Cover Reveal: A World Apart LJK Oliva

Blurb:

"There are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."

Private investigator Jesper MacMillian was sure he'd seen it all.  After all, in a city like San Francisco, strange is what's for breakfast.  Following a long  recovery after a horrific accident, his life is finally the way he wants it- or at least, close enough.  The only monsters on his radar are the ones that keep him awake at night.

All that changes the day he meets Lena Alan.

Before MacMillian has a chance to brace for impact, Lena drags him into a world where monsters aren't just real, they're hiding in plain sight.  Suddenly, everything he knows is suspect, starting with his current case.  For Lena, a medium since childhood, it's just another day at the office.

For MacMillian, it's the beginning of the end of everything he thinks he knows.

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L.J.K. Oliva Books

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CHAPTER TWO

The King was dead.

Jesper MacMillian stood over the ornate mahogany coffin, and stared down at the man inside.  Seeing him like this, it was harder to hate him than it should be.  A slip of paper with Orthodox liturgy scrawled over it rested on his forehead.  Beneath it, the man's white hair was combed painstakingly back from his leathered temples.  His eyes were closed, his mouth relaxed.  He almost looked gentle.

MacMillian peered closer.  No, sure enough, there it was: the faint remnants of a predatory smirk.  The tightness around the eyes, the hollowness in the cheeks.  Hawk-like nose and rigid brow.  This was the grandfather he remembered.

This was the man who'd ruined his life.

A strong, bony hand clasped his arm.  MacMillian swallowed his feelings and smiled down at the tiny wrinkled woman beside him.  The crowds of mourners had already filed out of the little chapel.  Now, it was just the two of them.  "How are you, Mamío?"

His grandmother shrugged and gave him a watery smile.  "Alive."  She released MacMillian's arm and leaned down, placed a shaky kiss first on the Christ icon in the man's hand, then on his cheek.  "Ah, ves'tacha." Her voice wavered.  "Now I am alone."

MacMillian shifted his weight against his cane and didn't speak.

The woman rested her forehead against the rim of the coffin, then straightened and turned.  She held out her hand.  MacMillian obediently took it and twined it around his arm.  She nodded her approval.  "It is good to see you, Pusomori.  It isn't right, you staying away from us for so long."

MacMillian didn't answer.

His grandmother glanced down.  "You don't limp at all.  Your recovery is going well."

"Yes." Though whether someone ever fully recovered from losing a limb, he didn't know.  He sure as hell hadn't.  It had been five years, and still there were days when the pain in his nonexistent leg was enough to drive him out of his mind.

Insanity wasn't an option, however.  Mostly he just drank instead.

"And how is your work?"

His lips twitched.  "Steady." He lowered his voice and leaned down conspiratorially.  "I just finished a case involving a tech magnate's missing wife.  Turns out she wasn't missing at all, just on an unannounced, week-long getaway in Aspen... with her personal trainer.  My employer was quite generous with my compensation, if not exactly pleased with my results."

His grandmother cackled, earning her a glare from the priest attending the altar.  "I bet he wasn't.  But it serves him right, shoving a handsome young man under his wife's nose."

MacMillian grinned.  "The trainer was a woman."

His grandmother gaped up at him.  A slow, answering grin spread across her face.

"What are you telling your grandmother now?" A harsh voice sounded behind him.  "More stories about the degenerate gaje you associate with?  For shame, Jesper.  She is in mourning, and this is a church."

MacMillian stiffened, and his grandmother tightened her hold on his arm.  He grimaced.  If she thought she could prevent him from running, she was mistaken.  But it was just as well he deal with this here.

If he didn't, his mother would only follow him home.

He wiped his face clean of any telling expression and turned slowly.  "Hello, mámo."

Rose MacMillian adjusted the scarf covering her head.  She had been beautiful once, with her pale caramel skin, her burnished copper hair, the exotic eyes that he'd inherited.  She still was, but it was a harsher beauty, whatever softness she'd once possessed long since whittled away.

She looked him up and down.  "You seem well."

He waited.

She fidgeted with the vibrant patchwork handbag under her arm.  "Of course you will be moving back home now.  Mamío will take your old room.  I've cleaned out the master suite, and your grandfather's office has all his files.  You can take over immediately."

MacMillian took a deep breath.  It was now or never.  "No."

His mother stilled.  "No?"  The word seemed to bewilder her.  She shook her head and tried again.  "You can keep your current job as well, I suppose.  You can move what you need to Papío's office.  It can't have been pleasant for you, working in the gaji-kanó all this time..."

"Pleasant enough." The thought of leaving his office in The Procyon Building made his stomach curdle.  MacMillian kept his expression blank.  "Anyway, it was my choice."

"Yes." His mother tried and failed to keep the look of naked distaste off her face.  "But it was a struggle, I'm sure.  It will be good for you to rejoin the tsera again."

MacMillian crossed his arms.  "No."

He rocked back on his heels and waited.  Sure enough, Rose's face reddened.  She opened her mouth, closed it.  Finally, she found her voice.  "But you must!  It was your papío's last act on this earth.  He named you king!"

MacMillian shrugged.  "And I told him I didn't want it.  I begged him to choose someone else." To choose a better Gypsy.  "He may have refused, but that isn't my concern.  The kris will just have to name someone in my stead."

"That is not the role of the kris, and you know it." Rose spoke through clenched teeth.  "There are those in the community who are in need of the king's services.  You cannot leave us without one.  You cannot abandon us.  Not again."

MacMillian pressed his lips together.  Fury rose in his chest.  Of course she would try to manipulate him with that.  He dug deep for control.  "I didn't abandon you.  I moved on with my life."

"Is that what you call it?  Where were you after the accident?" Her accusing eyes sliced at his restraint.  "Wasn't it enough I lost one son?"

"You forget I also lost a brother."  Not to mention a leg, and what little self-respect he'd ever had.  "Don't talk to me about loss.  Or family, or loyalty, for that matter.  Where were you after the accident?  How is it I never saw you when I was lying broken in that hospital bed?"

His mother looked away.  MacMillian leaned forward.  "Where were you when they were peeling the flesh off my back and piecing my bones back together, dai?  Did you only come when I was unconscious?  Maybe you just weren't there at all." He firmed his hand over his grandmother's.  "The only member of our family I ever saw was Mamío.  She's the only one of you who has the right to expect my loyalty."

Rose looked back at him, her dark eyes fierce, her lips thin and white around the corners.  "How much longer do you think you can keep ignoring our laws?  Sooner or later, your actions will have consequences." She lifted her chin.  "Besides, you have responsibilities now."

MacMillian growled low in his throat.  Before he could answer, his grandmother laid her other hand over his.  "Actually, Pusomori and I were just speaking about that.  He's agreed to look into something for me."

MacMillian's eyebrows went up.  Rose's eyes narrowed.  "Has he, now?"

"Yes, he has." His grandmother shot him a pointed look.  "Istvan and Sonya Vaspurkan.  Their eldest boy has turned up missing."

"Right." He forced the word through clenched teeth.  "The Vaspurkans."

Rose's gaze shifted back and forth between them.  "How have I not heard of this?"

The older woman lifted her shoulder, and let it drop again.  "Istvan's mother and I crossed over together from the old country.  We speak quite often."

Rose hesitated.  The obstinate expression on her face wavered.  "If that's true, it is something the king should look into."

His grandmother let out a frustrated noise.  "Of course it's true!  As if Viona would lie about such a thing.  Jesper will look into it." She firmed her hand over his.  Her eyes grew hard.  "As he said: I have the right to expect his loyalty."

MacMillian bit back a groan.  She knew she had him.  He could have tried to refuse her, but they both knew he wouldn't.

All he wanted -the only thing he'd wanted since the accident- was to live his life in peace.  Come and go as he pleased.  Leave his shoes on in his apartment.  Drink when he felt like it, and fuck when the urge struck him.  He'd almost managed it.  He'd almost escaped.

But now his grandfather was dead, and he was king.

The church bells began to toll, slow, steady intonations, and the small choir started in on the requiem.  MacMillian pinched the sore spot between his eyes.  "Fine.  Yes.  Have them stop by my office.  I'll look into it."

###

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This is a blog train, and there are more excerpts to read!

1st Stop: L.J.K. Oliva Books

2nd Stop: Madhuri Blaylock Writes

3rd Stop: Home of A.L. Kessler

4th Stop: In A Pursuit of Publishness

5th Stop: Mia Bishop- Author, Artist, Dreamer

6th Stop: The Self-Publishing Experiment

7th Stop: The Darker Side

8th Stop: Write Bitches

Hit all the stops to read A World Apart up through Chapter 2!

What's your back up plan? Data back up is important.

My computer crashed and I do mean crashed hard. It was working perfectly fine, I got up went to the bathroom, and came back to the mouse not working. My first thought was 'crap, I killed the top case again.' As I had done it on my previous Mac. I did the first thing my IT guy (Aka hubby) tells me to do, restart. It didn't start back up. It gave me a grey screen with a flashing folder...so I did what any sane person would do. I searched it.

Somehow my bootfiles decided to go on vacation. Great, I know how to restore my computer, not a problem. Until the computer froze part of the way through, then decided that the hard drive didn't exist and wouldn't boot to a disk for a diagnostic. Well crap. My IT guy can't look at it until this weekend, so it's currently a paperweight without an operating system.

If at any point panic seized your heart and you asked "Did you lose everything?" You might want to reconsider your back up plan. The only thing I was in danger of losing was the two hours of work that may or may not have synced up to Dropbox and OneDrive (two different projects) before the computer crash. Compared to full manuscripts and 8 hours worth of edits, that's nothing. My husband recommends the 3-2-1 backup method.

Three backups total

Two different medias

One off site.

I have my writing backed up to dropbox and/or onedrive, both of which are offsite and can be accessed from any computer. Before my computer crashed, I was supposed to back up to an external hard drive, just in case. Sadly, I kept putting it off. Take a look at your set up right now. You may have a laptop, a desk top, or both. If one was to crash tomorrow, could you continue work? Unexpected things in life happen. I can't afford to take several days off or heaven forbid, several months off, because of a computer crash. I doubt you can too.

My husband has a desk top that I'm able to use while he's at work, his tablet is a desk top replacement. (I have an ipad, but because I use a particular software to write, I can't write on the iPad). After a few moments of OMG my computer crashed, what the hell am I going to do and my loving husband setting his computer up for me to work, it was taken care of. I discovered that I didn't lose any work, not even from that day and I was able to pick up where I left off. Our next step in the plan? Saving up money for a cheap laptop that will get me through until I can save up for another Mac. Sharing in our house is a challenge...we're both in school and I'm an author. You can imagine the fun.

So....what's your back up plan?


DropBox
OneDrive

Professionals Show Up

As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm cuddling my 3 year old, watching Cinderella, and wishing that I had something stronger than ibuprofen for pain. So why am I writing this right now? Why don't I post late this week? Or don't post at all? Because here's the deal, I consider this blog as part of my brand, part of something that makes me a professional. If I push it off, something else might be seen as more important. I missed my nap time window because well, someone wouldn't nap, so I was barely able to squeeze in 500 words. That's 500 words that I didn't have yesterday, so I'm calling it a win.

That all being said, I'm not here to make excuses, I'm not here to tell you a good try is what counts. Okay, that second one is kind of true. I just finished a book called "Manage Your Day to Day", as I'm sure you can tell it's all about time management, but the advice comes from some pretty big name people. That being said the one line that stuck with me was "Professionals Show Up". I have a lot of complaints about people who don't stick to what they say, wait until the last moment, or hand me a bunch of excuses. This isn't to say that I'm not understanding, I try to be. Things happen, deaths in the family, personal emergencies...things out of people's control.

As an indie author or a trade author, you have to look as writing as your job, part time or full. You show up, you get stuff done, some days are better than others. Despite the pain, I would have shown up to work if I worked a traditional job. My book is not going to write itself and Exclusively Yours certainly isn't going to edit itself. I have deadlines to meet, people to communicate with, and readers who are expecting books.

Your marketing, writing, editing and everything else isn't going to get done unless you show up everyday to make it so. (of course unless you hirer people for particular tasks). Block of part of your day, if you can make it the same time everyday. (I use nap time and coffee time, nap time my daughter is sleeping, most days. And coffee time is her tv time.) Somedays it gets screwed up, but you still get in that time. Why?

Because you a professional and professionals show up. I set a goal for my time: 1k words on one project 1k on another, if I still have time, I move to what's next in my editing cue. Some days I make it to editing and other days I don't. I have a particular time at night dedicated to just editing.

Just 2k total a day? Yes. I know authors who can write 5-10k a day. Most of them are twice my age and have no children at home. When my daughter is old enough for school those numbers will change, but I know that is the min that I can make in a day. As I can delegate other tasks out, like social media, I'll have more time to dedicate to writing. Right now, I wear all the hates in my business. For that is what this is, a business. This is what I want to do for a living. So set times everyday (or 5 days a week, or what schedule you want that will work) and show up. Make it happen.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from SPE! Thanks for sticking with us through 2014 and welcome to 2015! If you're new here, I'm Alexandra Webb and I'm an Erotic Romance Indie Author! (Well Hybrid technically) I also write Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy under a pen name that is also a Hybrid author!

The mission of SPE is to bring all of our own mistakes and learning to you, the aspiring or current author and reviews to readers.

That being said, my first focus for 2015 will be looking at your writing as a business. Kind of like: You published a book, now what? I'm excited for some of the subjects I'm going to touch on this year. Writing wise, my new SPE project will be Exclusively Yours and possibly Shards of Me! I'll take you along my journey as I learn to navigate the crazy journey again!

I want to invite everyone to participate, so let me know, what would you like to see as part of SPE in 2015?

Alexandra's Year in Review

Wow! 2014 is coming to an end so soon. My next post, it'll be 2015...so here's a year in review for me. 2014 was a wild ride....it had it's ups and it had it's downs. Some days I'm really not sure what 2015 is going to look like for me or for SPE, those days are rough.

Let's start with the highlights:
Twisted Redemption came out with Ellora's cave
Black and White finally made it's SPE debut
SPE survived another year and will be hitting it's three year mark in 2015
I've gotten a beta team started
I'm finally getting a handle on marketing.

The lows:
A Demon's Heart was shelved
There's a lot going on with EC


That's about all there is to 2014. SPE had some great articles and I hope that we continue next year to provide insight to those who find it helpful. As for me? I'll see you guys in the new year! Cheers!

Review: Out Through The Attic by Quincy J. Allen

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Thirteen fantastic tales from the cavorting, twisted mind of Quincy J. Allen, Out Through the Attic
covers everything from steampunk and fantasy to sci-fi and horror. It’s a cross-genre smorgasbord that’s sure to hit the right spot, with a dose or two of straight-up genre fiction for the meat-and-taters appetite.

Review:
I don’t even know where to start with this book. I just loved it. Loved it with a capital L. I can’t even put my finger on why I loved this so much (which is not the best thing for a reviewer to say, but it’s the truth). Here’s what I can attribute my adoration for this book to: 1) I love short stories, and you get 13 of them in here. 2) I love eclectic storytellers, at least that’s what I call them. The author calls himself a cross-genre author. That works for me too. I just love when an author can put on many different genre hats and no matter what, they still work. Their voice is still clear regardless of settings. 3) There aren’t many steampunk stories out in the market place and even fewer that are as devout to the genre without making it cheesy or campy or over commercialized. This author can do that, seemingly without effort.

If I had to single out one aspect that justifies me giving this a top rating it would be Quincy Allen’s ability to describe the world you are reading about with such imagery, so vividly that you can taste it. The settings jump off the page in a color scheme of electric blues, grays, yellows and everything in between. The darkness is just perfect when it needs to be. Nothing is taken away from in these stories.

I know that this type of book, short stories that are from multiple genres aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy stepping out of the box and reading something a bit different than pick up Out Through The Attic by Quincy J. Allen. It is a great read.

5 out of 5 Stars

Buy This Book:

Out Through The Attic- Kindle

Out Through The Attic- Paperback

About The Author: Quincy Allen, is a self-proclaimed cross-genre author. What that really means is that he’s got enough ADHD to not stick with any single genre and, like his cooking, prefers to mix and match to suit his tastes of the day. He has been published in multiple anthologies, online and print magazines as well as one omnibus. He’s written for the Internet radio show RadioSteam.  His novel Chemical Burn—a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Writers Association Colorado Gold Writing Contest—was first published in June of 2012 and is due out in 2014 in a newly revamped edition from Word Fire Press, which will be carrying the Justin Case series.  His new novel Jake Lasater: Blood Curse, is also due out this year as well as a military sci-fi novel from Twisted Core Press. He works part-time as a tech-writer to pay his bills, does book design and eBook conversions for Word Fire Press by night, and lives in a lovely house that he considers his very own sanctuary.

Presenting Yourself as a professional: Guest Post Annie Slasher

Annie Slasher of Booked and Loaded was kind enough to write this guest post for us. This is geared towards bloggers, but authors pay attention, because you could learn something too. Like how to treat your bloggers.

Book Blogger Professionalism 

Let’s face it.  In our current world anyone, any place, anywhere can say whatever the hell they want and hide behind the safety of their computer screen.  So where do we, as book bloggers, draw the line in the sand of professionalism? 

Every blogger on the net has individual views, likes, and dislikes.  So when does putting your opinion out there for anyone wondering around the stringy webs of the internet cross a line of professionalism? 

In my personal bubble it is clear - Personal insults, plagiarism, piracy and crazy making of any kind.  

I am going to give it to you straight.  I am not the nicest person in the world and my filter probably resembles a sieve more than an actual healthy filter (I always think of cheese cloth), but I DO have a healthy respect for my fellow humans.  I know that somewhere behind each author pen name, blogger alias, and Facebook profile is a real human being.  This human being has feelings and their own personal views with their own shit going on that you know nothing about.  Not every individual puts their personal troubles on display for everyone to see, so do not pretend to know what that person is going through on any given day. 

Personal insults are not productive and no one benefits from them.  How do you think your readers benefit from calling an author or other blogger that you do not like insulting names?  I cannot find one good think that would come from this.  If you want to call someone out that is your choice, but there is a difference between insults and facts.  If you can prove you have been wronged by someone and you feel it is in your readers best interest have access to this knowledge, go for it!  You can still do so in a professional manner.  List facts and discuss why you got offended or were wronged.  This can all be done without childish name calling. 

Plagiarism is just not only unprofessional it is also illegal.  I am amazed at the stories I have heard and things I have personally experienced regarding reviews being plagiarized.  If you are not sure what plagiarism is:

According to the merriam-webster online dictionary, it means:

         * to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.

Using pieces, phrases, or all of another review is stealing and not professional.  So do not do it!  If you think it is professional to not read a book and just read reviews off of Goodreads and recap them, maybe you should rethink your passion of book reviews.  You are truly not doing yourself or any other bloggers a favor.  Readers should be able to put their trust in Book Bloggers to give their own honest opinions. 

There is a lot of buzz lately about piracy.  Ebooks are hard thing to stop from being pirated.  In my opinion book bloggers have a professional obligation to have a very high standard of what constitutes piracy.  Sharing via email or any other electric form without the author’s written permission with anyone is stealing and constitutes piracy.  Uploading or sharing electronic ARCs or copies with a site that provides free aka pirated books is not only unprofessional it is illegal.  Bloggers should be able to be trusted, and right now I think any author would be wise not to 100% trust anyone with electronic copies of their work.  I have theories about why this is so rampant, but that is not what this article is about! 

And we are onto the big one - crazy making! This should apply to all aspects in your life.  Not just blogging.  If you are stirring shit up between authors and readers, bloggers and authors, or any other combination of readers, bloggers, and authors you are crazy making.  It is the epitome of unprofessionalism.  All of us view our book blogging hobby differently.  Some more business oriented and some just enjoy spreading the word of authors, but ultimately you are responsible for your own professionalism.  It is up to you to set your own lines and not to cross them.  If you are spending your time hand picking authors to support and you think that means bashing others, you are not only unprofessional you are irrational.  I find these types of acts the most offensive.  You are truly not supporting authors if you think bashing one IS supporting another.  Readers read….they are not only going to read ONE author.  Support the ones you love by reading, reviewing, and repeat!

I think Facebook becomes the hardest thing to manage.  I am pretty open on my blogger Facebook account, but do apply the above rules to my Facebook Page.  I view my page the same as my blog.  I try to keep it as professional and unbiased as I can.  Warning, if you are friends with me on Facebook I roll out the honesty and leave the professionalism for my blog and Facebook page.  =)

Professionalism should be something all Book Bloggers care about.  It helps build a foundation of trust and respect for not only authors, but readers as well.  With so many Book Blogs closing their doors and others starting their new journey, we should be setting a high standard for professionalism in this industry.  We should be a group that authors and readers can trust and confide in and this can only come from a standard of professionalism. 

Follow Annie

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