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Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers

1. Drums (Southern Seas Series)
   I’ve always been intrigued by what took people to remote places so it is no surprise that my stories are set usually set on isolated islands in the southern seas, especially since I lived on one myself for many years. “My” small island was surrounded by never-ending sea - I can still feel the desolation of watching a rare ship sail of the bay. That island of mine was first inhabited over 4,000 years ago as Polynesians left “Havaiiki” in search of something better or simply different and found strings of spectacular islands and atolls rising out of the sea. They travelled on fragile trimarans that should have sunk but survived the long voyage. They were courageous people, intelligent and beautiful with a lusty appreciation of sex. Then Europeans came - traders and missionaries, whalers and sandalwood gatherers. Most of them were men who might well have thought they’d died and gone to heaven because of all the sex and erotic dancing under the moon, but by the end of the 1790’s the missionaries were coming and brought wives with them. They set up schools and reduced the language to writing. Polynesian script became an art form. The clash of cultures would have been enormous - how to express joy or grief, for example. Beliefs about sensuality and promiscuity were miles apart and so was the attitude towards possessions - Polynesians took it for granted everything was to be shared while “sharing” was tantamount to theft to the Europeans. To put it simply, Polynesians believed this was right and that was wrong and Europeans believed differently. This is the world where my heroines and heroes live. Luke Wainwright is an artist attracted by Polynesia's vibrant light, but he hadn't expected to bring a wife along with him. He was forced into a marriage with Hester because by the strict rules of regency England he had played the fool once too often. ("Who is He?") A young man relies on others to choose the perfect wife for him, only to suffer the consequences. His wedding night is a nightmare - and that is just the beginning. ("A Perfect Wife for Peregrine Winthrop") Two wounded people have been acquainted forever but only truly meet when tragedy strikes and he sails to her aid. (“Unexpected Hero") In "Drums" - Amelia is a destitute teacher who witnesses the slaughter of a man she has never met yet agreed to marry, while Guy thanks God for his wife's betrayal - without it he would never have prepared for the worst. "Mistake" is still being written. Joshua, one of the seafaring Churnsides, blithely believes he is destined to live happily ever after with Reverend Browning’s daughter Susannah - until she makes a mistake he is unable to forgive. Running through many of my stories is the theme of miscarriage - not surprising, I suppose, since about 20% of conceptions miscarry. Hester Wainwright has to wait years to give birth to a healthy babe. Charity Trescothick’s experience of tragedy causes weight loss and cessation of her periods, only with Sebastian’s love and care does she begin to heal - and gain weight. Susannah Browning is eventually happily married but still lives under the cloud of her mother’s many miscarriages.
2. Maggie’s Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten
   Deanna Lynn Sletten writes women's fiction and romance novels that dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. Deanna's romance novel, Memories, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2012. Her novel, Sara's Promise, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2013 and a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards. Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.
3. Still Not Dead
   The author is a divorce lawyer and former special prosecutor in domestic violence court.
4. Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss by Niki Bond
   Niki is a fan of Japanese RPGs and anime, especially the Tales series and Pandora Hearts. She grew up on a ranch in Georgia, surrounded by dogs, cats, and horses, before moving to the city. She's always exercised an active imagination, whether through writing or games. Technology has always also been a huge influence in her life, bringing about worlds that mix fantasy and magic with advanced technology.
5. Nefertiti’s Heart by A. W. Exley
   Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita's life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics. Today Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.
6. BELIEVE IN ME
   Mishael Austin Witty is a professional editor and the internationally bestselling author of SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME, a Christian thriller/suspense novel, and BELIEVE IN ME, a sweet contemporary romance novella. She is also the author of a zombie fairy tale, CAMPANULA (a zombified retelling of Rapunzel, complete with zombies, angels, and everlasting love) and the upcoming THE FALLING SUN (Sunset’s Hope, Book One), a full-length historical novel set during the American Civil War period. All are currently available on Amazon in both paperback and ebook versions. Ms. Witty’s love of books began when she was very young. She wrote her first story at the age of four and (almost) never looked back. She took a brief break from writing fiction to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology before realizing that her first love, literature, was also her strongest. So she succumbed to the pull of her attraction to the written word and became an editor. A few years later, she wrote, and self-published, her first book, SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME (2006). In addition to her books, which are all self-published (to date), Ms. Witty has written several highly acclaimed flash fiction works that can be found on sites such as Faithwriters, The Iron Writer, and Colors of My Soul (first runner-up in their 2013 contest). One of her stories, “Today You Will Be With Me”, won an Editor’s Choice Award and appeared in the Faithwriters anthology, A Year of Celebration (2005). She lives in Louisville, KY, with her husband, two daughters, and two feline fur babies. You can connect with her online via Facebook, Twitter (@woweditor12), or either of her websites: http://www.wittyonlineditor.com and http://www.bluebrownbooks.com.
7. God’s Memory, Part 1 by Michael Landsberg
   Hello, and nice to meet you!:) I was born in Moscow in 1975. Although I speak English, Hebrew, German and a little Ukrainian, Russian is still my native language, so please cut this bio some slack:). Unlike my book it wasn't proofread by a professional translator:). It took me about 3 years to write God's Memory, because I actually have a full-time job, which is extremely time-consuming. I am working as a Creative/Art director for one of the biggest game developing companies in the world. I shipped 4 AAA titles, that have been played by millions of players. I love my job, it allowed me to travel the world, speak in front of thousands of people, and develop as a person. It also taught me a lot about writing, as all games have to have plots, characters and trailers. But there is one thing that i have always dreamed of doing in addition to that: Writing a real book. Writers I look up to are not the ones who sell 100 million copies, but who make characters, dialogues and plots so powerful and real, that they are timeless... relevant to all ages and generations. Like Maupassant and Tolstoy. That's why I decided to leave my comfort zone, and write not about aliens, monsters, mutants and special forces, but about something more relevant to our everyday lives. About something that might actually make people think, not simply entertain them. Because I believe that literature is way too powerful to be used for... well i don't want to mention names here. For whatever it is used for these days. And since I was always very interested in conspiracy, mass manipulation and economy, I decided to base the plot of God's Memory on the events of 9/11. I always wanted to know WHY? Why would world's leaders do it? There is no way that they are simply evil, bloodthirsty people. The world is not black and white. I wanted to imagine how it is to be in their shoes. How do they perceive us, regular folks? What would they tell us if they had no choice, but to answer our question, how would they justify their actions..? The answers, or at least my heroes' version of them are in the book. Please read it, and leave comments and feedback. Enjoy the book!:)
8. Seven Silent Witnesses – Finding Freedom Through The Power of Forgiveness by Cheryl Bramlett
   Cheryl Bramlett is a writer, television producer, and motivational speaker. After leaving home at seventeen and then working in the business world for many years, she found a place for her creative talents as a television producer/editor by documenting massive humanitarian outreaches for a large international ministry. She frequently shares her inspirational story to groups of all sizes. She currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her husband, Tom. This is her first full length book.
9. Sunrise in Bali by L A Shorter
   L A Shorter - or Lindsey to her friends - is a blogger and writer living in New York. She loves to travel and get lost in stories of romance - those written by others, and her own - and infuses both of these passions in her books! She hasn't quite managed to meet the love of her life yet, but feels sure he's out there, but she does have a dog and two cats to keep her company for now!