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Sandy's Spotlight - Gregory C. Randall, Toulouse 4 Death

4/19/2012

24 Comments

 
Sandy's Spotlight

Today's Special Guest Author is
Gregory C. Randall

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Gregory C. Randall
If you are a fan of suspenseful thrillers, you've come to the right place!  Today I've got author Gregory C. Randall and I'm featuring his novel, Toulouse 4 Death, Book 3 in The Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara series.  Even though this is a series, Toulouse 4 Death is a standalone.  I have not yet read Greg Randall's first two books in the series, Land Swap 4 Death and Containers 4 Death, but I enjoyed Toulouse 4 Death so much that I've purchased the first two books and can't wait to get started on them!

Make sure to watch the video under my review of Toulouse 4 Death to meet Greg and listen to him tell you about himself and his wonderful novels!

I'm also hosting a Toulouse 4 Death Book Discussion.  If you'd like to join us, but haven't read the book yet, you've got plenty of time to purchase the e-book and read it.  All of the books in The Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara series are currently on sale for .99.  The book discussion will be going on until May 3rd.  We'd love to have you join us.

More information on Greg and his work:

Greg is a fiction writer whose scribblings fall into the categories of mystery/detective and literary fiction. In the fall of 2010, his first book in the Sharon O'Mara Chronicles 4 Death series, Land Swap 4 Death, was released. The second, Containers 4 Death, was released in the spring of 2011. Both are available as ebooks and trade paper. A third in the series, Toulouse 4 Death was published by Windsor Hill Publishing and released in the fall of 2011. Greg’s literary novel was also released in late fall, 2011. Titled Elk River, it is the story of a youngster's coming of age and awareness in the troubled summer of 1956 in the orchard country of Michigan. Greg’s interests are rich and varied and so are the projects that will be added to his future collection of writings. He is also responsible for the cover art and composition of the books. He is fluent in ebook publication.


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Click on the book cover for excerpt
The following is my April 18, 2012, 5 star review:

Outstanding read!

TOULOUSE 4 DEATH by GREGORY C. RANDALL, is the third book in the Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara series.  This is a standalone book.  I have not yet had the pleasure of reading the first two books in this series, Land Swap 4 Death and Containers 4 Death, but I must tell you, I was so impressed with Toulouse 4 Death that as soon as I finished reading it, I purchased the first two books in this series.  IT WAS THAT GOOD!

Mr. Randall gives us a highly suspenseful, thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the book.  There is never a dull moment in this novel.  You will find yourself on Paris streets being chased by some seriously bad people, and throughout the book, you will be transported back to the early 1940's in war torn Europe following three service men and their not so pure actions.  This book also brings back the Nazis, the most evil of all foes, in such a unique and plausible way that the reader may never have been able to dream up such a nightmare until Mr. Randall instills that possibility into our minds.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about this book was the characters.  I really liked them all, but I'm going to focus on the main character for now.  Mr. Randall has given the reader a strong, focused female lead with Sharon O'Mara.  This woman is a woman that we'd all like to know.  She's not the stereotypical 20-something woman that many write about.  She is a seasoned retired military cop that knows how to handle herself in such a way that would do any man proud.  I thoroughly enjoyed her dialog and interactions with the other characters.

TOULOUSE 4 DEATH by GREGORY C. RANDALL is a well written, suspense filled book that I highly recommend.



Land Swap 4 Death, Book 1 -
The Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara

Blurb:
Sharon O’Mara, ex-MP, over thirty (who’s counting), tough as nails, smooth in all the right places, works for an insurance company sucking the life out of her soul, faces the fact she isn’t cutout to okay death benefits – not for murder. Rain, miserable Bay Area traffic, a dapper yet shady developer and a horny environmentalist all point the wrong way to why a man had to die in a BART parking lot. Can Sharon O’Mara find the killer or will she be the next victim.

Containers 4 Death, Book 2 -
The Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara

Blurb:
"Guns and handbags, all the things you need to start a war."

Hot Mexican days, deep blue seas, huge gamefish, and shipping containers full of death; why does Sharon O’Mara find ways to wreck her vacations? What’s in those millions of steel containers crossing the oceans and our highways? Thanks to the Chinese Tongs and the Mexican Cartels, it’s a mixture of knockoffs, sex, and death. Will she rid the world of these evils or will they kill her first? Sharon O’Mara has to pull out all the stops, and reload often, to stop the meeting of Eastern and Western evil on San Francisco Bay.

Toulouse 4 Death, Book 3 -
The Chronicles of Sharon O'Mara

Blurb:
Once again Sharon O’Mara has a job to do: Return an incredible Toulouse-Lautrec painting to its rightful owners after it was stolen by the Nazis in 1938. Sharon quickly discovers there is more to her client’s secret treasure than just a few paintings. After seventy years an American GI and a Nazi SS soldier are again pitted against each other. Gold bullion and Impressionist paintings are nothing compared to the rumors of billions in hidden World War II treasure. Can Sharon solve the mystery or will these new Nazis kill her before she can foil their evil goal of world domination by the ‘New Reich.’

The Sharon O’Mara Chronicles are a series of books (three done – fourth in production) that develop the ongoing legend of Sharon as she returns to private life in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was a lieutenant in the Army Military Police and spent two tours in Iraq. The Chronicles follow her as she pursues a new career, first as an insurance investigator, which she finds boring and then on her own as an investigator and facilitator for those with a difficult problem to resolve. She, like her hero Travis McGee, not only helps her friends but their friends as well. She has a big heart, an athletic body, red hair, and a lovable dog named Basil. She carries a Beretta and always gets her man (or woman) and has the scars to prove it.

Her best friend and confident is Kevin Bryan, a detective with the Lafayette, California police department. They are very close, but not that close.

Sharon has dueled with arrogant developers, oversexed environmentalists, evil Chinese tongs, Mexican cartels; all were vanquished.


Will she be able to now stop the 'New Reich'? Buy it and find out..

Other books by Gregory C. Randall:

Click here to view Toulouse 4 Death Book Trailer
Click here for Barnes and Noble purchase links
Click here for Smashwords purchase links for all e-book formats

We love to hear from you!  Please leave a comment, and don't forget to tweet your peeps and Facebook your friends!  I hope you join us over at the Toulouse 4 Death Book Discussion.

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Sandy's Spotlight - Scott Nagele, A Smile Through a Tear: Stories

4/5/2012

36 Comments

 
Sandy's Spotlight

Today's Special Guest Author is
Scott Nagele

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Scott Nagele
I featured Scott Nagele and his novel, Temp: Life in the Stagnant Lane, on Sandy's Spotlight back in August 2011.  I became one of Scott's biggest fans from the very first page.  When I was done reading that book, I begged him to come back on the blog so we could take a look at some of his other work.  The time has finally come.  Today I'm featuring Scott's collection of short stories called, A Smile Through A Tear: Stories, and he's here on the video below to tell you about the book himself!  I'm also hosting A Smile Through A Tear: Stories Book Discussion.  Click on the link and join in the fun!  We'd love to hear from you.

Before I share my review of this book, I've just got to pass on some really exciting news to you.  I'd like to congratulate Scott and his lovely wife.  Very recently, they've had a new addition to their family, and I can't wait for his new blog posts on this subject.  It doesn't matter how old your kids are, if you are a parent, you will absolutely love Scott's new blog, Snoozing on the Sofa.  Although my kids have long since left our home, I've gotten many enjoyable moments reading about Scott's escapades with his young son.  We've all been there.

I'd also like to take a moment to say how proud I am of Scott and his recent accomplishments as an author.  His novel, A Housefly in Autumn, was recently selected as a quarter finalist in the YA Fiction Category for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest!  Amazon has released the first 5,000 word excerpt of this novel.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Scott!


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The following is my April 5, 2012, 5 star review:

A wonderful collection of short stories - A MUST READ

If you are like me and love to read but you are so busy it's daunting trying to find the time to read a full-length novel, A SMILE THROUGH A TEAR: STORIES by SCOTT NAGELE is the book for you. The very best comparison I have to reading one of Mr. Nagele's short stories instead of a full-length novel is, it is like eating a bite-sized Milky Way instead of the full-sized candy bar. You get all of the pleasure and none of the guilt.

Each story in this collection of short stories is masterfully written and leaves the reader with a sense of fulfillment after reading them. Mr. Nagele has given the reader variety in not only humor to drama, but writing styles, and time frames from historical to futuristic. I LOVED THEM ALL!

I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading any genre. There's something here for everyone.


A Smile Through A Tear: Stories

Blurb:

A Smile Through a Tear is a collection of short stories featuring humorous and dramatic pieces in one volume. Five of these stories have been previously selected for publication in literary journals, including Berkeley Fiction Review.

The humorous stories include the tales of: a telephone company executive who must figure out how to use his phone before he is exposed as a fraud; a woman who has accidentally introduced a mysterious white powder into the State Capitol building; and a man whose entire job is to sit on a park bench, and who has trouble meeting that obligation.

The dramatic episodes include the stories of: a father trying to protect his kids from a lifestyle that sent him to prison; a group of WWI soldiers facing overwhelming odds; a space traveler who must make a terrible choice; and a man whose best Christmas would be anyone else's worst.

These tales and many others are brought together in one book to present the reader with A Smile Through a Tear.


The total length of A Smile Through a Tear is 82,000 words.

Temp: Life in the Stagnant Lane

Blurb:

“Local Boy Makes Good, Dies of Trying Soon After.”

Fearful of this epitaph, Gary Gray seeks to avoid career pressures by working as a temp. Unfortunately, Gary repeatedly gets into trouble by being too conscientious and outperforming the permanent employees. No matter how hard Gary tries to be a meek office worker, he can’t seem to stop himself from becoming a competitive threat to his co-workers and superiors. Meanwhile, Gary’s girlfriend is smart and beautiful, and he just might be able to hold onto her if he can stay employed and quit accidentally mooning her mom.

Gary runs afoul of a host of difficult characters in the workplace. Marge Meko is thoroughly incompetent, but she has “the goods” on the boss, so she easily gets away with blaming her errors on Gary. Marge’s boss, Steve, wants all problems swept under the rug before they become an inconvenience to his cushy position. Rae is a secretary with an overblown ego, intent on consolidating power by crushing all her perceived competitors. Gary is convinced that College President Burton is a mere figurehead, pulled from the ranks of the indigent and propped up by Rae, the power behind the throne. Through his trials Gary comes to the amazing revelation that it may actually be less painful to die trying than to live the “easy” life of the temp.

Wasted Moons

Blurb:

Wasted Moons is the story of one man's quest to find love, write a book, and maybe do a little cross country skiing in a time of increasing personal isolation, constant distraction, and ever-milder winters. To pursue his quest, he must perform many feats of strength, courage, and outright stupidity. He must argue the Bible with door-to-door religious proselytizers; he must act out Last of the Mohicans with a slightly confused senior citizen; he must watch an entire Detroit Lions game with a man named Bud; he must make turkey gravy in a strange city; but most importantly, he must stop over-thinking every romantic situation and quit tripping over his conscience at every turn. With the spirit of a recently departed blues musician along for inspiration, he is off to conquer (or at least reach a face-saving compromise with) his goals. Will he overcome the obstacles before him, or will the moon that coddles lovers still mock him for his solitude? Only the personnel department of the local library system can say, and they're having trouble making up their minds.

Wasted Moons is a novel of approximately 70,000 words.

A Housefly In Autumn - 2012 ABNA Quarter Finalist in the YA Fiction Category (5,000 word excerpt free on Amazon)

Blurb:

At 17, Anders Christiansen was a prodigy, a young man full of potential. All of his instructors believed he was destined to blossom into a leading man of letters and to enjoy a life of rich rewards.That was before the accident.One day, Anders saw a little girl fall through the ice. He plunged in after her, saving her life. In the process, he nearly drowned. He would live, but he was changed.Now, Anders's great talent lies fallow. He can't produce the complex ideas he once did. His thoughts are slow and his words simple. Like the last housefly in autumn, he finds himself alone, separated from all he once knew. The world holds no great promise for him anymore.Struggling to build a meaningful life out of the wreckage of his dreams, Anders learns the value of simple treasures. Loyalty, devotion, and even sacrifice hold rewards of their own that can renew hope after tragedy.Anders gives meaning to his life in the way he spends it. He will face great danger to protect those he loves, and though his gifts be diminished, he will share them freely with even the humblest of children.Though never sought, Anders's reward is immense and enduring, showing the millions of reasons to go on sharing even the simplest of gifts.

Other Purchase Links for Scott Nagele's Books:

Barnes and Noble
Scott's Website
We enjoy hearing from the viewers, so please leave a comment for Scott and we'd love to have you join us over at the A Smile Through A Tear: Stories Book Discussion.  If you enjoyed the blog, please tweet your peeps and Facebook your friends!
36 Comments


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