#Crystals101 – March Birthstone Crystal

March has two different crystals designated as it’s birthstone.  Aren’t you lucky. 😁 

The first one is Aquamarine, and one stone that most people will have heard of.  High quality Aquamarine is a bit more costly then your standard crystal.  The above is an Aquamarine bracelet I bought last year.  Just because I HAD TO have it.  

Aquamarine’s name is Latin and means seawater, which makes sense if you have any inkling about names and such.  The ancient sailors swore that it helped calm the wave and kept them safe.  I wonder how many bodies are at the bottom of the ocean with Aquamarine trinkets on them?  🤔

This crystal was also thought to bring happiness to marriages and is given as a 19th wedding anniversary present.  Speaking of gifts, in 1936 the government of Brazil gave First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt a dark blue rectangular step cut aquamarine that weighed 1,298 carats.  Yikes!  Most be nice to be in politics.  

The 1,298 carat rectangular step-cut aquamarine in art deco box gifted to Eleanor Roosevelt from the government of Brazil in 1936 is one of the largest April birthstones.

 

The second crystal for March babies is the Bloodstone, which is part of the Jasper family.  Though it’s not as beautiful to look at as the Aquamarine, Bloodstones have very distinct patterns which can be pleasing to the eye.  There are two variations: Dragon Bloodstone or Africa Bloodstone. Personally I like the Dragon Blood better than the African Blood.  

This crystal used to be known as Heliotope,, which in ancient Greek, meant to turn the sun.  They thought if you place the stone in water it would turn the sun red.  Later, Bloodstone was attached to the crystal for religious significance.  People thought the red represented the blood of Christ while he hung on the cross. 

Some of the metaphysical properties attributed to this March crystal include increasing strength, giving invisibility, (I’ll take some of that), and preserving your health and youth.  Today, many people think of Bloodstone as a lucky charm, and prized by athletes to grow stronger.  In India, they’ll crush the crystal into a powder and used as an anaphrodisiac.    Oookay.  I guess.  At least they’re leaving the rhino horns alone.  

So, there you have.  Two very different crystals for you March babies.  Happy Birthday. 

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My Book Review of Nite Fire: Flash Point by C.L. Schneider

Book Description:

A single act of compassion turned her from assassin to fugitive in the blink of a dragon’s eye.

For nearly a century, Dahlia Nite has defended humanity with her shapeshifting abilities. She works in secret, hunting what lurks in the dark, burying the secrets that could destroy them all.

But when a rash of gruesome murders sheds light on what should remain in the shadows, her limits are tested. Ancient conspiracies are in danger of being exposed, awakening humans to a reality steeped in legend—one more terrifying than they could ever imagine.

As Dahlia straddles the line between solving the crimes and concealing their shocking circumstances, the mystery deepens. Each new murder lifts the veil higher. Each new clue leads her to the one place she thought to never go again: home.

Flash Point is the award-winning first book in the Nite Fire Series, an immersive mash-up of urban fantasy and murder mystery with shapeshifters, dragons, and parallel worlds.

My Review:

I found this book / series through a book tour featured on a blog I follow.  The cover was enticing and the blurb sounded good, so I picked it up.  I’m glad I did.  I’ve read a lot of books over the years about dragons, but never a dragon-shifter.  So, this was going to be an interesting read. 

I really enjoyed Dahlia Nite’s character and I thought she was very well written.  It was easy to fall into the story with the developed side characters, the world building, and descriptions.  Even the antagonist was easy to see as the horrible, terrible, sick villain she was. She loves inflicting pain in the nastiest of ways. 

Office Evens has me intrigued.  Yes, we do learn about PART of his past, but it still doesn’t explain how he seems to know things.  I  can’t wait to see what gets revealed about him in the coming stories.  

What I didn’t like, which drew me out of the story, were all the ING words.  Almost every sentence starts with them and ended up making me grit my teeth.  A decent editor would nip that in the bud.

This was a very enjoyable read, and I intend on reading the rest in the series.  If you love paranormal, supernatural creatures with a mystery woven through the story, you’ll want to read this book.  I give it 4 stars.

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Featured Free eBook: Charlotte Watson and The Missing Bullet by Maureen Gil

A haunted legal thriller

A mystery thriller, featuring attorney Charlotte Watson and the ghost of her ex-husband, John.

Meet Charlotte Watson, a criminal defense attorney in Conoy County, Pennsylvania. She’s haunted by her dead ex-husband, John, who only shows up if she’s on a date or her client is innocent.

And she needs to solve the case of the missing bullet before her client gets sentenced to death row.

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Featured Free eBook: Saving Sahara by Ravyn Wilde

Sahara is dying. Damian can save her, but is living worth the price?

This Victorian Vampire Novella is part of the Creatures of Myth Series and gives us a tantalizing glimpse of the ancients.

Creatures of Myth have existed through the ages—and continue into the future. Some Creatures are born into the supernatural world, and some are created in Magic and pain. There are blood-drinkers, shifters, and Others steeped in myth and lore.

In Creatures of Myth—the heroine finds a soulmate—even if she isn’t looking for one. The magic is real, and each book offers a happily-ever-after love story… and a plot with a little thrill of horror and madness. All of the books are hot, some are scorching, and very often the heat is magical.

Saving Sahara is part of Ravyn Wilde’s racy paranormal series, Creatures of Myth. This supernatural adult romance is filled with snarky humor and sexy bloodsuckers. Come play with the Creatures of Myth and fall in love with something Wilde!

These books contain lots of laughter, a few tears, steamy sex, and plots with a touch of terror. They deal with mature situations and have adult language. This series is intended for those 18 and up.

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Featured Free ebook: Ghost of a Chance by Natalie Pearce

What’s a ghost to do when the guy of her dreams doesn’t even know she exists? Literally.

A spooky love triangle with a difference!

Elle’s been stuck haunting her share house for the last four years. Being dead is frustrating enough, but when her newest housemate sets her sights on Elle’s longtime crush, Dean, she reaches her limit.

She needs to get her ghost on and break these two up before she becomes the ultimate third wheel!

Or worse, Dean moves out…

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It Came From … Book Tour & Giveaway – 3/5 to 3/12

The only book to completely examine the origins of classic fantasy films by including an in-depth examination of the source material and its author, the screenwriter’s contribution in adapting it, and an analysis of how that combination resulted in the production of the final film.

It Came From…

The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Films

by Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison

Genre: Film History, Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction

 

How many times have you said, the book was better? And how many times was that actually true?

The cinema of the fantastic has benefitted from literary adaptations on a level unlike any other genre. With such brilliant authors as Mary Shelley, Robert Bloch, Pierre Boulle, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert Louis Stevenson to choose from, it’s no surprise that fantastic film shares its pedigree with literary fiction.
But do films never live up to their literary inspirations? Or are some movies just … better than the books that inspired them?

Join genre critics Jim Nemeth and Bob Madison for a rule- busting examination of 21 classic – and not so classic – horror, fantasy and science fiction films, and the classic – and not so classic – books that inspired them.

It Came From…The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Films will delight legions of movie buffs along with devoted readers of cherished fantastic fiction.

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By day, Jim Nemeth is a technical writer within the fields of computer software and biotechnology.

As a professional writer, in 1993, Jim won 1st Prize in a national magazine’s short story writing contest for which novelists Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch were judges. Winning held special meaning for Jim, as Robert Bloch remains his favorite writer and main literary influence. Jim has had essays, articles and reviews printed in a variety of magazines, including Filmfax, Mad About Movies, and Scary Monsters.

A long- time community activist, Jim is particularly committed to the causes of animal rescue and breast cancer research.

It Came From…: The Stories and Novels Behind Classic Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Films is his first book.

Born and raised in Chicago, Jim now lives with his husband in historic Marblehead, Massachusetts.

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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The Poison Dart Book Tour & Giveaway – 2/28 to 3/28

Some tales don’t want to be told. They’re shrouded in the dark and cloaked in danger. Sensible people leave those mysteries well enough alone. But not Debbie Bradley. After all, that’s how she makes her living.

 
 

The Poison Dart

Debbie Bradley Crime Mysteries Book 2

by Geri Dreiling

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

An overdose. A drug bust. A captive of the cartel. When fates collide, who will survive?

The ripple effects of an overdose send shock waves through a community.
A sweeping drug bust upends lives, exposing the cartel’s deep reach into the Midwest.
A quest for a better life threatens to destroy a family.
As Debbie Bradley digs deeper into each story, startling connections emerge. When fates collide, who will survive?

What readers are saying:

“The narrative contains the right blend of mystery, crime scenes and action. It is one of those books that keeps one glued until the very end.“

“Dreiling relies more on intelligent conversations, on the proper and strategic use of lies, and on wordplay“

“Grab or download a copy, curl up with a blanket on the couch, and enjoy this good read and solid, accurate, crime story with interesting twists and turns.“

“With a talent for plot creation, patiently unwinding the threads of all angles, and never lacking for excitement, Dreiling is an author you will want to read time and time again.“

**On Sale for Only .99 cents until March 1st!!**

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Crime Beat Girl

Debbie Bradley Crime Mysteries Book 1

A girl is dead. A boy is locked up. Can Debbie Bradley discover the truth before more lives are lost…maybe even her own?

A series of deadly shootings. An outbreak of stolen cars. When journalist Debbie Bradley returns home to St. Louis, the summer crime wave has started. And she’s in the center: A witness, a reporter, a target.

Debbie’s reasons for leaving behind her promising career in Washington D.C. were complicated. Her mother, a prominent lawyer, was diagnosed with cancer. Her engagement was cooling. When she got offered a job in St. Louis that she hadn’t been looking for, Debbie recognized an opportunity. Or an escape.

But she didn’t expect to come home and see a girl die. Debbie never planned to investigate a boy behind bars. And she didn’t anticipate colliding with hostile cops and wary politicians.

As her work gains attention, Debbie gathers enemies. Will her assignment to cover the St. Louis crime beat be her last?

What readers are saying:

“Intense crime story full of unexpected twists and turns” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review

“Gripping crime story…with deep themes and highlighting very real problems” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review

“A page-turner, engaging the reader from the first page to the last” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review

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Geri L. Dreiling is the author of Crime Beat Girl, the debut novel in the Debbie Bradley Mystery series, which received seven book awards. She is also the author of Erasing the Past. Dreiling is an award-winning journalist as well as professor and lawyer. She lives in St. Louis.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Athena Book Tour & Giveaway – 3/4 to 3/11

Even the wise can be fools in love.

Athena

Gods and Monsters Book 1

by Eva Pohler

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Even the wise can be fools in love . . .

She grows up in the belly of her oppressive father, where she watches her mother build her armor and hatches plans for escape. Once freed, she becomes her father’s favorite–a loyal subject, warrior, and advocate who stands by her father even when her favorite is sentenced for treason and chained to a rock, where his liver is eaten daily by Zeus’s eagle. Then, her hopes for a reunion with Prometheus are crushed when he disappears, and years of searching prove futile. With a hardened heart, Athena becomes a powerful leader of the Olympians.

But when Prometheus returns from the shadows, her loyalties are challenged, her heart stirs with unquenchable passion, and her immortal life is forever changed.

**Get 30% off when you preorder directly from the author HERE!**

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Eva Pohler earned her Ph.D. in English in the mid-nineties, specializing in twentieth-century British and American narrative strategies. She has taught writing and literature for over twenty years at a university in San Antonio, her hometown, where she lives with her husband, two of her three adult children, and three rescue dogs.

An award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels in multiple genres, Eva writes paranormal mysteries, thrillers, and young adult fantasy based on Greek mythology. Her books have been described as “addictive” and “sure to thrill”–Kirkus Reviews.

Whichever genre you read, you will find an adventure in Eva Pohler’s stories. They blur the line between reality and fantasy, truth and delusion, and draw from Eva’s personal philosophy that a reader must be lured and abducted into complete captivity in order to enjoy the reading experience.

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

A signed paperback copy of Dionysus,

$10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner each!

 

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The Guest House Book Tour & Giveaway – 3/1 to 3/15

When a young deaf entrepreneur rents a guest house from a stranger at a coffee shop, she soon finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and danger.

The Guest House

Silicon Valley Series Book 2

by Bonnie Traymore

Genre: Psychological Thriller

“This twisty, spine-tingling thriller will have you hooked to the very last page.” – Leslie Lutz, Award-winning author of Fractured Tide

Wow! What a ride. I was hooked from the first page. I did not see that ending coming. Full of suspense and intrigue. A good follow-up to book 1, but it could be read as a stand-alone. There’s an entirely new storyline, but it also returns to wrap up some unfinished business from book 1. The addition of a deaf protagonist with a cochlear implant who can sometimes hear and sometimes not was original and refreshing. It added another dimension of complexity and sense of danger. A great read. – Netgalley

He holds out his business card, and she plucks it from his fingers without touching them. “Hope to see you around, Allie Dawson,” he says. That was over a month ago. It seemed too good to be true, but Allie told herself to ignore the nagging feeling in her gut. That was her first mistake.

When she saw Laura Foster’s email welcoming her into a cohort of grant recipients, Allie literally jumped for joy. She was headed to Silicon Valley with a chance to bring her innovative product to market.

But she had no idea how tight the rental market would be, or how cutthroat the competition is for everything from housing to venture capital. So, after a futile search to find a short-term apartment she could afford, she rented a guest house from a chummy real estate agent who approached her at a coffee shop.

But it’s clear now that she should have trusted her instincts. Because there’s something off about her landlord. And his moody wife. And the cryptic Hungarian guy renting his master suite.

Are they after her technology? Did he see her, peeking out the window when he was dragging a suspicious duffel bag across the lawn? She knows what it feels like to see her life flash before her eyes, and she doesn’t need that kind of stress right now.

So why is she still living there?
And has she already seen too much?

Innovation, greed, and danger collide in The Guest House, Silicon Valley Series Book 2, a stand-alone sequel to the best-selling hit page-turner The Stepfamily.

For fans of Freida McFadden, Shari Lapena, Daniel Hurst, Shalini Boland, and Kaira Rouda.

This was such a good book! I loved the characters, and their story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable. I was very surprised by the ending! – NetGalley

This was a quick and easy read for me. As a reader who loves a psychological thriller it’s sometimes easy to see through the plots, but this story had me guessing for the most part until the end. Just the right level of spooky for me without the blood and gore that some authors choose to use. Would definitely recommend. – NetGalley

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The Stepfamily

Silicon Valley Series Book 1

“I couldn’t put it down!” – Amazon

“Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. Definitely one of the best books this year.” – NetGalley

Laura Foster’s not the type to go looking for trouble. But it seems to be looking for her.

Laura’s on the verge of living the life she’s always wanted. At the age of twenty-seven, she put her career plans on hold, married handsome widower Peter Foster, settled down in his Silicon Valley home, and helped raise his two children.

Twelve years later, it’s her turn to shine. Her career is thriving, the kids are out of the house, Peter’s company is on the verge of an FDA approval that could garner a windfall in stock gains for them, and she’s training for the Kona Ironman. But when a series of freak accidents can no longer be chalked up to bad luck, it becomes clear that someone is out to get her. Is it someone from work, jealous of her promotion? Or is it perhaps someone more dangerous? Someone closer to home?

Laura has no enemies that she knows of, but she senses that husband Peter is keeping secrets. And when she starts digging into the family’s past, a twisted and unsettling story starts to slowly reveal itself. But with the walls closing in on her, she needs to find out why someone would want to harm her…and what really happened to his first wife.

Before it’s too late.

“I devoured this in a few short hours. Very easy to read and the story keeps you coming back for one more chapter.” -NetGalley

“Full of suspense and twists and turns!” – NetGalley

For fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Shari Lapena, Shalini Boland, Miranda Rijks, or Minka Kent.

**On Sale for Only .99cents 3/1 – 3/8!**

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Bonnie Traymore is the award-winning, Amazon best selling author of page-turner mystery/thrillers that hit close to home. Her books feature strong but relatable female protagonists. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time. She’s an active status member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

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The Undead Wars Book Tour & Giveaway – 2/28 to 3/28

Love Never Dies

 

The Undead Wars

A Cry in the Moon’s Light Book 2

by Alan McGill

Genre: Horror Romance, Dark Fantasy

 

A LEADER WILL RISE AND A KINGDOM WILL FALL.


The former Duchess of Harcourt lives a quiet life. The events of the Dark Forest are a distant memory. But evil does not forget so easily. The sinister Witch King has sent new creatures to find the remaining witches.
Gruesome murders plague the land as eerie Wolf Song echoes from the mountains. Is this the return of Seth? Or something else?
Alessandra de Moreau must decide if she can work with those who killed her love, for only together will they be able to stop the Undead Army. But first, she will have to find the Dagger of Dark Silver and unravel the Mystery of the Wolf, if they are to survive The Undead Wars.

 

**Get it for Only .99cents until March 6th!!**

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A Cry in the Moon’s Light

A Cry in the Moon’s Light Book 1

 

In a time of castles, muskets, and hideous creatures of the night, a beautiful woman travels across the treacherous Dark Forest to be by the side of her dying grandmother. With only a young carriage driver to protect her, she must use her wits and all of her courage to cross the wild country—and to evade the mysterious beast who stalks her.

What follows is a tale full of horror, mystery, and romance: gruesome murders at a village hidden deep in the forest, a castle that holds dark secrets, and a black wolf leading a deadly pack. Nothing is as it seems, and this journey has only just begun. The beautiful lady in the carriage will learn that only love can defeat evil, but is it love or danger that cries out to her in the deceitful light of the moon?

 

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**Don’t miss the companion books!**

 

Red Door

A Cry In the Moon’s Light Novella

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Father Daniel’s Compendium of the Undead

A Companion Novella to A Cry in the Moon’s Light

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Alan McGill is an American author who lives in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a clowder of cats. Alan was close to his grandparents who grew up in the Great Depression. They were married young and remained together until his grandmother’s passing. His grandfather served in the Navy during WWII and was a gifted storyteller who weaved humorous tales about tough events. Alan grew up with these stories of right and wrong along with watching fictional heroes such as The Lone Ranger, Adam West’s Batman and Captain America. Heroes who stood up to bullies and protected those who could not protect themselves. This made an impression on the author to always do what was right in his own life and shaped his love for storytelling. He is a multi-genre author with his debut novel being A Cry in the Moon’s Light which is a horror romance and mystery series. As with all his books, one of the primary themes involves characters who strive to do the right thing regardless of the adversity they face. The second theme present in all his books is love. A pure and deep love that defeats all evil.

 

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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