when Nico’s “dad” vibes tug on Violet’s maternal heartstrings.
 

My Review:

This holiday anthology is AMAZING!! For lovers of the Stay a Spell series, this will be the perfect gift. Each story is fun, entertaining, and sexy. I love getting to visit with old friends of the series and meet new ones. Wrap up in a blanket, grab your warm beverage of choice, and prepare to fall further in love with Juliette Cross's alpha heroes and their equally as strong, capable women.

I love Juliette Cross’s writing style and the way she tells stories. Her ability to create paranormal stories with romance, action and a solid plot is what keeps me coming back. I can't wait for the next book, whatever series it may be from - already established or brand spankin' new. I've read almost everything Juliette has published and never been disappointed. She's definitely a one-click author.

I was provided a copy of this anthology to read.

My Rating: