The Reunion - Movie poster and casting call

Toledo Cats

We were talking the other day about how fun it would be if our Dime Store Novel stories were made into movies. Who would I cast to play myself? Tyra Banks? Angelina Jolie? A talent yet unknown?

I asked Hanover who he would want to play him. He shrugged. "Jack Nicholson would be the right age if I actually looked my age, but since I don't, I guess Heath Ledger."

"He's dead, Hanover."

"Heath Ledger's dead?  When did that happen?"

"He overdosed a few years back. Don't you remember? Regan swore off pills for a week."

"Oh, that's right. Well, I don't know then. How about the kid from Harry Potter? The blonde one."

I laughed at him. "Not a chance! I see you more as a Frodo Baggins."

Hanover scowled. "Maybe we should ask Regan and Mary who looks more like me."

So that's when I got an idea. "Maybe we should ask our readers."

Hanover agreed. So first, we decided to have a movie poster created using one of the illustrations from The Reunion. Here it is.

Now we'll put the question to all of you. Who would you cast as Hanover Fist?

Post your casting suggestions and make sure to tell us why. On April 1st we'll cast the role of Hanover Fist and the winner (or winners) will receive a free Dime Store Novel ebook of their choice. 

Cover Story -- plus a contest

Mary O'Malley

A cover can tell you a lot about a book. The covers of the books in our Dime Store Novel series can tell you:

• Which main characters are featured in the story
• When the story takes place
• Where the story takes place
• Some clues about what happens in the story

This information can help you decide which book you want to read first (or next). But, like many ancient texts, you need to know both the syntax and the grammar to truly understand. Let's look at a couple examples and I'll walk you through it.

We'll start with the cover of our latest book, The Reunion. Take a look in the upper-left corner of the frame. That's the month and year the book begins. This can help you sequence the books. At the bottom-right is the place where most of the action occurs. Of course, some books have action in multiple locations, but the primary location is listed here.

Beneath the title is an icon representing a key plot point or character in the story. This is a clue about what happens -- albeit an abstract one. For The Reunion, this icon is a coyote holding a jewel. I won't spoil the plot by telling you why a coyote would hold a jewel...or why that jewel is important. You'll have to read the book for that.

There are other clues as well. The art around the frame is a collage of images and icons from the story. You know someone burns, someone drives a pink Cadillac, there's a guy with glowing red eyes, there is a hand-stitched bag of something, a baby, and some calla lilies.  I'll give you one clue -- calla lilies are symbolic of death.

The final clue I'd like to mention is the symbol above the title. That's right...the pyramid with the eye and the three letters. The eye stands for Hanover Fist -- that makes sense because he's a private eye -- well, at least he is now. The T stands for Toledo Cats, the R stands for Regan Worth, and the M -- you guessed it. The M stands for me -- Mary O'Malley. If the element is colored in, that character is in the story.

What if no elements are colored, like in the cover of Angels in Hell's Kitchen? That means none of us are in it. It doesn't mean it's not about us -- because it is. It's about how we came to be. In fact, Angels in Hell's Kitchen is about how I came to be -- about how my parents met. But the M is not colored in because I am not even a twinkle in their eyes yet. What else can you tell about Angels in Hell's Kitchen by looking at the cover?

Comment below and leave your email address. On March 15th, there will be a drawing for a free ebook of both Angels in Hell's Kitchen and The Reunion.  PLUS - the first commenter to answer what the significance is of March 15th to Shakespeare's work will automatically win a free Rips in the Weave ebook.

12 Days of Christmas #INDIEBOOKBLOWOUT

Regan Worth

It's the FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS!  I wonder what Hanover's going to give me. Not that he's my true love or anything...there's no such thing as far as I've ever seen...but gifts make me happy.

You can make someone happy for only 99 cents!  All of our Dime Store Novels are on sale for 99 cents through the holidays, including Angels in Hell's Kitchen, which I highly recommend because my Daddy is a supporting character. Another great thing about Angels in Hell's Kitchen is that the writers have its sequel nearly done. And I have seen tears and laughter more than once as they've talked to me about it.

INDIE BOOK BLOWOUT
A bunch of other ebooks are on sale for 99 cents too in the Indie Book Blowout. There are books that appeal to every taste -- from frightening to humourous, from romantic to suspensful.

REASONS WHY AN EBOOK MAKES A GREAT GIFT
Day 1: No shipping required

Remember, even if you don't have an ereader, you can read an ebook on your smart phone. You can also get Kindle for PC for FREE from Amazon.

MY GIFT LIST
If you've been following my story, you know I see ghosts and I can tell you, those ghosts have stories.  My special holiday gift list includes the following books (hint hint, Hanover):
Soul Search
Haunted Bedtime Stories
Mind of a Mad Man

Holiday Shopping



Mary O'Malley

It's that time of year...families gathered around the Christmas tree, singing caroles, drinking eggnog -- Hanover and Regan are certainly doing their fair share of that.

I don't know about you, but one of the things that stresses me out at the holidays is finding just the right gift for the people I care about. Maybe someone you care about likes to read....or maybe you need a break from all the holiday stress and need to treat yourself to a book.

That's why we've decided to lower the price of each and every Dime Store Novel ebooks to only 99 cents through January 1st. It's our gift to you, our readers.

Best Seller for a Day Deals

We'd also like to encourage you to buy the books of other indie writers this holiday season. Here are some other books on sale this week for only 99 cents.

Best Seller for a Day

Three years ago, one horrific night changed his life forever. And now the wolf soul that was invoked to save him is taking over his body, day by day.

Can he master his animal instincts in time to discover who is stealing children's souls before the delicate balance we all depend upon is shattered?

Or will he reject the one woman who can help heal his body and his soul?

I happen to know that Soul Search is excellent because one of our writers hijacked our blog to talk about it.

Bonus Buys
Some other great bonus buys on sale this week are:

Tsunami Blue
With her badass rain boots, her faithful dog, and the ability to predict the monster tsunamis that have reduced the Earth to a series of islands, Kathryn "Blue" O'Malley isn't afraid of much. Cut off from all society, she takes to the airwaves as Tsunami Blue, hoping to save something of humanity as the world around her crumbles. But Blue should be afraid, because her message reaches the wrong ears. . .

Gifts of Blood

A dying brother. A young man with golden planes of light on his back. A blind chess wizard. An insane angelic kidnapper in flamboyant red leather. A town with more secrets than stoplights. A cat that talks to spirits. Waking up with eyes the color of moonlight. 

Before her world tilts towards impossible, Caspia Chastain thinks the only strange thing about her is that she sometimes draws the future. Only her brother Logan, fighting his cancer diagnosis, knows what she can do. When she draws a man surrounded by brilliant light, dark wings, and frightening symbols, she can only hope the vision won't come true.

But when a stranger named Ethan appears, determined to protect Caspia and her brother from dangers he won't explain, she's not sure what to think. Strangers almost never come to Whitfield. They certainly don't follow her around, frightening her one moment and treating her like glass the next. And they certainly don't look exactly like the subject of her most violent drawing.

Fated

Everyone thinks that they know the story of Caesar's demise, however in "Fated," we discover the truth.
Told from Brutus' perspective, critics are heaping praise upon "Fated"...

What the Heart Wants

Do dreams foretell the future? Are there soul connections that go deeper than love?

He can sense her emotions at any place and time. Their bond is powerful but a mystery. One thing he does know: She's plagued his dreams for months. Maybe even longer.

Being involved with a celebrity is the last things she imagined...or wanted. Can she forget the pain from the past? Can he let go of his fears?

The best news of all...Soul Search is an IBC Bestseller of the Day. That means 

anyone who buys one or more of these books can enter the drawing to win a kindle AND have their purchase price for the bonus buys rebated.  To do this, just go to the Bestseller for a Day website : http://www.bestsellerforaday.com/Bestseller_for_a_Day/Home.html and fill out the form found on the right hand side. 

The Buck

Swampy

I's done my share of huntin', no doubt 'bout it. I hunt gator, coons, whatever comes my way. When I's young, I had to hunt. Y'uns see I growed up in the swamp. Ain't nutting to eat in the swamp 'cept you hunt it.

'Course I don't hunt now. No need. And it ain't right to hunt jes for sport an' leave the meat out there for the crows. 'Cause those gators 'an deer 'an coons. They have souls too. I knows it 'cause I seen 'em.

So I mights be the last person you'd spect to share a poem like the one. But it got me when I read it...got me right here where my heart lives. 'Cause I's looked in eyes like that before and I's seen deer leap.

The Buck
by Rachelle Reese

 Blood stains your fur
a final mark above your heart
its rhythm silenced
Death glazes your eyes
a lifeless window
now your soul has leapt away
I wish I'd seen you soaring
soul and body joined
between the naked trees
instead

Leaving the Ghosts Behind - An Interview with a WWII Vet

If you're following the tour, you probably just came from Gracen Miller's blog. After you leave a comment, continue the tour by visiting Sherry Ellis's blog.

It's me again. I seem to be getting more face-time than the Dime Store Novel characters lately. If you're here to read about them, scroll down...I hope you do...but first, I hope you read my interview with Lawrence Kennon, a WWII vet who I feel blessed to have as a friend.

Lawrence agreed to let me interview him as part of Blog Tour de Troops.
When you finish reading my interview with Lawrence, make sure to leave a comment to receive a free ebook copy of the latest Dime Store Novel The Reunion for you and a troop. Robyn M. Ryan gave it a great review...read it here.

Rachelle: Lawrence, you told me you served in WWII. Can you tell me where and when?

Lawrence: 1941 to 1945. European theatre of operations. I was stationed in Great Britain. You need to know that I was in the Army Air Corps. We had no such thing as the air force then. General Hap Arnold organized the Air Corp as part of the army and I was in the heavy bombardment...4 engine bombers. He saw the need for air power during the war. We didn't have any and he saw the need for it, so he worked with Pres. Roosevelt and organized the Air Corps which later became the Air Force.

Lawrence Kennon - Air Corps

Rachelle: Can you tell me a little about your role there?

Lawrence: Our main task overseas ...or main orders were...we flew up into the North Sea from Great Britain and flew around in the North Sea and jammed the German radar...that was our main task. We had to fight fighters off so that our other planes could go in and bomb them. I didn't know that until later -- the details, that is. I just knew we were jamming their radar. You see, we had the Norton bomb site to let us drop bombs acurately, but the Germans had it too. It was highly secret, but they had it. All they did was reverse it and they could shoot us down just like we could bomb them.

Rachelle: That sounds dangerous. Which mission do you remember most?

Lawrence: We went down into Germany. The orders were to bomb a little town – Dresden, I think it was. We came back out..well...we thought we were clear...but  we were shot down with anti-aircraft fire. We abandoned the plane, jumped out in parachutes, went into the North Sea and I was picked up by Air Sea rescue, which was stationed in France. They took me back to France and kept me a couple days out, then sent me back to Great Britain, where they assigned me to another crew...another plane.

I shall never forget Air Sea Rescue's code name that day was Colgate. We used words like Colgate, Pepsodent, Lucky Strike, Camels. But I remember the code name that day was Colgate.

There were 8 crew members that day. Seven of us were picked up. We never knew what happened to the 8th. He was a good boy. A friend.

Rachelle: Do you want to talk more about the war, or should we talk about your trip to Washington?

Lawrence Kennon - Now

Lawrence: Let's talk about the trip. The trip to Washington, for me, was a real experience. It was really a good trip. It was organized by a group called Honor Tour.

Rachelle: Was it all WWII vets?

Lawrence: Yes, but from different branches. Our group met in Poplar Bluff and we rode a coach to St. Louis, where we boarded a plane that flew us to Baltimore. From Baltimore, we took a coach again to Washington DC. They put us up in the Drury Motel, fed us all our meals and Saturday we spent the day visiting the different memorials. I was impressed with all of them, but mostly with the World War II memorial. It's really a fabulous thing – 50 columns, each named after one of the states. IT has 40,000 gold stars...each star represents 100 people who lost their life. That's a lot of people, isn't it? *shakes head sadly* War is obscene.

It's built in 4 sections, Pacific on one side and Atlantic on the other. There are eagles on each section...I think there were 4...they weigh 2 ton a piece. Can you imagine that? Each state's name is on a column with a big wreath. 

The other thing that impressed me tremendously was FDR memorial. That one is built in 4 sections, each representing a term inoffice. I think that's why I was impressed with it. That was my time. He died while I was in Great Britain fighting, so he was my president. The other thing that was really fascinating was the Navy museum...all of the navy from the beginning up until the present day. Every school student should have to go through that. *chuckles*

Rachelle: What made you smile on your trip?

Lawrence: *grins* There was a 3-star general who had served in Afghanistan. He was due to go back again soon. He asked me why we wore off hats tilted off to one side. I said, "It's because that's the way the ladies like them." He chuckled at that.

Another funny thing was when I saw a lady and her husband. She was British -- I could tell that by her accent -- and she asked me where and when I had served. I said "A little town called Tring." Her husband said "That's where we live. Right by the runway." Can you imagine that?

Rachelle: What was the most moving experience of your trip?

Lawrence: We watched the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery is very moving...very impressive. Those soliders who do that...they devote their entire life to bein absolutely spotless and perfect. They change the wreath on the unknown soldier.

Rachelle: It sounds like you enjoyed your trip.

Lawrence: It was a great trip for me. *touches heart* I've been carrying some ghosts around with me all this time...50, 60 years. I finally left those behind. Some of my friends who died over there...I never could bury them. This trip, I did. When I went to Arlington Cemetery, that's when I really...really I don't know how to say it. I just accepted the fact that my friends had died and that was it. I had closure on it. I buried them. I'm grateful I had that chance.

Rachelle: I am too. Lawrence, thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I hope more veterens are able to go on the Honor Tour. They deserve it!

I'm grateful for the freedom to live my life as I want to. It's people like Lawrence and all the men and women serving today who risk their lives for my freedom. After you leave a comment, continue the tour by visiting Sherry Ellis's blog.

Death Seeker - Conclusion #coffinhop

The car is dead. Damn it. I know I'm not far from where we camped, but far enough. And heels on gravel doesn't work.

But what other choice do I have? It's not like there's cell signal out here and I have the jeep anyway. Dumb jeep. What is that sound? A woman screaming? Great. Just terrific. I'm out here in the middle of nowhere with a dead jeep and a serial killer or something on the loose. What was it that mouthy goblin said? "Something more wicked than me? Yeah right...well, it could be more wicked, but that's not saying much because I am NOT wicked.

Footsteps. Ba-ba-ba-doomp. Close. A shadow. Big...YEOWLLLLLL. Claws and teeth. I scream. It swipes at me. "My face! Do you know how hard it'll be to cover up a scratch like that?"

Never let it see your fear. Daddy. Battle as an equal.

I crouch low and back away. It watches me, eyes glowing silver in the moonlight. "Nice kitty. Just let me get back to my jeep. I won't bother you."

It crouches lower and lets out a low growl. I back away a little faster.

It springs and pins me to the ground. Its eyes glimmer. It bares diamond fangs and flexes its claws into my shoulders.

I grab a fistful of fur and pull as hard as I can.

The thing yowls.

I yowl back. "You think I don't know how to cat fight? I went to Catholic school."

Its diamond fangs lurch toward my neck.

*Thud* One furry creature becomes two --  on top of me -- wrestling. Gnashing teeth, flying fur, yowls and growls. I cover my face and try to roll away, but every way I roll they seem to follow.  Their claws dig into me. One of them shrieks – a horrid keening. And then everything stops moving. There is silence...no weight. I open my eyes.

A brown wolf stares down at me with golden eyes...ferocious, shadowed, but joyful. The wolf runs away into the darkness before I can say "I know you."

Coffin tour hoppers -- leave a comment and receive a FREE Mind of a Mad Man ebook.

And keep following the tour Coffin Hop.  

If you haven't visited my friend K.F. Kirwin's blog, you should. She has some very personable ghosts.