**Blitz ~ Love, Honor & Hope ~ Supporting Our Veterans**

Love, Honor, & Hope 

A Benefit for the United States 

War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation

Eight authors are joining forces to support one fantastic cause. Beginning June 24, 2014, Love, Honor, & Hope, an anthology of eight full-length novels, will be available for 30 days at the low price of $0.99. That’s right, just 99 pennies. The best part is that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation.

PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, affects approximately 19% of the military men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq—and that’s just those who have been diagnosed. The percentage is expected to grow as more of our military members seek treatment. It’s a heartbreaking trend for the men and women who sacrifice so much for our freedoms, especially with benefits being cut and promotions being threatened.

The United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation is a non-profit charity that focuses on providing FREE care to combat military members, both active and veterans. They can’t do it alone, which is why we’ve made the decision to step up and do something. All eight of the authors have their personal reasons for supporting this cause.

Cherime MacFarlane, author of Heart of the Hunter said, “For me, it’s the way a very quiet man, my uncle, receded into the background whenever a family function took place. I did understand he came back from WWII that way. A young man, easy going and quick to laugh became a recluse. My father also served in WWI, as did a second uncle who returned far from the mischievous young man he was before the war claimed his youth. I was a young mother during the Vietnam era. I had friends who did not come back from Vietnam. I had other friends who did come home but were permanently damaged by the things they saw. For me, this is an opportunity to give back something to the men who served their country when the call came. My uncles and father are gone now, but I do hope, in some small way, to pay it forward for them. This is a tiny step, but as the man once said, every journey begins with that first step.”

It’s easy to sit back and talk about helping our veterans and active military members. To step up and help is something all together different. We are answering the call for help. Will you answer? All it takes is for you to log on to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and spend 99 cents, and then hopefully share the great news on our labor of love. Not  only will you receive eight full-length novels for your enjoyment, you will also tell our men and women who suffer from this terrible and debilitating illness that we’ve got their backs.

Love, Honor, & Hope is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble from June 24 to July 23. It includes the following full-length novels:

Out of the Box Awakening - Jennifer Theriot

Early One Morning - Aubree Lane

Lost and Found - Jennifer Yarbrough

Scary Modsters - Diane Rinella

Tropical Dreams - Kelly Cozzone

Sisters of the Night - Linda Lee Williams

Heart of the Hunter - Cherime MacFarlane

Piece of Heaven - Sammie J

**Blitz & Giveaway ~ Scary Modsters...and Creepy Freaks ~ Diane Rinella**

I'm excited to be participating in the blitz for Diane Rinella's Scary Modsters...and Creepy Freaks. I have all the details on the book for y'all, as well as a guest post and a giveaway!

***

Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks by Diane Rinella

Release Date: March 25, 2014

Synopsis
A fantastical romance involving a girl, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

***Guest Post***

Why I Went Mod

Since I announced the release of Scary Modsters I’ve been repeatedly asked, “Why did you make deceased rock star Peter Lane a mod? Why not go more modern?”

In the early 1960’s we had just gotten out of the bobby sox and saddle shoes phase and were looking to Jackie O for style tips. Fashions weren't exactly risky. When Peter's popularity started all of that was changing. Mary Quant, a fashion designer out of London, created revolutionary styles, color combinations, and high hemlines that have never left us. The mod look propelled fashion forward and signaled that the world was changing. It was sort of the shot heard around the world.

Working-class youth went out of their way to get the best possible fashion. There’s a misconception that the scooter-loving mods were rich kids while their rivals, the motorcycle-riding, rockers, didn't

have money for fancy clothes. In talking to a lot of 60’s mods it seems that isn't true at all. The mods were just as working class as the rockers, but their priorities were different. They didn't believe in

wearing something that they considered undesirable when they could to do better.

I have a few hang-ups with modern fashion. It seems like everywhere I go people are wearing clothes that are both so short and tight that their skin is popping out in an undesirable way or their

clothes are so baggy that they are falling off. Now I know these are fashion statements, but they're not fashion statement that work for me. I have a hard time watching award shows. Some people are

given great honors and they show up looking like getting out of bed was an inconvenience. It drives me crazy.

It seems that every twenty years we revisit an era. The poodle skirts and saddle shoes of the 1950’s came back in style in the late 1970’s when rockabilly hit. 1960’s fashions became popular again in the 1980’s, during the new wave revolution. In the 1990’s stores were flooded with bellbottoms and those big shirts that were all the rage in the 70’s. In the first decade of the current century we saw an 80’s, new wave resurgence. Now we are due for a 90’s resurgence, which puts us at grunge. 

The problem is that grunge had a very casual look that never went away. Also the 90’s weren't very interesting fashion wise. So where do we go from there? It seems only natural that we would look

back to the revolution—the 1960’s. Have you seem those amazing, mod commercials for Rimmel? 

Everything old is new again.

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Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fangirl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Google + ~ Twitter

**Blog Tour ~ Scary Modsters World Improvement Project**

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Diane Rinella's Scary Modsters World Improvement Project. Diane wanted to do something a little different with the blog tour...something to promote making the world a better place. I have a guest post from her about a foundation that's working towards that. I have an excerpt from the book as well as a giveaway. The giveaway is special too. Diane is donating her promotion budget to The Autism Society of America. Check it out!

***ISF ~ Inspiration***

In Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks, rock star Peter Lane closes eyes in 1968 and reopens them in 2014. He expects to see positive changes. Instead, he sees the world in even more turmoil than when he left it. Peter’s discoveries changed me, and I can no longer turn a blind eye to the world’s problems for they are my problems too. This week I have asked authors and bloggers to post about ways to improve the world, whether it is about a charity that needs attention, how a smile can turn a mood around, or how we can all help save the planet.

I’d like to thank Brandee for allowing me to guest post today. I’d also like to thank you for taking time to read this. I hope you will find inspiration.

Oh, and about the giveaway. There is a second donation to be made, if you help me. I’ve decided to donate my promo budget to charity. For every 500 entries I will donate $5 to The Autism Society Of
America. There is a cap on this donation of $20, which is the amount I had set aside for promotion on social media. So please enter and make me spend my money!

One Man’s Quest for Change

by Diane Rinella

Recently, I noticed a non-profit organization that strives for world improvement has just less than 345 thousand followers on Facebook. In some ways that seems like a lot for a small foundation. After all, we are not talking about UNICEF, we are talking about one man’s vision turned into a non-profit. Then I noticed that the man who created said foundation has over eleven million followers on his personal page. (Have you figured out that I am talking about The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder?) It seems wrong that the man (who won’t live past this century) has thirty-two times the amount of followers as his ground-breaking foundation (which is trying to save our planet and all of its inhabitants from destruction.) 

If you follow Ian and don’t directly follow his foundation, you are missing out on some wonderful stuff. If you have no clue what I am talking about or have no idea who Ian is, please read on anyway, 
because I’d like to tell you about some amazing things.

The ISF focuses on all of us, the planet and every living creature, as being one organism that needs to work together to save each other. Whether that means putting an end to global warming or sparing
abandoned animals from never leaving a kill-shelter, everything is interconnected. No single action is too small, yet it can never be big enough. We (humans, animals, and the planet itself) need to act as a team.

Now let’s get to something very specific. The ISF recently began a program that tugs at my heartstrings. Per their website: “The ISF Emergency Medical Care Grant for Animals provides financial assistance to animal welfare organizations, agencies, and in some cases individual rescuers, responsible for the care of animals recovering from abuse, neglect or injuries suffered from a traumatic event. The purpose of this grant is to provide animal victims a second chance by alleviating their rescuers of the financial stress of treatment so they can focus on facilitating the animal's adoption into a permanent, loving home.”

Seriously, how cool is that? These grants go up to $2500. In a nutshell, “Grant funds may be used to cover only medical procedures for animals who are in need of urgent medical care or who have been victims of abuse or neglect and require medical treatment before being placed for adoption.”

This is just one of the many things the ISF does on a daily basis to improve the world. Not only do this program and the ISF, in general, need financial donations, they also need your help in spreading the word or by getting involved. For more information, please check out their website at: http://www.isfoundation.com/welcome and like the foundation on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ISFoundation

***

Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks by Diane Rinella

Release Date: March 25, 2014

Synopsis
A fantastical romance involving a girl, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

PETER
May 13, 1966 was a day that most wouldn't give a turnip over. Take a look at this picture. You see that guy? The smarmy, dark-haired young businessman sitting behind that big wood desk? That's Ben Stoddard, or as he likes to call himself, Big Ben. I refer to him as Mr. B.S. He's the one who took me. I mean he took everything—my career, my happiness, the girl I loved, and my life.

Now look to those four young lads sitting across from him—the ones that seem as if they've never had a penny to their names. The ones eager to sign on that dotted line. That handsome devil with the sandy blonde hair and the stupid grin—that's me, Peter Lane; singer, guitarist, huge chump, and idiot extraordinaire. I was on top of the world at that moment. We all were. You know that witticism about how you have to be careful that you don't sign your life away? It's no joke because that's exactly what I was doing.

We had just been given a new car, a swanky apartment, and unlimited credit at all the fancy boutiques on Carnaby Street. You've heard of Carnaby, right? The place where every self-respecting mod paid too much for clothes he couldn't afford even if they had been offered at fair prices. We were told to dress like we owned the world because we soon would. A tour was being planned so we could conquer America just like The Beatles had. All we had to do was sign on that little piece of paper you see on Mr. B.S.'s desk. We signed it in blue ink from a fountain pen—but had we known whom we were dealing with we would have pricked ourselves and used blood.

Two years later I was hovering above my casket, watching people lower my body into a dark, dirt hole, and cringing at how the once beautiful man had become broken, burnt to a crisp, and about to be devoured by worms.

Everyone thought it was an accident.

Then and there I vowed revenge. Plotting it was easy, but finding my way back was another story.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fangirl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Google +

**Blog Tour Author Interview & Giveaway ~ Scary Modsters ~ Diane Rinella**

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Diane Rinella's Scary Modsters...and Creepy Freaks. My stop includes an interview with Diane, a teaser, an excerpt, and a giveaway!

***

Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks by Diane Rinella

Release Date: March 25, 2014

Synopsis
A fantastical romance involving a girl, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
You know, I think this is the most difficult question you could ask. When you come right down to it, I’m a girl with a short attention span who makes up stories and puts them on paper. To get more
complex, I’m an open-minded individual who advocates for free speech and equal rights. I also happen to be addicted to old school rock and roll. My true passion is acting. I love making indie films.
Before I wrote my first book I had my own business making high-end wedding cakes. You may have seen some of my work on TV.

Tell us about Scary Modsters. Why are readers going to love it?
Readers of my Forbidden Flower series who loved the soul mate concept will be intrigued by how the three main characters in Scary Modsters relate. (Hint, it’s based on an obscure theory.) I tried to
find another book that uses a similar storyline and couldn’t. Another thing that makes it different is that there is no true alpha male. If there were, Rosalyn wouldn’t give him the time of day. Now, I know the rock star thing has been really popular, but Peter’s experiences and the generation he came from gives him a different perspective on the world. Also, I seem to have hit at the beginning of an emerging trend. Peter was a mod. This spring Rimmel, Target, and Sinful Colors all have Mod campaigns. I could not have planned it better. Truthfully, I just wrote about the things that were close to my heart.

I've been reading about how Ian Somerhalder serves as a muse for you. Can you talk a little about that?
Wow! So you are the person who reads my blog! :) You know, people really misunderstand the role of the muse. A muse isn’t someone you copy; it’s someone who plants seeds in your brain. Most often it seems they have given you a seed for a daisy bush and you get an orange tree. Actors are very vulnerable people. Something in Ian helps me see past his character and into his personal vulnerability. It’s like I can hear his inner monologue (one of the most powerful tools an actor uses.) When I saw The Rules of Attraction and The Tournament his characters gave me a seed of an idea that evolved into Niles from Scary Modsters. Even if you are familiar with all of these you probably won’t notice the connection because Niles developed into someone vastly different. The same thing happened with Donovan in Love’s Forbidden Flower. Ian has given me three more character seeds that are currently sprouting. Add in the fact that he is on a personal quest to change the world, and that I’m doing the Scary Modsters World Improvement blog tour in a few weeks, and you can see his influence has crept into my personal life.

Is there anything in particular that served as inspiration for this book?
There were several. This goes back to the muse part. In The Tournament we see where the lack of emotions can take a person. What about people who have other types of emotional restraints? 
Emotions are pesky little creatures that drive us to do strange things. Having too many emotions can be as damaging as having too few. 

In Scary Modsters, who was your favorite character to write and why?
I should preface this with saying that Scary Modsters is written from three points of view, which was really challenging. I have to go with Peter. He’s a little on the sarcastic side and a lot of the banter with him and Niles came easily. However, Niles was the toughest. He’s got a unique personality, and I used a lot of alternating between regular and deep point of view with him. (That can be tricky, because doing that can easily make someone sound psychotic.) He also rambles on internally about stuff that is seemingly random but always leads down a very intentional path, sometimes humorously so. 

What is your current favorite book and what about it makes you love it so much?
Shell Shocked is the autobiography of Howard Kaylan, one of pop’s musical geniuses. He gives an honest, humorous, and heart breaking account of his experiences in The Turtles and how manager after manager screwed them. Sadly, a lot of artists have nothing to show for their mammoth success. The book makes you look at the music industry though a new set of eyes. Plus, Howard has a great gift for storytelling. It opens with a tale of him being in the White House and doing blow off of Lincoln’s desk. It’s a wild ride!

Speaking of which, you make an interesting comment in the introduction to Scary Modsters about the record industry and the problems artists had. What is the story behind that?
Peter Lane is based on both everyone and no one. While Scary Modsters is purely fictional, I did my homework and used real accounts as a catalyst for Peter’s tribulations. Some of the stories I found were so outrageous that they pushed the bounds of plausibility. One of my betas was shocked to hear the actual stories that fueled Peter’s creation. The fictional Peter may have stolen fruit off of trees so he could eat, but a very similar story happened to one of England’s most revered artists. Some artists were even tricked into signing contracts that made them employees, so they got a modest salary instead of royalties. A chart-topping album meant nothing to them financial because they made the same amount of money if it flopped.

Is there a question you’ve ever wished someone had asked but never been asked?
I’ve seen a lot of readers comment about how they wish they could talk to an author but they are afraid to approach them. Some readers even say they’d like to help us promote. Most authors are pretty approachable. If you truly want to help, interact with us. Follow or friend us on Facebook and engage in conversation. For every 1000 followers only 20-350 tend to see a post. The more 
interaction a post has, the more visibility Facebook gives it. Plus, we authors LOVE to talk with you. Some of my biggest fans have become my dearest friends. I have a likeable Facebook page, and I 
accept friend requests on my personal page. Come tell me your thoughts on the world.

**I need to learn to be a better Facebook user - so I can chat more with you, Diane!!**

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
I’m nothing without them. Seriously, what good is a book if no one reads it? Even if someone hates my work, I am grateful that they gave it their time and attention. Readers and bloggers make my career, and I am incredibly grateful for all that they do.

ROSALYN
A brunette, a raven-haired beauty, and a girl looking like a peacock all walk into a bar. No, it's not a joke; it's my not-so-mundane life that generally feels like the setup for a wisecrack.

No matter how many times my friends and I claim we are going to do something new, every Friday night we find our tushes planted at Mulligan's. However, today our weekly Friday night venture truly 
seemed out of the cards since my friends were originally too tired from their workweeks to consider anything short of collapsing. When you are in your early thirties and single you should be embracing life, not rotting on a sofa. Thus when my friends bailed I detoured into Warped Records which is both a second home and how I envision my little corner of Heaven. Some would call the smell of old album covers a dank stench, but to me it's a musky perfume that seeps into my pores and comforts me with the knowledge that no matter what fails me I always have my sanctuary.

Among the bins of paradise and the blaring Siouxsie the perfect gem captured my gaze and held it for ransom. Before me was a pair of eyes so unlike any other that they were nearly indescribable.

Piercing? No. That implies they shot through my skin and reached my heart; however, these somehow reached my soul. Captivating? Again that was misleading. While they did hold my attention they also kept me at bay. Perhaps haunting? Yes, they did indeed haunt me. They also seemed to follow me to wherever I stood. A true description was so elusive that the color wasn't easily defined. They were deep blue, yet also flannel grey with a hint of green. In a certain light they seemed black with specks of gold. 

All of these emotions and colors were brought forth by just one picture—a picture on an album that had been slipped into plastic and unceremoniously tacked to the wall, yet somehow it jumped out at me and begged for worship.

“Who are those guys?” I asked Shane, the store's clerk. Shane's tight black pants, white Split Enz T-shirt, black suspenders, and short, curly brown hair made him look like a skinny, nineteen eighties teenager in a forty-something-year-olds body. His hot pink English Beat button sold the outfit. In an odd way our obsessions make us kindred spirits. It may be like we are third cousins, twice removed, but kindred nonetheless.

“Not a clue.” Shane absent-mindedly tapped a pencil on a note pad while his hazel eyes sat on a ragged copy of Rolling Stone that was decades out of date. “How is it you don't know? You're the super genius that no one can stump.” He sighed, conceding to the call of duty. “I suppose you want me to halt my important work and show it to you.”

“If it's not too much of a bother to pull yourself away from that fascinating article on INXS that is so old it will soon disintegrate, then yes, please. I would appreciate your struggle of removing the tack for a lady.”

With the flick of his wrist, Shane sent the magazine spinning across the counter. “Geez, you practically live here so I thought you would be more at home yanking the thing off yourself.” 

“Glad to see that chivalry is alive and well at Warped Records.”

The album was presented with a bow. “Milady, as per your request.” Shane's smugness made me grin. 

“Anyway, it arrived with some other records from a recent estate sale. Rob seemed to know who they were.”

My eyes honed in on the price tag. “Six dollars? That's a lot for a potentially crappy band no one has heard of.”

Shane's view floated from the magazine to the notepad. “Yep. Six bucks is what this says. I hung it next to the two hundred dollar, Jagger-signed, Goat's Head Soup to be funny.”

Four men, who were partially obscured by a golden overlay of paisleys and swirls, stared back at me. Their clothes were colorful, slightly Edwardian, and accented with fur. It was all very fashionable for the nineteen sixty-eight copyright printed on the back of the cover that held no liner notes. Three of the men felt so insignificant that they were but mere blurs. All I noticed was the cute one with the sandy blonde hair and magnetic eyes whose signature started with the letter P.

My fingers glided over the autograph whose ink felt as if it were luxurious azure velvet. It also gave off an energy that put a beat in my head. What really caught my attention was a spot of what appeared to be dried blood. When I touched it, a fuzz reminiscent of the thrill I get when hearing a vintage guitar effects pedal vibrated through. I had to have that album!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fangirl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Google +