Friday, February 10, 2017

VALENTINE GIVEAWAY BLITZ!


Win a Kindle Fire HD from C.J. Anaya
Enter Here



Everyone who enters will receive a free copy of 
Marry Your Billionaire 
in the eformat of their choice.


Marry Your Billionaire 
A Modern Cinderella 
by C. J. Anaya

What happens when a sweet girl and a bad boy meet on a reality TV show? Answer: nothin' but romance!

Six years ago, Midge Knightly walked away from her trust fund, her Hollywood producer father, and the expectation that she would join the family business. Avoiding handsome playboys with hidden agendas was just an added bonus. Now one semester shy of graduation, she is shocked to discover her scholarship has lost its funding.

Her estranged father is having problems of his own. A contestant on his latest reality TV series has cancelled a week before shooting.

Midge gets her trust fund back if she stands in as a potential marriage candidate for the dating series Marry Your Billionaire. Twenty women competing for one arrogant guy. Not Midge's cup of tea. Agreeing to this proposition sucks her back into the world she happily broke ties from, but no trust fund equals no college degree.

Brody Prescott, CEO and owner of an online dating company, has recently been pegged a heartless playboy--among other things--by a disgruntled female after a disappointing date. In order to save his company and his reputation as an honest businessman, the billionaire must prove to everyone that he isn't the naughty, bad boy they believe him to be.

His solution?

Become the first bachelor on Marry Your Billionaire and hope that one of the contestants holds some potential. So what is he supposed to do when the woman who intrigues him the most wants to be eliminated?

Marry Your Billionaire is a fun, romantic romp set against the backdrop of reality TV, a heartwarming Cinderella fairy tale retelling filled with romance, suspense, comedy, and a little mystery thrown into the mix. Put on your PJ's, grab some chocolate and popcorn, and settle in for an entertaining love story.


About the Author:

C.J. Anaya is the bestselling author of The Healer Series and Marry Your Billionaire. She also enjoys assisting authors in writing, publishing, and marketing their books with her helpful non-fiction guides on amazon. 

She's a huge fan of The Mindy Project, Hugh Jackman, and binge eating any and all things chocolate. Who isn't, right?

As a mother of four awesome children, C.J. is usually helping out with homework, fixing dance recital costumes, or delivering her kids to their karate classes so they can learn discipline, respect, and "...kick some serious butt, mom." She loves writing entertaining reads for everyone to enjoy, and dabbles in singing and songwriting for kicks and giggles. Making out with her deliciously handsome Latin Lover-her hubby-is by far her most favorite extracurricular activity.

 

 
 
This blitz comes courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours.
 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

COVER REVEAL: MERCENARY MOON by Lola Taylor

Well now...this says sizzle, non? Here's the cover reveal for Lola Taylor's hot new title!





Mercenary Moon
Blackbriar Creek Wolves
Book One
Lola Taylor

Genre: Werewolf Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Indigo Dreamer Press

Date of Publication: May 2017

Number of pages: novel-length

Cover Artist: Roz Marshall of Alba Covers

Book Description:

He’s bad to the bone… but then again, so is she.

Werewolf Nyx Dawson has blood on his paws—a lot of it. But he’s done with the brutal life of a mercenary. Doesn’t mean he ever thought he’d end up in his small, Southern hometown of Blackbriar Creek, Tennessee. Back with his mother and baby sister, and the rowdy bunch of werewolves he’d sworn a pack oath to as a pup. For a while, life seems peaceful and he thinks he can put his dark past behind him—until one of the most vicious, powerful alphas this side of the Smokies shows up and threatens to kill his family if he doesn’t comply with his demands…

Evangeline “Eva” Carlyle has spent her life wearing a mask. Being the perfect, obedient daughter. Being the stoic alpha-elect of her father’s pack. Being the face of her father’s paranormal pharmaceutical company, Carlyle Enterprises. Only, she doesn’t want her sizable inheritance or his paltry love—she wants his head. A life for a life, the collection of a blood debt that has been long overdue. The Golden Wolf is going to answer for his many covered up crimes against the paranormal world, and she’s determined to be the harbinger of justice.

But her father’s nobody’s fool. He knows someone is out to get him, and so blackmails one of the deadliest mercenaries into hunting down his would-be killer and taking them out first. Legend or not, Eva doesn’t think the arrogant and hotter-than-hell Nyx will be a problem. And Nyx certainly would never allow himself to fall for a werewolf aristocrat, no matter how much his inner wolf yearns to mate with her.

As the two of them tiptoe around each other, sparks begin to fly and passion mounts. Secrets—and blood—will be spilled. The closer Nyx grows to Eva, the more he’s convinced she’s his mate. And in the end, he’ll have to make the ultimate decision—kill the woman he loves to save his family, or defy his greatest enemy and risk losing everyone he holds dear.


Want to get the best price when Mercenary Moon releases?

Consider signing up for Lola’s newsletter. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time. And by joining, you’ll get a free ebook!

Sign up here http://goo.gl/3QDmao




About the Author:

“Lola Taylor” is a pen name created for the romances I can’t show my grandma without blushing. My favorite genre to write is romantic suspense, usually involving hot werewolves, warlocks, or any other type of paranormal creature. Keep the action hot and the romance hotter—that’s my motto! I’m a horror film junkie, I still love Halloween as an adult (seriously, I think I get more excited for it than some kids do), and what precious spare time I have is spent with my family, reading (everything from sci fi to middle grade), playing the flute, painting pretty pictures, or screwing around on Pinterest or Etsy. Hailing from the South, I currently live in the Midwest with five fur babies and my hubby.

I’m pretty easy-going. If you want to get to know me or just say “hi,” you can find me on Facebook, Google + , Pinterest,and Goodreads.


Newsletter: http://goo.gl/3QDmao







Tuesday, February 7, 2017

RELEASE DAY: DITCH LANE DIARIES by D.F. Jones



Ditch Lane Diaries
One-Volume Collection
D.F. Jones

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Angels and Demons,
Metaphysical and Visionary, Fantasy Angels

Publisher: Jones Media

Date of Publication: 2/07/17

Number of Pages: 635
Word Count: 220,913

ASIN: B01NAPBI0A 

Cover Artist: Amanda Northcutt
Jones Media

Book Description:

Angels and Demons Collide in the Ditch Lane Diaries

The Ditch Lane Diaries One-Volume Collection, includes Ruby's Choice, Anna's Way, and Sandy's Story, follow three best friends from college to adulthood while navigating life's journey, true loves and supernatural powers bestowed by The Creator as The Chosen to fight in a six-thousand angelic war between good and evil.

A Prophetic Dreamer, a Divine Healer, and a Soul Reader.

The Ditch Lane Diaries follows three childhood friends from college to adulthood.

An afternoon adventure uncovers a hidden room and mysterious stones in Campbell Ridge cave unlocking their supernatural powers.

The prophetic dreamer, Ruby's Choice is a coming of age tale of firsts including the angst of falling in love. Ruby’s Choice introduces the main characters of the story while adding a splash of paranormal.

Anna's Way is the second installment of The Ditch Lane Diaries. Anna is a healer, and one of The Chosen Wards of The Creator.

However, Anna learns quick that true love doesn't come in a nice and neat package. She is in love with Jerry but when she decides to go away to medical school things change.

In Anna's Way, the Ditch Lane Diaries characters evolve with adult problems. She meets her guardian angel, Ralph, who teaches Anna how to use her gift to help others without drawing attention to herself. Anna's friendships and true love is the tie that binds them together while facing supernatural battles against the master of all evil.

The clairvoyant, Sandy's Story is the last book of the Ditch Lane Diaries. The fast-paced, gripping thriller keeps the reader on edge, and the pages turning.
Investigative reporter, Sandy Cothran follows a murder lead on Music Row which uncovers Luc's Testament along with a string of related crimes.

Sandy's guardian angel, Baldric is sworn to protect her but finds himself falling in love with Sandy which breaks all the rules of heaven and places her in grave danger because Luc is waiting in the wings on his given moment to pounce.

The Wards of Campbell Ridge fight with Heaven's Warrior Angels in an epic supernatural battle against Luc and his demons to save one of The Chosen.


$2.99 Special Pricing During Release Week!

Readers Are Saying:

"The Ditch Lane Diaries series has it all and is easily one of my favorites! I am a forever fan of D.F. Jones! If you like drama, romance, betrayal, demons, angels, secrets, magical powers, and jealousy, then this book is for you!!!"

"The Ditch Lane Diaries satiated the starving bookworm in me!"

"I'll just say that if I were an angel, this book would have me sprinkling love dust all over the place. High five DF Jones. Remarkable Read!"

"Grab some tissues for this heart-pounding, pulse-racing series!"

Signed Paperbacks are available to purchase online through www.DFJonesAuthor.com or
order books online through most major booksellers.

Ditch Lane Diaries: One-Volume Collection http://a.co/hJpquqQ

Ruby’s Choice (Ditch Lane Diaries 1) http://a.co/7vMe51Q

Anna’s Way (Ditch Lane Diaries 2) http://a.co/budztaQ

Sandy’s Story (Ditch Lane Diaries 3)  http://a.co/6tC8NE4

Antique Mirror, a Halloween Short Story:  http://a.co/hUgWQbo



 Excerpt from Ruby’s Choice book one of the Ditch Lane Diaries

Ruby sat close to Reed on the drive back to Murfreesboro. There was a wintry chill in the air, and the promise of snow lurked in the late October sky. The two-lane highway had double yellow lines with no shoulder. As they approached the stretch of the road called Dead Man’s Curve, Ruby looked up a second too late to see a deer run out of the woods and dart into the highway in front of Reed’s car.
“Reed, watch out!” she screamed.
 Reed was driving too fast to react and tried slamming on his brakes, but he hit the deer. That was when everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Ruby heard the brakes screech and smelled burning rubber. She heard the violent crunch of metal as the car skidded in the gravel toward the ditch. She felt as if they were slowly floating through the air—and then, all at once, everything sped up, as Ruby heard the deafening grind of metal, and the car flipped on its side. Ruby’s head hit the windshield, and then there was nothing.
****
Reed woke to a coppery taste in his mouth and the smell of burnt rubber and antifreeze. His head ached with intense pain. It took about a second for him to remember what had happened. He looked down and found Ruby pinned underneath him. His car was flipped over on the passenger side. A surge of adrenaline pumped through his body as he lifted himself off Ruby and gently shook her.
Reed lifted her from the floorboard and held her in his arms. “Ruby, honey, wake up. Are you okay?” There was no movement from her. He screamed, “Ruby, baby, can you hear me? Please wake up, Ruby!” His hands shook as he felt for her pulse. Thank you, sweet Jesus! She’s alive!
People screamed from somewhere outside, from the sound, there must’ve been at least a dozen people at the scene. He heard sirens in the distance as people approached the car.
Brent yelled, “Reed, help is coming. We’re going to try and place the vehicle upright. Can you hold on to something?”
Reed braced himself with one arm so he wouldn’t fall on Ruby. With his other arm, he tried to secure her next to him, gently, so she wouldn’t hit the dash when the others flipped the car upright.
Brent hollered, “On the count of three: One! Two! Three!”
The car flipped upright and bounced like a buggy. Reed cradled Ruby in his arms.
Brent opened the driver’s side door and started to pull Reed out. Reed screamed, “Wait. I’m not leaving Ruby. Has anyone called an ambulance?”
 Reed glanced up to see the distraught look on Brent’s face when Brent first noticed Ruby. And then Brent fell backward, nearly falling. Ruby lay unconscious, almost lifeless in Reed’s arms.
Brent regained his balance by placing his hand on the roof of the car. His voice quivered, “Reed, I can see the ambulance lights now. The state trooper is here. Hey man, you’re bleeding pretty badly.”
Nearing the brink of hysteria, Reed cried, “Jesus, I don’t care about me. I care about her. I’m staying here with her.”
Someone handed Brent a couple of blankets, and his hands shook when he gave them to Reed. Brent said, “You need to place this one over Ruby and the other one around you. The paramedics are here.”
Equipped with two gurneys, one for Reed and the other for Ruby, the paramedics pulled Reed from the car. He begged, “Please get Ruby first. I’m okay. Get Ruby out of the car.” Reed was out of his mind with worry. He tried to punch one of the paramedics as they were pulling him from the wreckage. He screamed and cried out, “Ruby! I’m here, darling! I’m not leaving you, baby! I’m right here!”
 Ruby lay unconscious.

Excerpt from Anna’s Way book two of the Ditch Lane Diaries

Jerry was the first-person Anna saw when she walked into the Glenn’s house. He leaned against the stairwell with his arms crossed over his chest wearing a navy-blue suit and black shirt. Jerry’s eyes locked with Anna’s. The molecules in the air charged with electricity, kicking up a furor of fire flooding Anna with the warmth of his love.
Jerry’s face lit with a smile, and it felt like seeing the sun for the first time in years. Her pulse raced, and her fingertips tingled with power. Anna swiftly looked around the room and didn’t see any sign of Rachel.

Anna made a beeline to Jerry. “I need to talk to you, alone. I have no idea how because Rachel pops up everywhere. Will you please talk to me in private?”

Jerry leaned close to her ear and whispered, “When and where?”

Anna sighed with relief. That was all she needed to hear. “Sandy intends to feed Rachel cocktails and suggest she go outside to smoke. We might have a few minutes then, okay?” Jerry’s eyes turned a shade darker. He undressed her with his eyes, and she trembled, leaving her knees feeling weak. She grabbed onto his hand and held it tight. “I feel the same way about you.”

Anna noticed Rachel walking out of the kitchen. She quickly turned to Brent, who was talking to George and Lizzie. Anna placed her arm around Brent’s waist.

Brent smiled down at Anna and circled his arm around her waist. He whispered, “Are we playing a game?” Anna nodded.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jerry tensed and his jaw muscles clenched. She looked down, and Jerry’s right hand balled up into a fist. Hot dog. Jerry’s jealous.

As the afternoon wore on, the neighbors and church folk began to leave until the only people left were the Glenn family and a few family friends, including Brent, Sandy, Jerry, Rachel, and Anna.

Sandy plied Rachel with cocktails all afternoon. Sandy winked and nodded to Anna when she led Rachel outside to the backyard. It was show-time. Anna whirled around the room and spotted Jerry near the front door watching her. Anna nodded, and he walked up the stairs. Anna glanced across the backyard once more and made a mad dash up the stairs. She made the top step and started down the hallway when Jerry opened Ruby’s old bedroom door and pulled her inside.

Anna threw her arms around his neck, and he circled her waist. Searching his eyes, she said, “I don’t need a man to complete me. I need love to complete me, and it’s the love I have for you that makes me whole. I’ve made a ton of mistakes, but there’s one thing I know for sure. You, Jerry Douglas McDaniel, are the love of my life.”

Jerry held her face with both hands. “All it took was one look into your eyes, and I knew I was still crazy for you, all of you, and I can’t go another minute without making you mine.”
Anna’s eyes widened with surprise. “What are you saying?”

Jerry brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand. “I didn’t sleep last night. All I could do was think about you, about us. I don’t have any proof, but I think Rachel may have deleted your messages and thrown away your letters. I didn’t think you loved me anymore, Anna. I can’t marry Rachel. God forgive me. I don’t mean to hurt Rachel, but I don’t love her. I love you. I always have.”

Jerry leaned in only inches from her face. The warmth of his sweet breath and the spicy scent of his cologne made it hard for her to breathe. His loving eyes searched hers, saying everything and nothing. Anna’s adrenaline kicked in high gear. The clarity she had at this moment was razor sharp.

An emotional force unleashed between them as Jerry’s warm lips made contact with hers, and they slammed against the wall. His lips were gentle and rough, alternating between kissing and sucking her top and bottom lips. His tongue licked the corners of her mouth, and he gently traced the outline of her lips before he plunged inside. His knee pushed between her thighs, and her heart skipped a beat
            Jerry
scooped her up in his arms, carried her over to Ruby’s bed, and lay her down. He traced his fingers along her jawline, down her neck to the swell of her breasts. Jerry pulled back slightly, looking at her as if she were a lost treasure he had just found. He covered her with a blanket of kisses and gently ran his hand over her breast and squeezed, and she stopped him.

“Jerry, we can’t do this, not here in the Glenn’s house. As bad as I want to make love to you right now, I can’t. I love and respect them.”

Jerry brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Anna, I’m sorry. The long and short of it is, I damn well near died when you left. But now I feel like my heart is going to explode with happiness. I don’t want to let you go.” Anna choked back her tears and reached up to run her fingers through his thick hair.

Jerry kissed her again. “I’m sorry, Anna. I should’ve never agreed to marry Rachel. It wasn’t fair to her or you. Will you forgive me? I know you may think I’m nuts, but let’s run away. I want you to run away with me. I’ve always wanted to marry you. Always. Will you run away with me?”

Anna kissed him hard and hugged him with all her strength. “In a Tennessee heartbeat, I will. I’m staying at Ruby’s. What time will you come for me?”

He rolled onto his side, propped on his elbow. “I’m not sure yet. It could be late. Will you wait for me? I promise I’ll be there. I have to tell Rachel, and it’s going to get real ugly.”

Anna couldn’t take her eyes off his face. “Yes, I’ll wait for you. I’ll be ready. If you like, I could go with you to talk to Rachel.”

Jerry pulled her on top of him and ran his hand down the curve of her spine. “Bad idea.
She’s jealous about everything, especially you. It’s my mess, and I’ll clean it up. I have to go. Rachel will be looking for me, and I don’t want to create a scene here. I love you, Annabelly.” They sat on the side of the bed. He hugged her again. “Is this real? Are you really here with me?”

She gently touched the side of his face. “I’m here.”

Jerry walked to the door. He cracked it open and paused before he strode back over, pulled her up into his arms, and kissed her one last time. “Damn, I missed you.” Then he left, leaving her standing next to the bed. Her heart hammered faster than a horse running the Kentucky Derby.

Anna pressed her fingers to her lips. She couldn’t believe it. Jerry was coming for her tonight. Anna stepped over to Ruby’s vanity, picked up a hairbrush, and began to brush her hair. She opened a tube of coral lipstick and applied it to her lips.

Anna went over to the door and peeked outside. She didn’t see anyone, so she quickly walked down the hall and into the bathroom.

Anna’s skin flushed pink. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what she had been doing. Anna began to breathe in and out slowly to settle her racing pulse. She looked around the drawers in the cabinets until she found Lee’s makeup case. Anna tried to make herself presentable before she went back downstairs.

Anna had waited for ten minutes before she descended the stairs. On the bottom step, Sandy grabbed her hand and dragged her outside. Anna followed Sandy around the back of the house. Sandy stopped and turned to face her.

Sandy threw her hands in the air in apparent frustration. “Have you lost your mind?

Excerpt from Sandy’s Story book three of the Ditch Lane Diaries

Luc’s Testament held the keys she needed to bring down his network in more places than Nashville. Sandy had enough ammunition to disrupt Luc’s empire on earth. She held the power in her hands. Sandy wrapped the large book with a black velvet cloth and secured it with a leather strap.
Sandy felt weighed down by Luc’s Testament as if she carried an enormous burden on her back while walking slowly to her Corvette. She placed the book in the back storage with her Ditch Lane Diaries master copy, then slid behind the wheel and cranked up the engine. A stern Baldric appeared in the passenger seat, arms crossed and jaw clenched.
“You can’t stay mad at me anymore. You’re right. Luc’s Testament has enormous power and contains everything we need to bring him down. Nailing Cole Steele will be a bonus. Before we head out to Everglade Farms, I need to stop at the library and make copies of the pages mentioning Cole. I’ll keep the original book with me.” Sandy grabbed Baldric by the face and kissed him on the mouth.
Flames of desire shot up her spine as the kiss lengthened, and she melted into Baldric’s strong arms. Sandy gazed at him through heavy lids, and a slow smile came to her lips. “You have sparkles floating in the air all around you. Golden sparkles. What is that?”
“Don’t ask or we won’t make it to the library or Everglade Farms, and I’m already in deep enough waters with Seneca.” Baldric held her hand and kissed her fingertips.
Sandy turned up her CD player and began to rock back and forth to the music from Electric Light Orchestra. She teased him and sang out the words, “You like me, you love me, you want some more of me.” She giggled and pulled out onto the highway.
“You’re some kind of woman.” He laughed.
“Yup, the kind that wants some.” Baldric’s response to her kiss made her heart flutter with excitement. It was the middle of February, and her palms were sweating.
Everglade was thirty miles south of Nashville. Driving down I-65, Sandy’s thoughts raced back to Luc’s Testament. She’d followed leads on Cole for months. Not a single solitary soul would even speak to her off the record. Everyone was scared to death of him. But with the book in her trunk, Sandy had all the answers she needed to nail Cole to the wall and couldn’t wait until her segment hit the airwaves.

About the Author:

After graduating Middle Tennessee State University, I landed a job as a broadcast consultant at the ABC Affiliate in Nashville, which led me to open an advertising agency. Over the years, I created many campaigns for my clients and still enjoy developing marketing materials.

However, in December of 2010, I became my parent's caregiver. There’s nothing quite like facing mortality to shake up one’s life. I began my writing my first novel in the late Fall of 2014.

Writing is a source of creative expression but also releases stress. I know many authors that would disagree with me. But writing takes me to a place where anything is possible, and fiction takes me to places made of dreams.

I’m happily married to the love of my life and my best friend, KJ. We have two gorgeous sons whom I love and adore more than life itself. I love to laugh, and my husband keeps me in stitches! I’m a fan of the Tennessee Titans. And I like getting my hands dirty. Okay, get your mind out of the gutter. I like working in my flower gardens.

Register for the newsletter and get a free book, information on new releases, contests and updates go to http://dfjonesauthor.com/register-for-updates/   






D.F. Jones came  to us via Bewitching Book Tours. Supernatural Central did not receive compensation for this post.


A CALL TO HEAVEN by Jo Kessel


Hello and welcome to February 7'th. Today we're looking at a new book called A Call to Heaven by Jo Kessel. It falls into the contemporary romance genre, but it has a paranormal twist for you. Here's what the cover looks like, it is designed by Ivan Cakic. We had a chance to sit down with the author, but more about that later.

 Book Description:
Everybody’s loved, everybody’s lost.

Grief strips you raw and makes you feel as if you’re sleepwalking through life, like the pain will never go away.
I’m Amy Tristan. I’m no different than anyone else. I’ve loved, I’ve lost and it sucks. I’ve got a five-year old son and an abusive husband. My mother died six months ago and I miss her like crazy.

I’m the biggest skeptic when it comes to other-worldly stuff, so when I’m told that I can pick up the phone and call my mum in Heaven, I should disbelieve it, right? Wrong. I pick up that phone, because there’s nothing I want more than to hear her voice trickle into the receiver.
And you know what? It works. I get to speak to my mother. It’s a miracle. If only it could stay this way, with those calls just for me, but someone up on high wants me to choose three other people to make a call to Heaven too. Who should I pick? How can I trust them to keep the phone secret? Making the choice is agonizing - if I get it wrong, my calls will stop. I wish I hadn’t told Daniel anything. He’s this hot doctor that I’ve come to know. But doctors are scientists, and scientists are bigger skeptics than even me. He didn’t believe in the phone. He thought I should be admitted to a sanatorium. Telling him was either the best decision of my life, or the worst. I’ll let you decide…"

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/6qQLxZbVs50
Amazon US    Amazon UK

Excerpt:

"Everyone’s looking at me. I’ve got the yellow telephone in my hands and I’m not sure what to do with it. I take a seat at the end of the table and lay the phone down in front of me. Beth is to my left, Ben is to my right. Daniel is opposite me. I look from one to the other and feel color flood my cheeks. My gaze finishes on Daniel and stays there for a beat. He nods, his eyes encouraging me. I return the nod, take a deep breath and count down from three to one in my head.
“I’ve got to tell you all something.” My voice comes out as a thin squeak, but actually I’m surprised I manage to articulate at all. I’m hot, so hot. I lift the hair off the back of my neck, flapping it around to try to cool my sticky, clammy skin. I can’t breathe, I need air. I unlock the patio doors, flinging them wide open. The inside of my mouth feels rough as sandpaper. I’m desperate for a tall glass of water packed with ice-cubes but, when I turn to see six eyes staring at me, I dare not leave to fetch one. I feel like an exhibit in a museum and in some ways I wish I were. I could hide behind a Perspex box next to the yellow telephone with panel blurb doing the explaining for me. I could be part of a new exhibition entitled ‘Incredible Discoveries’. I would share the same hall as the dinosaurs and anything else which took aeons for people to believe existed. I draw a deep breath and continue.

“You’re probably going to think I’m mad, but I’m going to tell you anyway.”
A breeze blows through the open patio doors. 

“What I wanted to tell you is this.” My voice is soft as a whisper. I sense all their bodies leaning closer towards mine, straining to hear. “I’ve recently started talking to my mother.”
There, I’ve said it.

I feel a great sense of relief, both that I’ve said it and that I no longer have to keep this to myself. Beth relaxes in her chair with a sigh, leans across and takes my hand, patting it. She’s got wavy brown hair and a kind, open face. She tilts her head sympathetically.
“Oh honey, you must have tried out that clairvoyant you mentioned. Please tell us all about it.”

I should have seen that one coming. 
“No, you don’t get it.” I lift up the yellow phone, as if to demonstrate how to use such a contraption. In one hand I take the receiver, in the other the plug. “I don’t speak to her through a medium. I speak to her on this telephone. I plug it into a socket in my bathroom and I’m allowed to call heaven.”

There, I’ve said it now.
Nobody moves.

Not a muscle.
Their mouths all open, Daniel’s is the widest. I don’t think any of them even realize they’re doing it. As feared, they are looking at me like I’m certifiably insane. 

“I can see you all think I’m mad.” I actually manage to pull a small smile. Now that I’ve started, I feel much calmer. “And, if I were in your position, I would think I’m crazy too. But one night my mother came to me in a dream and told me I could use this phone to call her in heaven and, bizarre though it must sound, it turns out she was right. That’s why I stopped coming to Grief Support Group every week. I wasn’t grieving so much because my mother had come back into my life.”
The three pairs of eyes grow wider and wider, as if I’m slowly sprouting four serpent heads. I replace the receiver back into its cradle and drop the plug, holding out my hands in submission.

“You can believe me or not. It doesn’t matter. But the reason I’ve gathered you all here is because I’ve been asked to choose three other people to call to heaven.”
I sound like a fairy godmother or the good witch in the Wizard of Oz. I do not sound normal. I pause. The effect is dramatic although it’s not intended to be.

“And I’ve picked you guys.”
I look at them one by one.

“Beth, I know how much it might mean to you to be able to speak to your daughter and know that she is safe.”
Beth nods. Her gaze turns glassy.

“Ben, I’d do anything to be able to give you a chance to speak to your brother again.”
Ben nods, his mouth still formed in a perfect ‘O’.

Daniel is the hardest one for me to look at. He’s not nodding anymore and his eyes are no longer urging me to continue. Instead he’s shaking his head, a slow, subtle movement, but I catch it all the same. His full lips have now formed a thin line. He’s the only one who looks like he still thinks I’m certifiably insane. Hell, he’s a doctor; perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Part of me wonders whether I should abort this whole escapade and pretend it was all a joke. I’d do anything to not have Daniel stare at me in this way. He looks ready to call the local sanatorium and send them round with a straitjacket. But I can’t abort and I must continue. What happens next is up to him. 
“And Daniel, I thought that maybe you might like to speak to Katie.”

He opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, but clamps it shut again without speaking. Nobody else says anything either. They all shift in their seats, pretending to take sips of coffee and look around the room. Perhaps they’re checking out the photos on the mantelpiece above the fireplace, trying to work out if I look like a madwoman in any of them. I pick up the knife. Now I probably do look mad or, at the very least, dangerous. 
Right, who’s for some more pie?”

Now Jo's a busy gal, but she took some time out of her busy day to have a little chat with Supernatural Central. Here's what she had to say:
SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

JK: On the outside twenty-six year old Amy Tristan looks like she has everything: great looks, a great kid, great legs and a nice house…or should I say bungalow. The reality is, however, very different. Her husband is abusive and she’s only sticking with her marriage for the sake of her five-year old son. She’s heartbroken about the recent, unexpected death of her mother. When she comes to realize that she’s in possession of a phone with supernatural powers – she can call her mother in Heaven on it – her world starts to change. This is when Amy comes into her own, finding strength to deal with the grief in her life (which includes her odious husband) and to deal with another heavenly challenge set for her too. As curveball after curveball is thrown at her, Amy has to dodge them and fight back. A Call to Heaven is about her journey to happiness and to love…yes, love is a big element to the story too, and Amy deserves it. Whilst I don’t want to give anything away, Amy does meet a gorgeous doctor called Daniel (think George Clooney in E.R but even more gorgeous) and if there is any justice in this world (or afterworld) then Amy and Daniel deserve to find happiness, hopefully with each other. 
SC: Yikes! I hope she has a good long distance calling plan. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

JK: I was a TV Researcher on a paranormal show and as part of my research I had to interview psychics. I spoke to three psychics (each one in private) and all three of them independently asked me the same question: “Do you have twins?”  And two of them followed that question by saying: “I’m seeing a boy and a girl.” I didn’t have any children at the time and remember thinking that all those psychics were useless. Forward-wind a few years and I gave birth to my first child. Or should I say children. Because it was twins – a boy and a girl!
I worked on several paranormal TV shows over the years and have witnessed quite a few weird and unexpected phenomenon – including being with the infamous Israeli spoon-bender Uri Geller, who frequently bent spoons in my presence. In fact, spoons bent whether he was holding them or not.

The spookiest thing was when I read one of Uri Geller’s autobiographies. There was a section entitled: How you can bend a spoon with the power of your mind. It was a five-part process, which included a. getting the spoon b. closing your eyes and holding the end of the spoon between your thumb and index finger c. think from your head down to your fingers and demand the metal spoon to bend d. concentrate harder e. concentrate even harder.
I did all those things. I concentrated and then suddenly I felt the spoon burn between my fingers and dropped it to the floor. When I went to pick it up I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: the spoon had bent over double. So yes, I DO believe in the paranormal.

SC: That's a great story. Did you save the spoon? I'm old enough to remember Uri. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
JK: My eleven-year-old daughter picked up a proof paperback copy of A Call to Heaven (despite not being old enough to read it – yikes!) and couldn’t get her nose out of it. She was completely transfixed and read it cover to cover in 24 hours and then said: “You’ve got to start writing a sequel now. I need more!”

Whilst the book was written as a standalone, a sequel is feasible and I’ve been thinking about it ever since my daughter made her demand. 
SC: That's great! Thanks for stopping by Supernatural Central today. Good luck on the sequel.

About the Author:

Jo lives in London with her husband, three children and Jerald the cat. In addition to being a novelist she works as a TV and print journalist (Sunday Times, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Express.) If she could change one thing about her life it would be to introduce the thirty hour day, because twenty-four hours just isn’t long enough to squeeze it all in! Many a late night has been spent with a glass of red wine (preferably French) at her desk trying to keep her eyes open long enough to write these stories which keep demanding to be written. If only her cat didn’t constantly jump onto the keyboard as she writes, this book might have been finished months earlier. She loves yoga, skiing, travelling and English custard - though not necessarily in that order.

Website/blog: www.jokessel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kesseljo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Q28t30k-o99Ijzoiox11Q

 Jo Kessel came to us via Bewitching Book Tours. Supernatural Central did not receive money for this article.