TOUR STOP: Two Princes (When We Were Young 1) by MAGGIE BLACKBIRD

 Hey everyone! My dear friend Maggie is back, this time with a tour for TWO PRINCES from her "When We Were Young Series", published by Devine Destinies (the sweet side of eXtasy Books, my publisher)... Check it out! ♥

 I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the TWO PRINCES by Maggie Blackbird Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: TWO PRINCES (When We Were Young #1)

Author: Maggie Blackbird

Pub. Date: June 12, 2020

Publisher: Devine Destinies

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 234

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle,  B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

To win over the chief’s haughty son, a drug-dealing punk from a dysfunctional family must risk the only two things he has: his reputation and freedom.

Billy Redsky, a rebellious punk who loves art and nature, is saddled with a welfare-leeching, alcoholic mother and criminal older brother who are the joke of their Ojibway community. Sick and tired of being perceived as a loser, Billy deals drugs for his older brother to earn quick money. He hopes if he buys a dirt bike, he’ll finally impress the chief’s popular and aloof son, René Oshawee.

When the two are forced to serve detention together, a friendship begins to bloom, but much to Billy’s frustration, René keeps putting him on ice. To make his biggest dream come true if he finally wants to call René his own, Billy must make a huge decision that could cost him everything.

Maggie answered a few questions... Check them out!

My Top Five Favourite Movies:

I love action movies.  They are my first choice when it comes to watching something while relaxing for the evening.  I cheer for the villains.  Not the heroes LOL.  I love a good villain(s).  So based on villains, here are my fave films.

5)  Die Hard:  Why else would I love this movie?  Hans Gruber and his henchman.  Enough said.  I wanted the villains to win LOL.

4)  48 Hours:  Murphy and Nolte have major chemistry, and the villain Albert Ganz and his sidekick Billy Bear are awesome.

3)  Another 48 Hours:  Again, the villains shine.  I love watching the badass bikers Cherry Ganz, Willie Hickok, and Malcom Price take on Murphy and Nolte.

2)  Predator:  There is no badder villain than the Predator.  Dutch and his team up against this terror from space show how lethal the Predator is because none of these highly trained men stand a chance.

1)  Mad Max II aka The Road Warrior:  Again, the villains shine.  Wez and the Golden Youth are my fave movie romance pairing.

About Maggie:

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes.  When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a gift certificate from eXtasy Books/Devine Destinies for $20.00, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One: 

10/12/2020
Lisa-Queen of Random Guest Post


10/13/2020
BookHounds YA Interview


10/14/2020
Two Chicks on Books Interview


10/15/2020
Word Processor, Romance, Cats, Kids and Creed Guest Post


10/16/2020
Books A-Brewin'  Guest Post

Week Two:

10/19/2020
Rainbowrdrgrl  Review


10/20/2020
JaimeRockstarBookTours Instagram Post


10/21/2020
Bookswithpaulak  Review


10/22/2020
Jaime's World
Review


10/23/2020
Rajiv's Reviews Review

JS Frankel - GUEST SPOT!

Hello book lovers! My friend and fellow eXtasy Books/Devine Destinies author JS Frankel drops by to talk about his upcoming release, "What the Gods Allow". Please give him a warm welcome and show him tons of love!

* * * *

Hello! My name is Jess Frankel—pen name, J.S. Frankel—and I’d like to first thank Ms. VJ Allison for having me here today.

  I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but I’ve made my home in Japan for the past thirty years. Yes, that’s a long time, and it helps that I speak the language fairly well, although my kanji still stinks. I should study more, but there is that writing thing to think about…

  Ah, yes, the writing. I write YA Fantasy for the most part, with equal parts of humor, action, and a little romance. My readers often comment that I’m very good at action scenes, and that’s what I tend to specialize in. More than likely, my ideas for doing action came from my love for superhero movies. Being a nerd is in!

  So, what do you fancy? YA, Romance, or just plain action? In fact, I have all three, and they’re going to be featured in two upcoming releases, both courtesy of Devine Destinies.

  The first is What The Gods Allow, a YA Fantasy that focuses mainly on romance, but it also has paranormal aspects to it, as well as some horror. Here’s the blurb:

For Medusa, freedom and beauty are temporary, but love is eternal.

Medusa, the Gorgon, is free—temporarily. Penned up in Tartarus, the gods—Zeus and Hera—show her mercy. Medusa is given two weeks in which to track down their wayward daughter, Eris. Transformed into a beautiful young woman, Medusa is given only one warning: not to use her powers of transforming those to stone.

She agrees and adopts the name Meddy Gorgonne. In a stroke of chance, she finds lodgings with the Goldstein’s, Sam and Trudy, and tries to figure out how modern Portland works. Cars, showers, television—all are mysteries to her at first, although she adapts.

Meddy is somewhat naïve about life and especially about love, as she slowly falls for Sam, a teen who is suffering from Usher’s Syndrome, a disease that will blind and deafen him in time. What is more troubling to Meddy is that her powers of turning people to stone have returned, and she is at a loss as to why.

With the police slowly closing in and time running out on how to get Eris to return to Olympus, Meddy discovers that sometimes old is new, and that time-worn traditions can surmount modernity.

But will they be enough for her to stay with Sam, or will she be forced to return to Tartarus for eternity?

  This was a change of pace for me as I usually focus on action, but I decided to try my hand at romance, and I have to say that I’m pleased with the result. I can only hope readers will be pleased with it, too.

  The second novel out is The Associate. No release date—yet—but it’s in the final proofing stages, so we shall see. Here’s the blurb:

Nate Holliday is your average teen, living a fairly ordinary life in Portland, Oregon. Born without a right hand, he copes ith his disability the best that he can, although he still feels like an outsider.

  His fairly ordinary life changes when he meets Ukiko Monaghan, a woman from an alternate Earth. Ukiko, known as Dividing Woman for her ability to split her body into multiple copies of herself, is after a violent criminal named Astral, who can summon up demons from another dimension.

Astral is aided by Tony Lethal, a thug who enjoys stomping people. Together, they are in search of the Spark, an all-powerful weapon, and Ukiko enlists Nate’s help in finding it before they do.

Now, Nate, along with his girlfriend, Melanie Sarkosian, have to avoid spectral demons, the various branches of the law, and curiosity seekers as they race to find the Spark before Astral does. It’s a hard journey, one fraught with danger, and Nate has to conquer his own demons before he can conquer those who seek to defeat him in his quest.

Sometimes, courage is all you need.

Guaranteed, there’s a lot of action, along with some romance and a good deal of humor.

Where can you find my books, you ask? Here’s the link for Devine Destinies:

http://www.devinedestinies.com/js-frankel/

 

Oh, and I’m also on Amazon, and here’s the link for that:

https://www.amazon.com/J.S.-Frankel/e/B004XUUTB8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

As an aside, as a writer, I feel that it’s important to thank the people who have helped me along the way. My wife, Akiko, our children, Kai and Ray, have been incredibly supportive.

As well, there are many other writers and readers who have helped me out with their support, sharing my posts and whatnot. Of course, VJ Allison—thank you!—and other fabulous people such as Eva Pasco, Joanne Van Leerdam, Rose Montague, Mark Carnelley, Helen Dunn, Annette Mori, Suzie Carr, and a whole lot more!

  Thank you again for having me, VJ. It is much appreciated!

GUEST SPOT: J.S. Frankel

Good Morning everyone! Today, we're focusing the spotlight on my friend and Devine Destinies author, J.S. Frankel. He's here with a couple of awesome book trailers, and an excerpt from his novel, "The Auctioneer". Thanks for dropping by, J.S.! 

* * * *

J.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up there, receiving his tertiary education from the University of Toronto and graduating with a double major in English Literature and Political Science.

After working at Gray Coach Lines for a grand total of three years, he came to Japan at the age of twenty-six and has been there ever since, teaching English to any and all students who enter his hallowed school of learning.

In 1997, he married Akiko Koike. He, his wife and his two children, Kai and Ray, currently reside in Osaka. His hobbies include weight training, watching movies when his writing schedule allows, and listening to various kinds of music. 

His novels, all for the YA set, include Twisted, Lindsay Versus the Marauders and it's sequels, Lindsay, Jo, and the Tree of Forever, and Lindsay, Jo and the Well of Nevermore, all courtesy of Regal Crest Enterprises. He has also written the Catnip series (five novels), Mr. Taxi, The Titans of Ardana and its sequel, The Titans of Ardana 2: Battlefield, along with Picture (Im)perfect and more novels, courtesy of DevineDestinies.com. 

Amazon books link: https://www.amazon.com/J.S.-Frankel/e/B004XUUTB8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

Book Trailer: Master Fantastic

Book Trailer: The Titans of Ardana:

 

Book Spotlight: The Auctioneer

Excerpt from The Auctioneer: "Sudden Danger"

Number three, though, proved to be the most disturbing. Anarra’s very presence made me wonder about asking her out. She’d already made it clear that she thought I was nice looking. Cute, she’d said. She didn’t know about the variety of guys on Earth. While that didn’t matter much, what bothered me more was that although I liked her, I also didn’t want her to feel obligated in any way because I’d bought her freedom. Truthfully, I didn’t have the faintest idea of what to think or do, although she did. She had a hold of my hand like she didn’t want to let go. 

“What is that?” 

Her question interrupted my thoughts. “Uh, what’s what?” 

“That.” 

She pointed at the glass. Whatever she’d been looking at, I didn’t have a clue. Outside, I saw only space, stars, and the occasional starship flying by, but no aliens firing plasma cannons or Killer Orbital Platforms or whatever else was out there. “I don’t understand, Anarra. There’s nothing but space all around us.” 

A note of fear laced her next words. “No, I do not mean outside. I meant that which shields us from outside.” 

Shields us from outside... oh, holy crap, I’d been looking in the wrong spot. The glass had a crack in it at the bottom. Spidery thin, like a river, the crack slowly but inexorably moved upward about six inches and then branched off. Accompanying it was a faint smell of something burning and a faint wisp of smoke curled in the air. Acid... someone had poured acid on the glass—an acid that could melt it. I glanced to my left. The same thing was happening to the window there, smoke rising. Another peek to my right told me... Aw, hell, no. 

“Back away,” I said, trying to fight down the fear of what being pulled out into space could mean. I took her hand in mine and backpedaled. “Baltarus, where are you?” 

There was no answer, and we kept doing the reverse thing as another crack at the top of the panel started to spread downward at a faster rate. If this kept up, then the cracks would eventually intersect, and that meant the glass would crack. Anarra echoed my thoughts. “What will happen if it breaks?” 

“Short version, we’ll die.” 

That was something I didn’t want to happen. Sneaking a quick look behind me, the door to the inner compound was open. “Anarra, when I say so, run to the door that leads to the lounge and don’t look back.” 

A frightened, “Yes, I will do as you say,” came from her. 

Good thing, as a shivery, jittery sound came from the panel. It quivered and seemed to move toward us. “Anarra, run. Now!” 

She wheeled around and sprinted to the door. I followed her, and a moment later the sound of glass shattering echoed through the hall. Immediately, an alarm went off, the whoop-whoop of a siren knifing through the air. Out of the corner of my eye, the long table where we’d eaten as well as the chairs left the floor in a flash, smashing against the unbreakable glass and exploding into a million shards of wood. It was both awesome as well as terrifying, and while part of me wanted to look away, the other part couldn’t. Didn’t this port have emergency shields? Oh, wait, they were coming down, but very slowly. 

“Alert, alert, barriers failing,” a tinny voice intoned. 

Wonderful, just when we needed protection, we got a mechanical failure. Anarra was three feet from the entrance with me right behind her. The vacuum suck of space began in earnest, and the very power of the universe yanked our feet out from under us. My female companion screamed, “Help me,” as she was pulled back. 

Help me. Her cry echoed in my ears. With my right hand, I latched onto her upper arm. The door to the inner sanctum was quivering, practically off its hinges, but I grabbed some depressions in the wall. The rough rock bit into my flesh, and I managed to inch my way over, dragging Anarra with me. Just a few more inches... just a few more... There! 

I grabbed onto the handle and then tossed Anarra inside. The vacuum kept trying to pull me out, though, and its power was immense. “Help me close the door,” I panted. 

She got to her feet and pulled me to safety. Together, we tugged the door closed and then locked it. Anarra leaned her head on my shoulder, whispering, “Thank you,” over and over. “Yeah, don’t worry about it.” 

Gasping for breath, we staggered into the safety of the lounge room, only to find Baltarus sitting on a cushion, examining his fingernails. “What happened?” he asked with an air of innocence. “I heard the alarm, and decided to stay here.” 

Was it worth it to tell him? Half of me wanted to, but the other half said to give him just enough information this time out. “The glass outside cracked. It was an accident.” 

Concern flooded his saturnine features and he stood up. “Are you injured, either of you?” Anarra shook her head. “I’m fine,” I said. “The shields came down, but they didn’t work fast enough.” 

Baltarus muttered something about never having to use them in the past and then muttered, “I shall take you back.” 

Once we’d arrived, he said that he’d contact the service ‘bots on the space-port to begin repairs and then go back to investigate. “Thank you,” I said, attempting to sound grateful. He nodded and vanished into the gateway. Anarra collapsed on the bed, still breathing hard. I fell beside her, and she breathed deeply a few times before saying, “I was never so frightened in my life. But I wish to thank you for saving me.” 

“You already did.” 

“No, I mean this.” 

She then turned over on her side and pecked me on the cheek. Actually, her nose stabbed me. “Ow!” 

“My apologies.” 

Anarra twisted her head sideways like an owl would and then kissed me on the cheek. “Was that better?” 

“Uh, yeah.” It was a kiss. I’d take it.