Sunday, August 29, 2021

Welcome to Day 6 of the #HauntedShoresMysteries Series Blog Tour! @OverbeckRandy @4WillsPub 4WP11 @RRBC_Org

Hello, beautiful readers! Today I have the honor of sharing with you best-selling author, Randy Overbeck. If you love ghost stories and mysteries, you are going to LOVE Randy's books! 

Randy is having a Haunted Shores Mysteries Blog Tour, and this is one of the stops. If you leave a comment below, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! So, make sure you leave a comment at the end.

In honor of the tour, the entire Haunted Shores Mysteries series is on SALE! Blood on the Chesapeake (which I've read and loved) is on sale for $0.99! Crimson at Cape May is $1.99, and Scarlet at Crystal River (pre-publication price) is $2.99! Make sure you click on the titles and pick up your copies today. :-)


WICKED

CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY does a great job of showcasing how even the most prominent members of a community cannot be excluded from suspicion when the evidence points toward their involvement, especially in the wake of cases such Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.”—ReadersView.com

 

There is more than one kind of wickedness in the world. Our earth has birthed murderers and psychopaths, embezzlers and robbers, child abusers and sex traffickers. These evils persist in almost every culture and society around the globe and stretch across the centuries.

But there exists wickedness and evil that, though not as obvious, is just as threatening. That wickedness is where my words reside.

I realize readers come to my novels, BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE or CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY, in search of a little mystery or a great beach read or even a bit of romance—and they say they are hardly ever disappointed—but I also try use my fiction to raise important social issues and expose very real wickedness.

            The first novel in my series may illustrate. In BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE, the narrative thread of the cold-case murder is intertwined around the issue of racial injustice. So, when I selected my antagonist for this story, I wanted to be sure he was a reflection of the real world of racial bias, of wicked racial bigotry.

Dr. William “Bud” Williams, the villain of my tale—or at least one of them—is, by most social norms, a good guy, a really good guy. He comes from a well-heeled family, is a respected town physician and serves children as president of the local school board. He heralds from a long line which goes back to the town founders and Bud is a man you’d want to know and have on your side to get anything done in Wilshire.

But, like thousands of other privileged white males, Williams’ belief system is skewed to assure him he is more gifted and more privileged than …well, others, especially those with a different skin color. While he displays the appropriate social graces, his sense of superiority still seeps out and, though he tries to keep it under wraps, his racial bias rears its inevitable ugly head from time to time.

Sadly, Williams’ wickedness is hardly atypical. Many in the fictional town of Wilshire—and in our real world—share his prejudiced “sensibilities.” But, as the reader learns, Williams’ wickedness is more blatant than most, as he hides an ugly secret from his past. When Bud was only a teenager, he and a few of his friends decided another classmate needed to be taught a lesson. The guy was fooling around with a white girl and he was, well, black. Back then, things got out of hand and somehow, the young black kid ended up at the end of a rope. But it was an accident and a long time ago.

Now, the adult, Dr. William “Bud” Williams has long ago dismissed any guilt for the act. That is until Darrell, our hero—who also happens to be a high school teacher and coach and a sensitive—exposes the secret and secures justice for the murdered young man.

My hope is that the crafting of this credible antagonist will help expose this strain of wickedness, a particularly insidious type of wickedness which all too often goes unacknowledged and unchallenged in our world.

Not all wickedness is obvious. But all wickedness, especially racism, poisons the human condition. The poison of racism may not destroy our nature outright, but it is toxic enough to rot the soul from the inside out. 

"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." ~Albert Einstein

Check out my second novel, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY, for my exposure of an even greater wickedness.


Meet the Author

BIO

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon and B & N No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year--ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.


BLURB—CRIMSONAT CAPE MAY

No matter how far you run, you can never really escape a haunted past.

Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. With his job gone and few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast. One resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his help.

He can’t refuse. 

Joining forces with Cassie, a street-wise teen and another sensitive, he investigates the bride’s death and discovers her murder is connected to a far greater horror. But can Darrell and Cassie expose those behind the crimes before they end up being the killer’s next victims? 

 

REVIEWS—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY

“With both elements of mystery and suspense, readers across genres will find this second book about Darrell Henshaw intriguing…I highly recommend it.” ★★★★★Literary Titan

“It’s a ghost/mystery story filled with suspense and action. The plot is so engrossing it had me hooked from the very first page.” ★★★★★—Nana’s Reviews, Greece

“An exciting paranormal mystery I couldn't put down… A great read. Highly recommend!” ★★★★★N.N. Light’s BookHeaven

“Rollicking good…Darrell is a wonderful protagonist, an ordinary man put into extraordinary situations and rising to the challenge..” ★★★★★ —Over My Dead Body magazine

“I loved everything about this book. As a ghost story combined with a mystery, a romance, a social injustice and stunning historical details, Crimson at Cape May has something for everyone.” ★★★★★—ReaderViews

“Masterly spooky adventure…an accomplished work of haunting mystery fiction that fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on. Highly Recommend.” ★★★★★—ReadersFavorite.com

 

BOOK TRAILER—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY


How to reach Randy Overbeck:

randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com

www.authorrandyoverbeck.com

@OverbeckRandy

FB: Author Randy Overbeck


PURCHASE LINKS—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY

https://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Cape-Haunted-Shores-Mysteries/dp/1509231633/ref=sr_

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crimson-at-cape-may-randy-overbeck/1137088608?ean=9781509231638

https://www.bookbub.com/books/crimson-at-cape-may-by-randy-overbeck

 

TRAILER



Social Media Handles

 https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media

 https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

 https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg 

https://www.tiktok.com/@authorrandyo

 

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors' tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you'd like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HEREThanks for supporting this author and his work!

 

 


Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Book Reveal: The Siren's Song by Heather M Kindt @hmkindt #heatherkindt #thesirenssong #thevradianacademy #coverreveal

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I am excited to share my space with author Heather M Kindt. She is the talented author of The Eternal Artifacts series and The Weaver Trilogy. Today, she is revealing the book cover to the first book in her newest series, The Vradian Academy. It's called The Siren's Song. Here it is!

It's absolutely stunning! Here is the book blurb:

The shadowy folds of Mo capture both souls and secrets.

Catron’s father intended to scare her with his words. After all, her mother traveled far from home, losing herself to both the shadows and her wayward spirit. But instead of heeding his warning, Catron longs for more than her life as a glass blower’s apprentice. When Dawkin, a member of the King of Mo’s illustrious guard, offers her a place at the Vradian Academy, she willingly accepts.

Fivlon would rather gouge both of his eyes out with an iron stick than attend the Vradian Academy. Messing around with his friends is a lot more fun than attending school with a bunch of stuck-up future leaders. Following in his father’s footsteps as the head of Ferox isn’t a priority. Until one of his friends disappears.

Now at school, Catron and Fivlon face a much larger task than their ethics homework. As students and staff disappear from the academy, they must figure out who is behind it before they become the next victims.


Doesn't it sound amazing! It is scheduled to be released March 2022. In the meantime, why not check out one of her other books here.