Finishing Up the Party with Dale Mayer Back to Blog
Update: Time to announce the winners! For Dale’s post, we have the following winners:
JackieW–Tuesday’s Child
Dale’s winners: JackieW–Tuesday’s ChildBethie: Hide N’Go SeekB&N card:
Heater
This is it…the last party post of the day. Where has the time gone? Thanks so much for celebrating with me!! And as a thank you, in addition to the lovely prizes that Dale is offering with this post (thanks, Dale!), I will also offer up a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card to a commenter because everyone has been so awesome today, and I want to say THANK YOU!!
I first met Dale Mayer when she and I were paired together for the Brava Writing With the Stars Contest. I quickly realized–Dale knew how to write some great romantic suspense. In fact, her book, TUESDAY’S CHILD has been nominated for BEST PNR – PSYCHIC TALENT (2011) by The Romance Reviews. Go, Dale! And Dale has a new book that I can’t wait to read…
***
Here’s the blurb for the book:
Hide’n Go Seek blurb (book 2 in the Psychic Vision series)
A twisted game of Hide’n Go Seek forces an unlikely alliance between a no-nonsense FBI agent and a search-and-rescue worker.
Celebrated search-and-rescue worker Kali Jordon has hidden her psychic abilities by crediting her canine partner Shiloh with the recoveries. But Kali knows the grim truth—The Sight that she inherited from her grandmother allows her to trace violent energy unerringly to victims of murder. No one knows her secret until a twisted killer challenges her to a deadly game of Hide’n Go Seek that threatens those closest to her.
Now she must rely on FBI Special Agent Grant Summers, a man who has sworn to protect her, even as he suspects there’s more to Kali and Shiloh than meets the eye. As the killer draws a tighter and tighter circle around Kali, she and Grant find there’s no place to hide.
Are her visions the key to finding the latest victim alive or will this twisted game of Hide’n Go Seek cost her…everything.
Amazon link – http://amzn.com/B005Y8538W
Allromanceebooks.com – http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hide039ngoseekaparanormalromanticsuspense-624870-140.html
***
And an excerpt…
Twenty minutes later, Kali made her way to the kitchen. She fed Shiloh on the deck in the morning sunlight. Running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, she remembered last night’s painting. She headed to her studio to take a look. She’d almost reached it when apprehension washed over her.
The door was closed.
She never closed the door after painting. It wasn’t good for the wet canvases, besides, the room only had a small window so the paint fumes built up fast. A frown wrinkled her forehead. Had she simply forgotten? She had been deadly tired last night.
Bolstering her courage, she pushed the door wide and flinched as the fumes rushed out almost stinging her nose. “Oh gross.”
Holding her breath, Kali crossed to the window, shoving it as far open as it would go. Fresh air surged into the small space. She’d love a huge studio, except painting wasn’t exactly a full time career for her – no matter how much she’d like it to be. It was a release for when depression and madness overcame her soul. Maybe later, when she no longer did rescue work, she could indulge her art as a creative hobby instead of as an outlet of pain and turmoil.
Walking around the easel, Kali stopped midstride.
The painting stood where she’d left it. With surreal and strangely enticing clarity, blacks and purples and browns popped off the canvas. Heavy paint splotched at places, then thinned and stretched across the top.
She stepped back and frowned. Up close, besides the heavy amount of paint, the picture resembled a distorted nightmare. Not surprising. Still, she caught a glimmer of an intentional design. She tilted her head and looked at it from a different angle. Nothing changed.
Sniffing the air, Shiloh ambled into the doorway.
Kali smiled down at the dog. “Not very sweet smelling, is it?”
She glanced back at the jumble of colors and stilled. There. She studied the abstract mess, letting the colors move and form to reveal the image hidden within.
Shivers slid over her spine.
Oh my God.
No way.
Kali blinked. It was.
There was no mistaking the image of a person buried under small bushes, civilization of some kind crouched on the horizon with a series of rough rock formations soaring behind the bushes.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
Kali was not a great artist, by any means. Blind escapism kept bringing her back to the process because it worked. She painted with wild abandon. The paint slapped on canvas with no thought discharged her emotions. For some reason it always worked.
And it always looked like shit.
This, on the other hand, was ingenious. Sure the subject matter was gruesome; however, given her volunteer work, not unexpected. Especially after finding the letter.
The artistic abandon was still there. The paint was so thick in spots the picture was almost three-dimensional. The terrain had depth and movement. The light was dark and terse, yet still shone with gruesome clarity—and way beyond her artistic abilities.
“It’s fucking brilliant.”
It was also scary as hell.
***
Scary as hell…interesting way to end the day. 🙂 But let’s go with that scary line…what scares you? Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of Tuesday’s Child and copy of Hide’n Go Seek. And don’t forget, commenters to this post will also be entered in the giveaway to win the $20 Barnes & Noble gift certificate. Good luck! Thanks for coming to the party!
Spiders scare me the most. The Psychic Vision series sounds like a great series… will have to add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the awesome party Cynthia!
yadkny@hotmail.com
Hi Yadira! Glad to see so many people are still up in the world. I hate spiders – but not as badly as my daughter does so I have to remove them for her.
Thanks for stopping by!
small places scary me
meandi09@yahoo.com
hi Jennifer!
Small places. Hmmm that’s not an issue for me, unless…I were to be stuck there for awhile!
Have a good night!
I don’t care for heights very much, I get that weird feeling that I might jump. And I really don’t like big hairy spiders along with their giant webs, ick!
Barbara,
Uck on the big hairy spiders! I don’t mind heights but I’m not interested in things like parachuting or hang gliding. I don’t LOVE heights I guess.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like a great series! I am deathly afraid of poisonous snakes and any kind of spider! Spiders just creep me out!
Hi Ashley!
Personally, I think it’s a great series 🙂 Lol. Poisonous snakes doesn’t sound like fun. Spiders outside are fine, inside? Not so much!
Thanks for stopping by.
Spiders and Zombies – which of course my boyfriend loves! lol
Hi Elena,
What is it about guys that they ALL love zombies!!! Yuck! It seems that spiders are just not a girl’s thing.
Thanks for stopping by!
So many things scare me, the list would be long indeed *grin*
But in the spirit of the game, I think that knowing the thoughts of everyone around you at any given time would be terrifying.
Thank you, Ms Eden, for hosting this terrific collection of writers, and the giveaways. I hope you’ve had a GREAT release day so far!
Hi there,
Wow, now I hadn’t considered that. That would be terrible, wouldn’t it?
Cynthia throws a lovely bash! I’m always delighted to help make her parties a huge success!
I use to not be afraid of anything….. Now I have 2 little boys and I’m scared of everything! So to sum it up I’m scared most of something happening to my kids.
Thank you for the great party, I have added a lot of books to my “to read” list.
Congrats on your new release!!! And thank you to the other authors who stopped in today 🙂
Hi Savannah,
I can so relate. I was fearless until I became a mother too! I have four and have to really work at letting them lead a normal life. Now they are all bigger than me and they have to take the spiders out of the house – Lol.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the party. Cynthia does know how to throw a bash doesn’t she?
Good luck on all the draws.
This book sounds great! I want! As for what scares me… falling from high places.
Thanks for all of the fun posts and contests today… Happy Release Day! 😀
Hi Colleen,
Glad you like the sounds of my books. They are such fun to write. Falling from high places does NOT sound like fun!
Thanks for stopping by!
Being lost in an unfamiliar location is what scaries me.
Oh going to have to check this book out.
Hi Cheryl,
I hadn’t considered being lost before – interesting. I don’t think I’d like it much either!
I hope you check it out. It was so much fun to write.
Thanks for stopping by.
I have an irrational fear of escalators. I hope I spelled that right. I hate going to the mall that has one. I take the stairs or elevator instead. I also don’t think I could ever fly & I felt paniced when I went to get my in-laws at the airport & there was an escalator there. That is really when I started hated them. Your party was a blast. Glad to meet so many great authors. Congratulations!!! Have a great night.–Rachel
Hi Rachel,
I don’t particularly like elevators but haven’t had a problem before with escalators. Although I was always scared when my kids were young that they’d get caught in them.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great night!
This was so much fun today! I was having kind of a dreary day–didn’t feel that well, and it was cool to have a distraction. I also found some new authors:) Thanks!
Okay, on to the scary. A big scare is thinking of my kids getting hurt or sick–never a good thought.
My other thing I hate, and yes, I guess I’m scared of them, is cockroaches. Seriously, I HATE them. I can’t even look at pictures of them. *shudder*
Hi Brenda,
It is fun to have a party like this, isn’t it! Cynthia is a party pro!
Yeah, that whole something happening to my kids has kept me awake at night. Cockroaches don’t sound like fun, but I don’t think I’ve been scared by them.
Hide’n Go Seek sounds awesome!! Now, what scares me? Well, when someone jumps out at me from a hidden area, that would scare me. I’m absolutely terrified of drowning. I have no idea why, just freaks me out…
Hi Sebrina,
Glad you like the sound of my book! I’m always happy to hear that 🙂
Drowning! Ohhh that’s a good one. I can understand that. I’m a good swimmer, but if I ever got caught in a rip tide or something…yeah, that wouldn’t be much fun.
There are a lot of little, unimportant things that scare me and then there are some bigger, more important things that scare me. I wish that weren’t the case though.
Congratulations again on the release of Angel of Darkness Cynthia and thanks for a fun release party.
And Dale, the books sounds great. I hope to get the chance to read it sometime!
Hi Pam,
That’s so true for all of us I’m sure. Little things and Big things – both can keep us awake at night.
Cynthia has done a wonderful job, hasn’t she?
Thanks for the comment on my book. Maybe you’ll be lucky and win a copy!
Cockroaches and dark places scares me a lot. And crocodiles and sharks.
Congrats on the release, Cynthia, and thank you for the giveaway!
Hi,
Another person who doesn’t like cockroaches! I can’t say I’d like to meet a shark or a croc close up! Yuck.
Thanks for stopping by.
I am terrified of semi trucks. I have been scared of them since I was a kid and now when I am driving and one pulls up next to me I freak out!
Hi Khelsey!
I’d never considered those. Although, I HATE having to drive between two semi trucks. That really scares me.
Have a great evening!
Spiders. I tend to be leery about height. Not having the ability to move
Hi Raonaid!
Another one who hates the poor spider – no I’m not a big fan either!
I’m leery on heights too. I can do them, but hate getting close the edge.
Roller coasters scare me. I can’t even watch a video of a roller coaster.
Hi Bethie,
I adore roller coasters. I’m one of the crazies up at the front row. My kids always volunteered me to go on class field trips to the amusement parks because of it. Lol.
Thanks for stopping by!
Bugs scare the heck out of me.
Hi Jeanetter,
You sound like my daughter. If it crawls on the ground or has more than 4 legs, she runs screaming!
Thanks for stopping by!
What scares me the most is crowds. I feel closed in when I am in a crowed space. I can’t relax or concentrate. I get worried for some reason. That’s why I shop early and on off days….LOL
Hi Michelle,
Crowds make a lot of sense. I’m not a fan of shopping and hate going when the crowds are out. Don’t like feeling like they’re surrounding me.
I love to shop online for that reason 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
im quite easy to scare unfortunately.. and i seem to have the same fears as a lot of people.. spiders.. heights (i discovered this on the top of the sky wheel.. fun).. actually somewhat afraid of the dark which is kinda sad..
I LOVE Psychic books and would adore the chance to win!
Hi Alaina!
I love psychic books, too! Can’t get enough of them. I used to be terrified of the dark, then I lived in the country where we didn’t have power or street lights or neon signs. I learned to love the dark then. Moving back to a city was hard then!
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the draw!
Lizards…green ones aren’t so bad but the pink ones in NW FL freak me the heck out..
Great book @contest..Thanks
Hi Doris,
Wow, I’ve never seen a pink lizard! I’m not sure I’ve seen many lizards at all, actually. Too cold where I live.
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the contest!
Heights freak me out. Maybe that’s why I prefer aisle seats.
Hi infinitieh!
I don’t mind flying in terms of heights but could never do bungy jumping or cliff walking. Way too dangerous for me.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a good night.
Hi, Dale! I’m afraid of evil spirits. Yes, I believe in them. O_O
Hi Monique,
Evil spirits might not be a bad thing to be afraid of! I’m not so sure I’d like to meet any myself.
Thanks for stopping by!
What scares me s***less is someone who is drunk. You never know what they are going to do.
Robin
Hi Robin,
Now that one I can relate too! For that reason, it’s been a long time since I was around a drunk. Hate it.
Have a great evening!
Hey, Dale and Cynthia, I know for a fact that book rocks!
Heights make me ill. Spiders and rats and snakes. Shiver! Tight places steal my breath.
Hi Mary!
Thanks for saying that about my book! Another vote against spiders and snakes and heights. You’re the first to mention rats! Yeah, they aren’t my favorite either.
Thanks for stopping by!
bugs, snakes and lizards would be what scares me. I have either my husband or my kitty that will listen to me take care of the bugs and luckily so far snakes have stayed away (thank goodness) LOL 🙂
Hi Larena,
Interesting point – I have a cat that loves to eat spiders! I hate listening to the crunch though. Gross!
Thanks for stopping by!
defenitely ghost, dangerous animal and dangereous people ;(
thank you cynthia,
your giveaway is so fantastic 😉
hi eli,
I’m so with you about the dangerous people. Funny most of us don’t think of those. We probably don’t let that possibility into our minds because that kind of fear would cripple us!
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the draws.
Spiders and Needles!
Actually I am one of those people that can scare themselves with just about anything, if given enough time to think about it… =D
Emily T
Hi Emily,
Now that you mention needles – I had a friend of my son’s come up for a visit and he had to go to the doctor. This big strapping engineer ended up on the floor because he fainted at the sight of the needle!
Spider and snake scare me 😉
Hi Julia,
Thanks for stopping by. You must be up late – or early!
Spiders and snakes are definitely topping tonight’s list!
Hi Dale,
I’m another who’s afraid of heights. I’m also not a fan of things with many legs like millipedes.
Hi Jane,
Heights and creepy critters – got it! And agree!
Thanks for stopping by!
Great excerpt! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to reading more.
Spiders and house fires, are my 2 biggest fears. In some cases I can be almost paranoid.
Hi Donnas,
House fires – oooh good answer. I’d be terrified of a house fire too. shudder.
Really good book there, if the excerpt is anything to go by.
Funnily enough besides the usual fears of heights, enclosed spaces, etc one thing I’m scared of is taking that step to try to get a book published. I’ve written a couple of fantasy short stories but never have the nerve to send them. That’s why I really admire those of you who do.
Hi Helensification,
I think most writers can understand that fear! It’s hard to put that baby out there – especially when it can take years of rejections to get anywhere. Take your best one and get several people you trust to read it over. That kind of feedback is invaluable!
Good luck.
It is weird…whenever I watch a ghost movie (like Paranormal Activity), I start to see shadows in my room. Then for nights I am freaked out that my room is haunted.
Hi Stacey!
Horror movies are good for that, aren’t they? Can’t say I like being home alone after those.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great excerpt. I love the dog on the cover, it really adds to it.
I’m not afraid of much. Though I’m always afraid that my boys won’t be safe. The moment they head out the door I throw up a prayer.
Thanks you.
Hi Viki,
I love the dog on the cover! Shiloh is quite a character all in herself.
I can so understand your fears about your children.
Thanks for commenting.
Clowns! I read IT when I was about 11 and it enforced the creepy feeling. Porcelain clowns are scary too. And anything happening to my hubby or our kids.
It’s been a lot of fun, as always! Thanks for the party 🙂
Hi Michelle,
Clowns? I’ve heard that’s actually something a lot of people are afraid of!
Glad you’ve had fun here. Cynthia knows how to throw a party!
Clowns and puppets scare the bejeezes out of me! Thanks for another great release party 🙂
Hi Carlyn,
Puppets – oh that’s a good one. I don’t like the ones with strings. I hate the thought of having someone pull my strings!
It’s been a lot of fun, hasn’t it!
Thanks for the fun party. What scares me the most is the idea of being trapped unable to move and snakes, not a big fan of snakes.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I’m okay with garden snakes but anything else, yuck!
This looks like a good read. I’m adding it to my TBB books!
I would have said spiders. But I’ve spent the last 2 months in FL which has to have the largest lizard population in the world. At first I thought they were cute, but now they just totaly freak me out if one gets in the house.
Hi Connie,
It is a good read! Of course, I’m biased 😛
Spiders again. Lizards aren’t something I have any experience, but how interesting that they were fine to begin with but over time…not so much!
What scares me are spiders that appear in the shower making me have to try to flush them down the drain.
Hi Maureen,
Yeah, spiders in the shower – GROSS!!! I’d be jumping out and running away!
Lol. Thanks for stopping by.
The question is what scares me? The pitch black of night. When i am alone, i lock up the entire house, i jump to every little noise outside and i am convinced mike meyer or Freddy or jason will be there if i open a window.
don’t care for big spiders much either.
The stories sound great, thanks for the opportunity to read them sooner than later!!
Hi Anne,
Oh being home alone at night time is a huge fear for lots of people, then add in the scary movies and it’s a recipe for panic!
Thanks for stopping by.
Looks like an awesome book. Adding to my TBR list. What scares me….To tell you the truth I m not scared of much.. I do not like bridges though.. For some reason I get the worst anxiety when I have to cross one.
Hi Jahira,
Thanks! Interesting about the bridges. I love walking across them and being able to stop and look down. I hate driving in long inside the mountain tunnels, though.
I have a serious problem with spiders. I absolutely hate them.
Hi Danny,
Sorry about the spider thing. I don’t like them, but my daughter just about faints when she sees them so I do understand.
Thanks for stopping by.
I am totally terrified of snakes and being trapped (not necessarily the size of the space – just not being able to get out of it!). Thanks so much for the fun release party! Congratulations!
Hi Jenny,
Glad to have you here at the party! It’s been a fun ride, hasn’t it. And let’s hope you never have to face that fear.
I hate any creepy crawly thing that pops out at you at night. During the day it won’t freak me out if I see a spider or snake. But when it is dark and they jump out at you forget it.
Hi JoAnna,
Creepy crawlers are definitely top picks today! And you’re right, seeing them at night just aggravates that whole yuck factor.
I can handle little itty bitty bugs, but larger sized spiders and bugs scare and gross me out!
Hi Marianne,
So size matters? 🙂 But you’re right – the bigger, the nastier. I used to have big gardens and the spiders in there were inches across!
There are lots of things that scare but the #1 thing is spiders.
Hi Regina,
Spiders rule the fears list! And I’m right there with you.
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m afraid of fire.
Hi Spav,
Fire – yeah, me too. Couldn’t light a fire until I lived in the bush for years and had to get over it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Bugs used to scare me when I was younger but after living in the country for the last 10 years I am now over that. What scares me now is the thought of something happening to my daughters…when my daughter had to have surgery a couple years ago and I was sitting helpless in waiting room it was the scariest feeling ever!!!
Hi Maria,
I feel the same way after living in the country in terms of bugs. I have four kids and it’s a horrible feeling when something goes wrong. I did the same thing when my oldest son had surgery, too.
clowns scare me. I watched IT when i was 7 by Stephen king and I can’t go near them. I was scarred for life. lol
Hi Heather,
Another person who watched IT and now hates clowns. I never watched that movie and won’t now because I like clowns!
Thanks for joining in on the party!
Snakes, bees, deep water and heights scare me.
Hi Crystal,
You’re the first to mention deep water. I hate being in a lake where I can’t see the bottom and I KNOW there’s things down there!
Thanks for stopping by!