The Tursiops Syndrome by John C. Waite - Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway

The Tursiops Syndrome

by John C. Waite 

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GENRE: Thriller

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BLURB:

How do you get a nuke into the heart of the city? Maybe a dolphin can help. From Author John Waite, the tale of a police detective who matches wits with a mad scientist and terrorists intent on destroying America. When detective Hickory Logan joins Park Ranger Kevin Whitehead investigating the mysterious death of a dolphin she finds herself sucked into a far deeper whirlpool. Can she and Kevin stop the tide of terror that threatens to kill thousands or will they be fodder for a nuclear fireball?

A newspaper review described Tursiops thus: "The writing is, well, wonderful. Waite has a gift for dialogue and story-telling, and his plot is adventurous and perfectly paced. "

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EXCERPT

A scrabbling behind him took Red’s attention from the house. He turned to see a young man wearing medic bars leaning over Jessie’s prone body. He watched as the medic fingered Jessie’s throat, looking for a pulse. 

“Got it,” he muttered. “She’s alive. Gotta keep her that way.”

He reached into a small canvas bag and pulled out a red-lensed flashlight, a plastic bag and tubing. Squatting next to Jesse, he shoved her sleeve up her arm and inserted a needle into a vein. 

He looked up at Red.

“Saline,” he said. 

“You a doc?” Red asked.

“Close as you’re gonna get out here.”

“I’m going for a medevac,” he said and vanished into the darkness.

Red watched Jessie. She didn’t move.  He couldn’t tell if she was  breathing. But the medic had said she was alive. 

“Well…fuck me,” she groaned.

“God damn. Jessie.” Red said.

“Red?” Her voice trembled. “Is that you? Am I dead?”

“Medic.” Red yelled. “Jessie, don’t move. Just don’t move. You’ve been hit. The medic says you’re alive and he went for a medevac.”

Headlights flipped on, and an engine cranked several vehicles back in the convoy. Other lights were coming on around him now, and he could see Jessie, her face masked by the blood-soaked bandanna stuffed into the bullet furrow.

“God, it hurts. How bad?” she asked, not moving.

“Jess, I don’t know. Just don’t move…please. The medic will be right back.”

“I screwed up, huh. Anybody else hurt?” 

As if on cue, a jeep crunched to a halt at Jessie’s feet, and the young medic jumped out. 

“Bird’s on its way,” he said as he knelt beside her. 

Jessie grabbed his arm.

“Am I gonna die?”

The medic took her hand.

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Environment teaches an author a lot.

        I grew up in the suburbs of a big city. Not just any city. At the time I didn’t realize that New Orleans was unique. But even back in the 50s and 60s its nature leaked across the municipal boundaries and gave daily life a pungent flavor. That aspect of it began to dawn on me when I started college, which was only an hour’s drive from Canal Street. But it might as well have been in another state and another time zone.

        Even as a kid I could walk anywhere in Kenner, our suburb, and not feet threatened. Of course, I knew I could run fast and duck if I ran into a dangerous situation. But I never had to utilize that particular talent.

        That freedom sweetened life for me beyond the emotional bounds that many residents of other big cities enjoy.

 I imagine there were drug and prostitution problems there even then, but nothing like the street corner dealers and sex trade that exists today. Back then the cops were good guys, even when they weren’t.

        And there wasn’t the now omnipresent social media and on-the-spot television available to criticize every misstep a well-known figure made.

        None of that directly affects the heroesand heroines who people my stories. But I think that social gumbo enabled me to understand how such characters fit into their environment. And how what they do affects that environment. It lends flavor to how those characters interact.

        Being able to see in my mind’s eye those characters affected by their environment helps me to tell their stories.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Thousands of author John C Waite’s words flew past Alpha Centauri years ago,  heading for the center of the galaxy, perhaps sparking an arthropod’s grin in route. Waite, a degreed journalist and retired Merchant Mariner has numerous writing and broadcasting awards to his credit, and millions of words in print and broadcast media. Originally from New Orleans he has called Panhandle Florida his home for fifty years, but still retains a taste for things Creole and Cajun. A recreational and professional sailor, his travels have covered the Caribbean, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, portions of south and Central America, Canada, Hawaii, Ireland, Britain, and Europe. John resides in Pensacola, Florida. He is a father to four, and grandfather to four.  His books are available on Amazon.

http://johncwaite.com/

https://www.facebook.com/johngllgskns

https://twitter.com/johngllgskns1

The book will be on sale for $0.99 during the tour.

https://www.amazon.com/Tursiops-Syndrome-John-Waite-ebook/dp/B01MQVDUF1/ref=sr_1_1

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

John C. Waite will be awarding a $50 Gift Certificate to Nuts.com to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Star Marque Rising by Shami Stovall - Review Tour and Giveaway

Star Marque Rising

by Shami Stovall

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GENRE:   Science Fiction

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BLURB:

The future is governed through a genetic hierarchy—superhumans at the top, humans and defects at the bottom. 
Clevon Demarco, a genetically modified human, has a cocksure attitude and the combat skills to back it up. With his unparalleled skills, he makes his living as a ruthless gunrunner on a shady space station near the edges of the quadrant. Stronger, faster, and wittier than most sad sacks, no one even comes close to Demarco’s abilities—until he crosses paths with the captain of the notorious Star Marque, Endellion Voight.
Captain Voight arrests Demarco and offers him a choice: go to a prison planet for his crimes, or join her starship, the Star Marque, working as mercenaries for the superhumans. But she didn't pick him at random. She has a plan to become a planet governor; a title no human has held since the superhumans won the war. It doesn’t matter the cost—assassinations, extortion, blackmail—she’s determined to claw her way to the top.
All Captain Voight needs is Demarco’s help to carry out her machinations, and she’ll give him everything he’s ever wanted in return.
A fast-paced space opera for those who enjoy Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, or anything by Robert A. Heinlein. 

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EXCERPT

I wheezed and hacked as I stepped out of the vat. The slimy fluid filled my nose and ears, and it took me a moment to snort them clear. 

The bright lighting of the room hurt my eyes, but I adjusted in a matter of moments. I got a quick look around and froze up.

Everything was so well ventilated and clean…

I wasn’t in Section Six.

It was a medium-sized room with a single metal door. My healing vat sat in the back corner, extending from the floor to the ceiling. There was a computer terminal and two large, steel crates with the words Medical Supplies stamped across the side. But those things paled in comparison to the viewing window on the far wall.

I walked over, eyes wide, and stared out into the depths of space.

Capital Station hung in orbit around Galvis-4, a brown-and-turquoise planet that acted as the station’s anchor. The space station—white and pristine from the outside—didn’t look half bad from a distance. It was a hexagonal torus, forever spinning to maintain gravity, powering itself from the rays of the system’s star. From the outside, one would never know of the filth that dwelled inside. From space, it was impossible to see the overcrowding and meaningless death that had made the station so infamous.

We had left the dock, but the starship I was on hadn’t left for its destination. Why? My thoughts didn’t linger on it for long. 

Man, my new skin felt great.

I rubbed my arms and shins, impressed by how supple everything had become. I wiped away as much excess mother-cell fluid as possible, but the stuff was everywhere. Just… everywhere. 

The door to the room slid open. I tensed and whirled around on my heel.

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REVIEW:

Star Marque Rising is great space opera. It has everything needed for a fascinating story full of danger and adventure. The world building is very well written and the back story is blended into the action and dialogue. The character development is layered. There are the superhumans, the genetically modified humans, the plain humans and the humans with defects. Each play a role in the story. All of this is seen through the eyes of Clevon Demarco, one genetically modified human. His story starts when he joins the crew of the Star Marque. I enjoyed following him as he adjusted to a new life and changed how he reacted to the action in the story. A hard to put down plot that had a somewhat open ended conclusion. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Shami Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrills to fantasy to science-fiction. Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories, and writing about herself in the third person.

Twitter: @GameOverStation

Facebook: SAStovall

Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Marque-Rising-Shami-Stovall-ebook/dp/B07L6V417H

Barnes & Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-marque-rising-shami-stovall/1129994478

The book is on sale for only $0.99.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Shami Stovall will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Moment Between by Gareth Frank - Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway

The Moment Between

by Gareth Frank

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GENRE: Psychological Thriller

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BLURB:

After four years of mourning, Doctor Hackett Metzger is determined to stop letting his wife's death control his life. He is finally beginning to live again, but his recovery leads to an unexpected fight for his own survival and startling revelations about what happens to all of us in The Moment Between.

Hackett, a brilliant neurologist, is a skeptic. He doesn't believe he will one day be reunited with Jean, or dwell with God in heaven. What he does believe is that he should have seen the warning signs of her heart attack; he should have saved her. He also cannot accept the possibility that his clinical study of near death experiences could prove the existence of a conscious afterlife. When Hackett falls for the mother of a patient, grief finally begins to fade. But he has no idea his new love is hiding her dangerous past. Will Hackett's damaged spirit endure another heartbreak?

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EXCERPTS 

In those first months, he tortured himself with the notion that Jean’s voice had been real. He was sure that she had been present while he tried to save her. He prayed that she lived on in death, hoped that even as he failed, she had a soft landing on the other side. Her voice became his torture.

And so he understood death as he never had before. He understood grieving and pain. He understood what it meant to miss someone and to know that he would never see that person again. He understood loneliness. Most of all he understood the foolish and painful illusion that life might somehow continue. There was no voice. Jean had not talked to him from beyond. He had tortured himself from within. She was dead. He had learned to accept that cold hard reality. Anger had settled into the dark hole that was his memory of that day, poisoning his spirit. For weeks he stayed home from work, for months the blackness held him captive, until slowly he emerged into the world once more. His sanity hinged on his acceptance that Jean’s voice had been an illusion. Death was just death.

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I Asked Gareth where are five places you might visit for inspiration for your books?

I enjoy writing about places I know. The Moment Betweenis set in the Washington, DC area which has rich opportunities for writing all sorts of scenes from urban business centers to restaurants to open air drug markets and the bucolic setting of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Tow Path that runs from the Georgetown neighborhood up the Potomac River into rural Maryland. I also adopted the Hill Towns of Tuscany, Italy for great scenes of traveling, biking and dining in old Europe.

My next book is set in places all across the western United States. What a travel opportunity that provides. The west is so grand and vivid that writing about it feels like you are literally painting scenes with words. One of my chapters is set on the rim of Zion Canyon in Utah. I'd love to stand upon the cliff looking north at Angel's Landing and the winding river below. I would hike in with a laptop so that I could re-write the scene with that incredible backdrop right there in front of me. The same could also be said of places with less striking grandeur. I'd love to track down this little seedy neighborhood north of Los Angeles where colorful graffiti covers rundown buildings. I stop in front of one place in particular, probably hesitating before stepping into the neighborhood tattoo parlor and watching needles stab and spread color across skin.

In Montana, I'd pick out a dusty town that straddles the railroad and Highway 2. I'd get to know the taverns and gas stations. I'd talk to the farmer pumping gas into his 1995 Ford pickup. I'd sit on a curb and drink a Coke while the world turned around me.

As for the future, I am heading to India in November! That's actually six places.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gareth Frank is a former union organizer and administrator. He received a Master's Degree at the University of Wisconsin and later studied at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Moment Between is his first published novel. His short stories have been published in various journals and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize as well as the Silver Pen Write Well Award.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarethFrankAuthor

https://www.amazon.com/Moment-Between-Gareth-J-Frank/dp/1732294208

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Gareth Frank will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 372 - A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn, The Bayern Agenda by Dan MOren

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Veronica Speedwell and Stoker are off on another adventure but they are not on the same page about their relationship. Set on a island off of Cornwall and with a great cast of characters the question of where and what happened to a bride on her wedding day is at the heart of the story. The plot is full of twists and turns. The bride was not at all what she seemed and as her relationships with each of the characters come to life new twists and turns abound. Added to the mix is the change in the relationship of Veronica and Stoker. Never a dull moment as the story progresses. This is book four and the series just keeps getting better.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


The Bayern Agenda: Book One of the Galactic Cold War by Dan Moren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This kept me guessing until the end. This is book one in the Galactic Cold War series but Eli Brody and Simon Kovalic were featured in The Caledonian Gambit a previous book put out by another publisher. As a result there were some things in the world building and back story that must have been covered in the previous book. This is plain and simple a spy story and there is no one you can trust. The current cold war is in danger of heating up and Kovalic and team have a lot to discover to keep it from becoming a hot war. A really exciting read with characters who are neither all good or all bad but many shades of grey. Much like real life.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 371, Digging In by Loretta Nyhan, Emergent by Lance Erick

Digging In by Loretta Nyhan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We all have love and loss in our lives and Loretta Nyhan writes about both with grace and humor. Paige Moresco is the main character and the loss of her husband 2 years ago is at the heart of the story. That alone could be the entire plot but Nyhan peoples the story with additional characters who each have suffered some loss. Some have soldiered on and some are stuck in the past. I loved the gardening probably because that is my form of therapy and I know how effective it is. Mary Robinette Kowal does the narration and she does a great job of matching her voice to the emotions in the story. While there is sadness looks for moments of laugh out loud humor as well.


Emergent by Lance Erlick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have followed the Android Chronicles from the first book and watched Synthia Cross change and grow. The plot has kept her on the run for the entire series and with Emergent she faces her last battle. I wondered how this would end and if Synthia would even survive. She is very smart and using her brain and the programs she has completed for herself she arrives at a interesting solution. She is still around and she is still watching to make sure there are no other androids to cause trouble in the world. A nice ending when it looked like it was not possible.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 370 - Trailblazer by Michelle Diener, Endgame by A.K. DuBoff

Trailblazer by Michelle Diener
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Tally Riva and her little friends. She uses the group she belongs to to explain her abilities. What seems like a two week hike to help her get over being stranded on the ghost ship turns into a run for her life. Ben Guthrie like Tally is not what he seems and the two have to work together to survive. This has a great romance, good world building, and plot that keeps the action moving at a fast pace. The Verdant String series started with great stories and Trailblazer adds another to the mix. While this is part of a series it does stand alone.



Endgame by A.K. DuBoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kira faces an even bigger challenge as a planet size ship arrives to use her section of space as building materials. While she has faced challenges before this one is more dangerous than all the others put together. While the challenge was large I found the story around it to be less exciting. There is additional world building and backstory but the presentation slowed the plot to a stand still. There was a final resolution to the aliens and Kira got information she needed about her upgrades. It was a nice ending to the four part series. It is not the last time to see Kira and friends. They will be back in a new series.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 369 - Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder, Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch

Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lyra Daniels is very upset. Once again she most follow her parents to a new planet. That means she will leave her friends 50 years in the past even though for her it will be just weeks or months. This is a nice twist on Einstein and his theories adding to the plot. The plot gives Lyra more than she expected and puts both her and her family in grave danger. I loved how Lyra finally decided to both keep the past and look to the future. A very interesting coming of age story with many twists and turns. Great start to a new series.


Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Micah Cole is another one mad at his parents for taking him away from his friends. He is stranded on Sovereign, a new planet full of the unknown. I know what I expected Micah to find but was surprised when it turned out I was right. There were clues all along that he was not alone but I just did not catch on. A nice listen in the Audible original. Jesse Einstein does a great job with all the different voices.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 368 - The Infamous Duchess by Sophie Barnes, Emergence by John Birmingham

The Infamous Duchess by Sophie Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Viola Cartwright is a very complex character. She has survived losing everyone she loved, some by death and one by deceit. Her story is as complex as her character. She is facing losing everything she has worked for and finds that she must trust even though it is very hard for her. This plot just kept getting more complex as Viola both looses and gains as the story progresses. I loved Henry Lowell and how he worked to overcome a past he invented to keep safe from marriage. Seems it was coming back to haunt him. Look for a interesting characters whose story will come up next. Love how this series just keeps moving in unusual ways. I also enjoyed hearing about the medical history that Barnes adds as an afterwards.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


Emergence by John Birmingham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you love blood and gore this series is for you. In Emergence you will meet David Hooper, a more flawed and unlikely hero would be hard to find. Even he admits that he is usually not Nice Dave but Rotten Dave. How he changes into to a hero is unexpected. Something has escaped the deep and is killing his crew on the oil rig where he works. When he kills one he get more than he expected. He still is not a nice person but he does has some unusual memories and strengths. This is as I started with saying a lot of blood and gore. We follow not only Dave but also the monsters he is fighting. In the end he wins only to have his victory ripped from his hands and the win turns into a loss.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


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