Welcome D. V. Stone & Her New Release Sea Hunter, Part of the Mortar & Pestle Series

 

Please welcome D. V. Stone and her new book Sea Hunter, which releases today. Sea Hunter is part of a series of romance novellas entitled Mortar & Pestle. The first book, Selkie, by Sydney Winward, released March 7.

First, tell us about yourself and Sea Hunter, then we’ll get into the series.

D. V. Stone is an award-winning author of both independent and traditionally published works. She hosts a popular book and author blog, Around the Fire. She is a contributing writer for Still Moments Magazine, Dishing With D.V. A Brooklyn, NY native, D.V. Stone has lived in many places, though she’s called New Jersey home for the past twenty-eight years.

Retired, she considers herself a full-time author, and she travels with her husband Pete, dog Hali, in a 41-foot 5th Wheel.

Social Media:

Link Tree For one-stop connections

 

Website / Amazon Author Page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram /Pinterest / Bookbub / Goodreads / Newsletter / YouTube / Around the Fire blog      

 

And your new release?

Sea Hunter

On the turbulent high seas, an archeologist must protect a historic shipwreck from treasure hunters—not fall for one.

Independent publication, released March 16, 2023

Part of the Mortar and Pestle series

159 p.

 

Blurb:

My name is Zahra Corbyn. I’m a Sea Hunter. As an underwater archeologist and professor of antiquities, it is my duty to stop treasure hunters and looters from raiding Sea Wraith. But fate is a funny thing. Now I find myself working with Jack Alexander, a treasure hunter, to protect history from a known looter. Did my heart’s desire change?

 

I’m Captain Jack Alexander. I’ve been told women on a ship are unlucky, but this one has the two pieces of the map I need to finally claim Sea Wraith. Now I find myself in a deal that makes me one-third partner with her and a known scoundrel.

 

Can the two unlikely allies work together while safeguarding their hearts against the power of the Mortar and Pestle?

 

If you like Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, you’ll love Zahra Corbyn and Jack Alexander.

 

Buy Links:

Sea Hunter:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRYJLLW1

Trailer: https://youtu.be/juQwaRm4aEw

 

Now for the series. Tell us about the Mortar & Pestle:

 

The Mortar & Pestle is a series of exciting, often humorous stories from seven international authors. We write in different genres and boast a variety of backgrounds, from world travelers, teachers, bloggers, magazine editors, and award winners.

 

How did you get together?

Being an author is often very isolating. We end up in our own little world because, in my case, I don’t have very many writers in my life who are nearby. I met Shirley Goldberg at the Florida West Coast Writers conference a while back, and we hit it off. She knew someone, they knew someone, and the next thing you know, we had a group of seven women meeting on Zoom and hashing out the nuts and bolts of the profession. Trust me, writing the book isn’t the most challenging part.

How did the series come about?

 

At some point one of us said, “We should write a series together.” We laughed because we write in different genres with different heat levels, plus we had other books we were working on. But before you know it, the general idea tightened into a working project.

What genre are the books?

The entire series has paranormal elements but ranges from historical to contemporary with the mystical thread of the Mortar & Pestle that shows couples their True Love and Heart’s Desire.

Was it easy?

 

You know, for the most part—for me anyway—it was. Of course, some issues needed to be resolved, but things tend to work out when you have mutual respect and are willing to compromise.

 

Give us a taste of each of the books, along with their release dates:

Mortal & Pestle Series:

A wisp of smoke, a swirl of promise, a breath of destiny…a message within the Mortar & Pestle for those who want to believe.

Throughout time people have sought their heart’s desire. But true love is often elusive.

Carved with ancient Norse runes, the Mortar & Pestle shows paths to happily-ever-afters.

Once you capture the Mortar & Pestle’s scent of magic, you’ll want to read all seven individual romances.

 

Selkie

By

Sydney Winward

No one has ever managed to capture a selkie. Until now…

March 7^th

 

Seeker

By

Jean M. Grant

March 9^th

Nock, draw, release. Her bow is always ready, and if her arrow hits its mark, she will secure her destined soulmate.

 

Quarter-master

By

Marilyn Barr

March 14^th

Can the love of a pirate heal the wounds inflicted by a gentleman?

 

Sea Hunter

By

D.V. Stone

March 16^th

On the turbulent high seas, an archeologist must protect a historic shipwreck from treasure hunters—not fall for one.

 

Revamped

By

Shirley Goldberg

March 21^st

An energy vampire hungry for love meets the wisecracking woman of his parents’ nightmares.

 

Trickster

By

Darlene Fredette

March 23^rd

Can she heal the trickster before he breaks her heart?

 

Artist

By

Ginny Frost

March 28^th

Stuck at a retreat with her ex, Lexi is torn between reviving her art and rekindling an old romance.

 

The Mortar & Pestle Series is independently published by the authors. Each story is Novella length. The entire series is P to PG13. Several authors have links to spicier scenes if the reader is so inclined.

 

Buy Link to the Series

 

https://www.amazon.com/Mortar-Pestle-6-book-series/dp/B0BS42PKHZ

 

Link to Free Download of the Series Sample

 

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/b1ytv2r7nq

 

About the Other Authors:

 

Sydney Winward Is a fantasy and paranormal romance author who dabbles in the occasional historical fiction. She loves building complex worlds filled with magic, strong characters, and emotional stories that can make you laugh and cry.

Sydney is the author of The Bloodborn Series and the Sunlight and Shadows Series. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, thinking about stories, or going on adventures with her children. She lives in Utah with her husband and three amazing kids.

https://sydneywinward.com/

 

Jean Grant has a penchant for misunderstood creatures, be it sharks, microbes, or wounded characters. A scientist by training, she now spends her days as an author and champion for her children. She writes historical and contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Two of her books won InD’tale RONE awards.

A nature enthusiast, Jean also writes for family-oriented travel magazines and websites. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, tackling the biggest mountains in New England, and going on adventures near and far with her family. If she were stuck on a desert island, her three essentials (besides family, food, water, and shelter) would be coffee, lip balm, and the Rock Dwayne Johnson.

https://www.jeanmgrant.com/

 

Marilyn Barr has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant and advocate for the autistic community. This puts her in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.

She currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and son. When she’s engaging with the real world, she’s collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. She loves to read paranormal romance as much as she loves to write it.

https://www.marilynbarr.com/

 

   Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website offers a humorous look at dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. A Little Bit of Lust is her third book in the series Starting Over, although all her books are standalone. Shirley’s characters all believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and she agrees. 

Shirley Goldberg.com

 

Darlene Fredette writes stories about falling in love and happy-ever-after. I grew up with my nose in a book and daydreaming. Writing stories is an escape and I can’t imagine a better way to spend my day.

The Artist In Me... The title of ‘artist’ is huge, and I’m not sure my work is deserving of the title, but my family definitely says it is. While I do many styles of art, my favorites are pencil drawings and paintings. Every week, I pencil sketch a new drawing for my daughter.

I have always loved painting, from ceramics to canvas painting, but I recently discovered fluid art painting and I love it!

http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/

 

Ginny Frost writes contemporary romance with a sexy, funny kick. In her down time, she plays clerk at the local library—the perfect job to feed her reading addiction.

She lives in upstate NY with her very own kindhearted ogre, their two smart and sassy daughters and an evil cat named Flash.

www.ginnyfrost.com

 

Interested readers can find links and more information at the author’s websites.

Please Welcome Kerry Blaisdell & Her New Book Burying the Dead

Please welcome my friend and an inspired writer, Kerry Blaisdell. The fourth installment of her acclaimed Dead Series will be released January 16, so we’re getting an early taste of it here.

Burying the Dead

The Wild Rose Press, January 16, 2023

Dead Series, Book 4

Supernatural Suspense/Paranormal Romance

PG-13, 330 pages

 

Be sure to drop in at her January 16 Facebook party for fun and prizes! 

So, Kerry, tell us what on earth made you start writing about demons and returning from the dead…as a comedy?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the inspiration for my Dead Series books came from. I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural—the Active Enzyme, Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch was one of my favorite books as a kid. Plus I love a good mystery, and adventure stories (Can you say Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and The Five Books?) (And now you know how old I am—LOL!).

As an adult, I love TV shows like Supernatural, Stranger Things – anything with “atmosphere”, and otherworldly themes. Plus, I’m fascinated by religion in general, and early Christianity specifically. So, after writing romantic suspense for a few years, I got the urge to write something different, something I wanted to read. I had no idea if it would be “publishable.” I just started writing, and Debriefing The Dead is what came out, then Waking The Dead and Damning The Dead—and here we are at Book Four, Burying The Dead.

Blurb

Sometimes the only way to stop the world from going to Hell is by working with Demons.

Hyacinth Finch has one goal: Save her nephew Geordi from the Hell Demon who kidnapped him. But to succeed, she’ll have to work with his demon Mafia relatives, which she swore she’d never do. Worse, she’ll have to make another deal with the High Demons who murdered her. But Geordi's life is worth it, even if she loses her own humanity in the process.

Meanwhile, Hyacinth’s ghost boyfriend Eric is wasting away, after being ejected from his “borrowed” body. While digging in his past for something to make him fight for survival, she uncovers secrets that could destroy their relationship. Moreover, her feelings for Geordi’s demon cousin Jason are stronger than ever, though every morally impossible choice she makes drives him farther away. Can she save Eric and Geordi, without losing herself—and Jason—forever?

Excerpt: Facing My Demons

I picked an invisible speck of lint off my maroon tights and tried not to fidget with the hem of my black pencil skirt.

Jason gave me the side-eye. “Relax, will you? Everything will be fine.”

“Easy for you to say—you’re one of them. They have to listen to you. Me, not so much.”

In fact, at best, the “they” in question probably wished they’d never heard of me. And at worst—well, let’s just say my current outfit could easily be accessorized with concrete boots and a deep ocean dive, to make sure I never resurfaced again.

If you’re wondering, I’m Hyacinth Finch, former graverobber turned “art dealer” for a certain select clientele who like to steal from each other for fun. I’m also a former dead person, with a brand-new third career as Assistant to the Angel of Death, otherwise known as Archangel Michael. His job is to shepherd souls Up or Down, depending on their life choices, and my job is to “presort” said souls, so he can attend to other business, like stopping Satan’s escape from Hell. Which I also help with, by tracking down rock shards that contain both his and Satan’s powers, left over from a big battle they had, eons ago. If Satan gets enough of these, he can use them to break out of his prison, and I’m the only “rock senser” Michael’s ever met, so…lucky me.

But I’m on a temporary hiatus from the day job, so I can grovel to my dead sister Lily’s ex in-laws, Niccolò and Caderina Dioguardi—the aforementioned “they”—in hopes they’ll help me save my nephew, Geordi, from the Hell Demon who kidnapped him. The slight hitch being that they’re also demons—although not from Hell—and they want Geordi for themselves. He’s their only grandchild, and has incredibly strong supernatural powers himself. Which is why he was kidnapped in the first place: to be used as a bargaining chip by various factions who want his powers for themselves. Including Satan.

I shivered, and Jason took my hand. “Hey—seriously—it will be okay. Marchosias won’t hurt him. Geordi’s far too valuable to be damaged.”

The vast marble-columned foyer in which we sat, awaiting an audience with Nico and Rina, felt cold and unwelcoming, and I wanted nothing more than to burrow into Jason’s side and let him keep lying to me that this would all be okay.

Jason is also a Dioguardi, and a demon, but a “good one.” Supposedly. He uses Jones as his surname, but even so, it’s hard to separate him from the larger family sometimes, especially since he’s got the signature Dioguardi “look”: wavy black hair, baby blue eyes—when they aren’t demon black—and a hefty six-foot-six height. Which seven-year-old Geordi, who is technically his cousin, is well on his way to achieving.

But things are complicated between us right now, so instead of caving to my instincts, I removed my hand and tugged at my skirt again, and Jason sighed and sat back.

“Look,” he said, “I get how much it cost you to do this. Hell, Rina and Nico get it, too. I know you’ve viewed them as the Enemy for months now. And I admit, you’re probably not their favorite person.”

In spite of it all, I laughed, and a smile crept onto Jason’s face.

I blew out a breath. “I don’t trust them. I know you think there’s another side to the story, but Nick didn’t happen all by himself. His abusive nature was augmented by their nurture, and he meant everything to them. And I…”

Jason grimaced. “It’s not your fault their only son—”

“Their only child!”

“—died. He brought that on himself. But you’re right. They do blame you, in part. Still, they’ll take into account that you came to them. The family as a whole has done terrible things. But they’re honorable. If they give you their word, you can trust it.”

His eyes were dark and unreadable—not black, thank God, so his demon powers weren’t surging, or whatever it’s called. But…did he count himself among the “whole” who’d done “terrible things”? Did I want to know?

At this point in our relationship, probably not. Not that we’re in a relationship—far from it. In fact, I have a boyfriend. Sort of. Assuming his spirit recovers.

As though reading my mind—an annoying talent he has—Jason said, “Eric will also be fine. If anyone can save him, Nadezhda will.”

Eric Guilliot is a former French police officer killed by the Dioguardis the same night I died, and Nadezhda is a woman we met in Turkey who, like me, walks among the Dead. She had saved Eric once before, by making him Full Dead, but this was different. He’d been damaged, possibly beyond repair, when he appropriated a fresh corpse, to gain a living body again. He’d succeeded for a time, but then the man’s body began absorbing Eric’s spirit, and kept those bits behind after Eric got ejected.

The nausea roiled, and I shoved it down. “How can you be so sure? About any of it? How can you stay so positive?”

What I really wanted to ask was, Why are you always so damn nice? The words stuck in my throat, and he looked away. But not before I saw the suppressed emotion in his blue eyes—rage, but not at me. And fear—but not for me.

“I have to,” he said quietly. “It’s the only way through.”

 Buy links

https://books2read.com/BuryingTheDead

 About the Author

Kerry Blaisdell is the bestselling and award-winning author of the acclaimed Dead Series, including Debriefing The Dead and its sequels, which InD’tale Magazine recommends for “fans of shows like ‘Constantine’ or ‘Supernatural.’” She also writes award-winning romantic suspense (Publish Or Perish, a Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize quarterfinalist) and historical mystery. She holds a BA from U.C. Berkeley in Comparative Literature (French/Medieval English), and a Master’s in Teaching English and Advanced Mathematics from University of Portland. Kerry lives in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her family, assorted animals, and more hot pepper plants than anyone could reasonably consume.

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