The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper by Fiona Ingram

Buckle up for more adventure and mystery as Adam and Justin Sinclair along with Kim and James, search for the third Stone of Power in an ancient city hidden in the depths of the Mexican jungle.

The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper is steeped in the mythology and legends of the ancient Aztec and Maya. James and his young adventurers embark on their latest journey, which quickly goes haywire when their small plane crashes. Rescued by an uncontacted tribe, the teens must carry on without James, who was injured in the crash. Led by Tukum, future leader of the tribe, they search the dense and dangerous jungle in search of the lost city, with Dr. Khalid hot on their trail.

If you like adventure, mystery, and a fast-paced story that holds your attention from first page to last, you will want to grab a copy of The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper by Fiona Ingram. In the third installment of The Chronicles of the Stone, the teens continue to meet danger head on, using their skills to search for the next Stone of Power and hopefully outwit the evil Dr. Khalid. After James is hurt, the teens must trust the uncontacted tribe to help them in their quest, so the reader is treated to new characters that play vital roles in the story.

This series just keeps getting better. Though I highly recommend starting from the beginning, this is a stand alone novel. Pick up this one or start with Book 1 and see how exciting reading can be!

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bublish, Incorporated (November 17, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1946229466
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1946229465

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Freaking Fast by David Pereda Book Blast

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. David will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The city is Asheville, North Carolina, and the year is 2066. As renowned mathematician Alexandra Martin travels in her self-driving car to assassinate the love of her life, she reminisces about how they met and fell in love fifty years earlier in middle school when she was a thirteen year old poor math whiz and he a wealthy teenager. Alex recounts her struggles to be admitted to the best private school in the county, her happy teenage years running track, and her close relationship with three handsome and charming boys: Xavier, the intellectual; Andrew, the golden boy; and Vitali, the suave foreigner. One by one, she visits the three boys of her youth, now successful professionals in their sixties, one of whom is her intended victim.

Read an Excerpt:

The road curves away but Andrew keeps the car on a straight line, riding on the well-manicured lawn, heading at dizzying speed toward the trees. I glance at the speedometer. We are going at 135 miles an hour already and gaining speed. We’re going to crash. My heart is beating so fast I think it’s going to break through my ribcage.

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, I’m thinking. I’m never going to carry out my plan. In a few more seconds I’m going to be dead, together with Andrew.

Fifty meters from the trees, Andrew pulls on the stick shift and, suddenly, we are flying. What? Wings have sprouted from the door panels and a tail has emerged from the rear. Andrew pulls hard on the stick, so we can clear the trees. I quickly calculate the angle of ascension as my head flattens against the back of the seat. Estimating the distance to the tree line and the height of the trees, I use the Pythagorean Theorem to gauge the hypotenuse: the angle of ascension is forty-five degrees, maybe even a tad more. That’s steep.

Are we going to make it?

We do, barely, but we do.

‘Yeah!’ Andrew yells with excitement as he steadies Kitty. ‘Was that a rush, or what?’ He glances at me and starts laughing. ‘You look pale, Alex.’

I don’t remember Andrew being this crazy. He was always a little bit on the wild side, but this is not a little; this is a lot. I gasp for air and try to recover my composure. I can’t talk just yet. We are flying at about 500 feet above the ground. The lake looks beautiful below us. I check the speed – 220 miles an hour. Kitty is slicing through the air with hardly a sound, like a gust of wind.

‘This baby has a cruising speed of 300 miles an hour,’ Andrew says, as if reading my mind. ‘And a top speed of 400. This is the latest prototype.’

My heartbeat has slowed down enough for me to speak.

‘Impressive.’

About the Author:

David Pereda is the award-winning author of nine novels, including Havana Blues and However Long the Night, as well as the Havana Series of thrillers featuring the dashing Doctor Raymond Peters and the beautiful but deadly Cuban assassin Marcela. He has traveled to more than thirty countries and speaks four languages. Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, David had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, David earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned bachelor degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

He lives in artistic Asheville, North Carolina, with his youngest daughter Sophia, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College. He loves sports and is an accomplished competitor in track and show-jumping equestrian events.

Author’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/David-Pereda/e/B002BML17Q

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Freaking-Fast-David-Pereda/dp/198750061X/ref=la_B002BML17Q_1_1

 

GIVEAWAY!!!

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Interview with Annette Oppenlander, Author of Escape from the Past

Annette Oppenlander writes historical fiction for young adults and anyone who loves stories set in the past. When she isn’t in front of her computer, she loves indulging her dog, Mocha, and traveling around the U.S. and Europe to discover amazing histories.

“Nearly every place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive. When we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a number, it turns into a story.”

Website/blog: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com
Thank you for joining us today, Annette. Can you please start off by telling us a bit about yourself?

I grew up in Solingen, Germany, a city known for its cutlery and sharp kitchen knives. After completing a business degree at the University of Cologne I moved to the U.S. for a one-year work assignment. Instead, I met my future husband at a Super Bowl party and got married a year later. That was in 1987. I’ve been living in different parts of the U.S. ever since.

I’ve been married for 28 years and have fraternal twins (24) and a son (27). My roommate is an old mutt, Mocha, a pooch we adopted from the Humane Society 11 years ago.

When did you first get bit by the writing bug?

Becoming a writer/author was a process that took several years. In the beginning–the late 90s–I wrote children’s stories for early readers. I didn’t know anything about writing for children, the market nor the submission process, so this went nowhere. In 2002 I interviewed my parents about their lives during WW2 in Germany which led to a number of short stories. I didn’t really imagine writing a novel, let alone several, I merely wanted to preserve the memories for my family.

But I became aware how much I enjoy the writing process. How I felt while I did it. I worked for a PR agency and did lots of business related writing. I’d go home at night and write some more, spent my weekends writing fiction. I grew more and more invested, took classes, read books on craft, attended conferences and joined a critique group. In 2009 I attended a short story class at Indiana University and that’s when the light bulb turned on fully. I’ve known ever since that writing is my passion and I must do it even if publication is light years away. I finished the first manuscript in 2010. The first book was published in 2015.

Why did you decide to write stories for the YA market?

Maybe I never quite grew up. I have vivid memories of my teenage years and I raised three kids through the rough and tumble teen years. It’s an age so full of wonder and turmoil, but also of tough times. I think it’s one of the most interesting periods in a human’s life.

What is your favorite part of writing for this group? What is the greatest challenge?

I love the quirkiness, the surprise moves my characters make. Sometimes, Max, my main character just throws me for a loop. He’s unpredictable and rash, but he also has a good heart and means to do well. It just doesn’t always work out that way. At the same time I love taking my readers on an exciting journey. I want them to ‘feel’ the action, be there with the characters, bring history alive.

The challenge is getting into the heads of the teen characters and understanding that their approach to things is quite different from adult logic.

Can you tell us what your latest book is all about?

In “The Kid,” book two in the “Escape from the Past” trilogy, time-traveling gamer, Max, intends to return to his friends in medieval Germany, but mistakenly lands in the Wild West of 1881 New Mexico.

Struggling to get his bearings and coming to terms with Dr. Stuler’s evil computer game misleading him, Max runs into Billy the Kid. To his amazement Billy isn’t at all the ruthless killer history made him out to be. Trouble brews when a dying Warm Springs Apache gives Max a huge gold nugget to help his sister, Ela, escape from Fort Sumner. Shopping for supplies Max attracts the attention of ruthless bandits. Before Max can ask the Kid’s help, he and Ela are forced to embark on a journey to find his imaginary goldmine. This is book 2 in the Escape from the Past trilogy.

What inspired you to write it?

Growing up in Germany, I’ve always been fascinated with the Wild West. I remember watching westerns with my father and reading books about pioneers, American Indians and the gold rush. After I moved to the U.S. I continued reading historical fiction set in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds.

I chose Billy the Kid because I see him as a tragic character who encountered a string of bad luck and was basically set up to fail. He isn’t much older than Max and can easily see how any young man could’ve had Billy’s fate. The second important character is Chief Nana, A Warm Springs Apache warrior, who in the summer of 1881 rode a 3,000 mile vengeance war against the U.S. Army. He was never caught nor were his fifteen or so warriors. The amazing thing about him was his age. He was around eighty years old then and had a bad leg.

Where can readers purchase a copy?

“Escape from the Past: The Kid” is available at any bookstore and online. Here are a few links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Past-Kid-book-2/dp/178535213X/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escape-from-the-past-annette-oppenlander/1122768791

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781785352133

What is up next for you?

I just finished the third book in the trilogy, “Escape from the Past: At Witches’ End” which takes Max back to the Middle Ages. The manuscript is currently in editing at the publisher. My current writing project is a story about two teens growing up during WW2 in Germany. It’s a love story based on my family, but it is ultimately a story of forgiveness.

Do you have anything else to add?

I always love hearing from readers and invite you to leave a comment or note here on the blog or on my website, Goodreads or Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/annetteoppenlanderauthor/

Thank you very much for having me!

 

Annette Oppenlander will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dead Plains: The Zombie West Series by Angela Scott

Sometimes, the ones you least suspect are the ones that should worry you the most.

People aren’t always what they seem, as Red has experienced all too well. Strangers are feared, towns are avoided, and everyone’s intentions are scrutinized… even those of the people closest to her. Her coveted ability has been revealed to far too many people, and now that a tiny heartbeat thumps and grows beneath her own, the risk has never been greater.

As the group of ten searches for a safe haven, a place to finally call home, the sobering reality of it all finally settles over them: nowhere is safe, nothing is permanent, and death is everywhere. One by one, Red’s reluctant posse grows smaller, as death claims some, and circumstance claims others.

It couldn’t be a worse time to bring a newborn into the world… but the baby is coming.

BIO:

I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author. For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it.

I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs.

ONLINE LINKS:

Website: www.angelascottauthor.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AngelaScottWriter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ascott_author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AngelaScott

BUY NOW LINK:

• Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Plains-Zombie-West-ebook/dp/B00FNH2MLA/