Virtual Tourist 06/16/23 Plus!
Table of Contents
- News/Musings 2. The Secret Humankind Ch 3 3. StoryOrigin Swap 1 4. Virtual Tourist — Sherlock Holmes The Awakened 5. StoryOrigin Swap 2 6. Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Fair 7. Science Fiction Books That Knock You Out 8. BookSirens Jun 2023 UF ARCs 9. BookSirens Jun 2023 Thriller ARCs 10. Reviewers Corner!
Greetings!
Our weather the last couple of weeks has been wonky! Everything they’ve forecasted is either totally wrong or comes days before the predictions. More 2023 chaos! 😋
News/Musings
We have such weird dogs! Heck, even all the cats are odd. I wonder if we suffer from weirdness magnet? The older of the two pooches, Minerva, has a huge case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). She’d also go outside regardless of the weather — including thunderstorms. Then suddenly, she won’t go outside at all! Since she will go to the puppy park and run everywhere, and also goes out when the kids take them to play with their friends’ dogs on game night, I’m starting to wonder if there is a smell or sound we can’t hear as humans that are affecting her. But then Xena has no issues with whatever it is and is happy to romp about out there. 🐕 So I’ll say it again — dogs are weird… 😁
Thanks to everyone who sent good vibes in my editor’s direction! Progress to the madness she had to deal with has been made! Her life should now be going back to something resembling normal. YES!
Writing News
Daiyu Wu Mysteries Book 3 — The Music of Death Blues is still moving along. Expect some new hijinks and more on the Aiden Campbell side of the fence. 😎 (I did spend a couple of hours trying to find out one factoid and got mostly nowhere, though I did run across some interesting bits while I was at it, so it wasn’t a total loss. Whee!)
This round comes Chapter 3 of The Secret Humankind!
And check below for The Secret Hunmankind Book Trailer! I finally got it done! Yipee! Feel free to let me know what you think of it!
The Secret Humankind — Chapter 03
(Missed Chapters 01 and 02? No Problem! Download them here.)
“So, how did it go?”
I put my keys in the dish by the front door and glanced at my roommate. Penny asking after me? That was rare. Typically all she thought about was herself. I hoped this wasn’t a sign she was about to slip into one of her ‘moods.’
“Okay, I think. The receptionist said I should hear back in a day or two.”
I was positive I hadn’t generated any points in my favor during the interview, as my usual solution when unclear as to what to do was to stop talking. I doubted it had reflected well on me.
“The higher pay would be nice, of course.” Penny sent me a weighted glance. “I’d worry less about your ability to hold up your end of the rent.”
Good old Penny — always showing concern for others. Right…
With her long legs, red-streaked blond hair, and angular features, Penny made an impression wherever she went. And she liked it that way. The fact that I was plain and called little attention to myself suited my roommate just fine. My ability to ignore her didn’t hurt the relationship either, not that Penny ever noticed.
We might not pull each other out of a fire, but when she’d offered to give me a discount on my share of the rent in exchange for keeping the whole place clean and tidy, I couldn’t pass it up. Half the rent for a place like this had been beyond my means. With the added perk of not having to pretend to be interested in each other’s business, the arrangement suited both of us. A match made in heaven? Not on your life. But weirdly enough, it worked. “Thanks. Your concern is underwhelming.”
“As if.” Penny rolled her eyes. “Just hold up your end and we’re golden.”
I gave her a thumbs up and walked through the fancy living room with its giant-screen TV over to my plain and spartan bedroom on the left. Penny didn’t know I knew, but my roommate had gone through twelve other people before I’d found her. None had stayed over a week — sometimes their choice, sometimes not.
Self-confidence was a must for a model, but Penny took it to god-like levels. Yet she still had no idea why she couldn’t keep a roommate. But since modeling could at times be a cutthroat business and her personality and methods had left others in her wake, Penny had enemies, lots of enemies, and she often traveled for work. So she wasn’t fond of leaving the place without a body in it to discourage any childish retaliations. Enter me — convenient, dull, without any modeling aspirations. Perfect!
My phone vibrated in my pocket. “This is Julia.”
“Ah, Miss Xero. It’s Dawn Anghelescu from Remington Safe and Clean. I am pleased to inform you that you have the job if you want it.”
“Are you sure?” My face turned hot. I really must be tired to question Anghelescu’s decision like that. Idiot!
A soft chuckle came from the other end of the call. “Yes, I’m positive. I believe you’ll be a good fit.”
My cheeks only grew hotter. “Thank you. I — I’ll have to give two weeks’ notice at my current job. Though they may let me go sooner.” Harry was going to go ballistic. Too bad.
“Two weeks is perfectly acceptable. You’ll receive your offer letter via Fed Ex by tomorrow. It will include your new employee packet as well as an appointment for a full physical and hepatitis B shot — but let us know if you need to reschedule for any reason.”
“A hepatitis B shot?” I asked.
“Yes. It’s for your safety. People may not think much of CTS decon, but the work does have risks. No matter how prepared we believe we are, you can’t discount Murphy’s Law, so we cover as many bases as possible to minimize any potential hazards. It’s also an OSHA requirement.”
That made sense. There was a lot I’d need to learn.
“In a few days, you’ll receive a package with more paperwork to fill out as well as a couple of uniforms to get you started. There’ll also be a schedule and dates for a five-day training course. First time for you, but a refresher for some of our other employees.
“Welcome to our family, Miss Xero. We hope you’ll be with us for a long time to come.”
This was actually happening. I’d done it! Despite everything, I got the job! So why was my spidey sense suddenly screaming?
***
The following two weeks were a wild, emotional rollercoaster.
The offer letter arrived early the next day. After spending a listless night sure I’d imagined the whole thing, I had physical proof it was real. Then there was the salary — the salary! Twenty an hour was double what I made at the Golden Corral, with tips, and that was before the third shift differential of fifty percent kicked in. I stared at the paper with its shiny Remington Safe and Clean logo for thirty minutes, basking in the weird, giddy feeling flowing up from my toes. I had felt nothing like it before — never thought I would feel it. I was sure that only someone who’d won the lottery would have an inkling of what I was experiencing at that moment.
But when I came off the high, doubt nibbled at the back of my brain. It was too good to be true. It had to be, didn’t it? Or did it? Wonderful things happened to bad people all the time. So why couldn’t I have some luck swing my way for once?
Still, it wasn’t a big surprise when things got bumpy. I purposely didn’t turn in my notice until the end of my shift, not wanting to be around when Harry lost it.
What I hadn’t expected was him trying to make me feel like I’d betrayed him, like I owed him for putting up with me all this time. He even had the gall to try to guilt me into staying. Then there was Melody. Suddenly we were besties. She kept asking all sorts of questions — not that I answered any of them in anything but the vaguest of terms. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to get me to stay or figure out where I got the job so she could try to take it from me.
They were two of the most exhausting weeks of my life.
I had only one regret — Mrs. Conrad. I would miss seeing her. More than that, I worried about the older woman getting enough to eat, about Melody bullying her for tips she couldn’t afford, or that she wouldn’t be allowed to take some extra bread home once I was gone.
The next time she came in, I made sure we had a few private moments.
“Mrs. Conrad, make sure to sit in Mary’s area from now on when you come. She’ll take good care of you. Georgia is okay if Mary’s area is full. But you should avoid Melody at all costs.”
“Oh, dear, don’t worry about me, and call me Roxanne.” Mrs. Conrad patted my hand. “I’ll be all right. You deserve more, so I’m happy for you — though I will miss you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Would, would you like to keep in touch? I’ll be working the late shift, but I can probably meet you somewhere for coffee now and again. Or I’d love to take you to lunch sometime. Not here, though. Unless you’d prefer not to.”
The old lady chuckled. “I’d like that. We can trade email accounts, or — are you on Facebook? You can find lots of eligible men there, you know.” She looked hopeful.
“No, sorry. Never been much for social media.”
“Ah, an old lady can but dream.” Mrs. Conrad gave me a wistful smile. “I guess I’ll have to figure out some other way to find you a promising young man.”
Ugh. I certainly hoped not. I didn’t have time to indulge in something fanciful like romance.
Pre-order the ebook at Amazon here. Paperbacks will be wide and coming soon.
Can’t wait? How about getting it free in exchange for an honest review? You can grab a copy at StoryOrigin, BookSirens, or BookSprout! 😁
Extra content today:
1) StoryOrigin Swap 1 (UBL)
2) StoryOrigin Swap 2 (UBL)
3) Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Fair Group Promo
4) Science Fiction Books That Knock You Out! Group Promo
5) BookSirens Jun 2023 Urban Fantasy ARCs
6) BookSirebs Jun 2023 Thriller ARCs
Scroll on down to get all the deets. 😉
Tales From Thac
StoryOrigin Swap 1 (UBL)
Dragons, pirates, magic and deceit. Thac is no place for the faint of heart…
Grand Choosing:Kortiama longs to prove herself at the Day of Choosing. Yet that day will hold more for her than she ever bargained for, if she manages to survive.
Price of Honor:Seishin never expected to fall in love, nor that his love would hold a dark secret. The Pirate Coast is a dangerous place, one which might hold the key to his future, if it doesn’t kill him first.
Art of the Steal:Where did the enigmatic Donatello come from? Where did he learn to be a thief, artist, and swordsman? Who is the mysterious woman who broke his heart?
Fortune Tellers:Fran was not always blind, nor was she always a druid. It all came down to a fateful day and a run in with a certain blonde-haired, violet-eyed fortune teller.
Battle of Fish Eye Cove:Outnumbered two to one, Ves and Ruka engage in a desperate battle with a flight of evil dragons. Can the two dragon girls escape their deadly fate?
These and other thrilling tales are included here in this fantastic anthology from the world of Thac…
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
From Frogwares comes the latest Sherlock Holmes game — The Awakened. Basically, Sherlock Holmes meets Cthulu! Sherlock and Watson have just recently become roommates after Sherlock’s adventures in Cordona (See Sherlock Holmes Chapter 1).
The game is shorter than the others and was funded through Kickstarter as part of the company is in Ukraine. The bonuses are set in such a way as to encourage a second play-through, especially is you did not have the DLC with extra cases the first time around.
Some definite adult themes as you could expect from anything related to Cthulu. I loved a conversation Sherlock and Watson had where he asks not to include the information Watson had learned about Sherlock’s mother out of his stories — thus securing the game stay in canon with the original stories. 😋
You can see all the currently uploaded pics here.
Sherlock takes out his frustrations on Watson with cutting sarcasm. The painting behind him is the one he recovered in Cordona in SH Chapter 1.
Watson has enticed Sherlock to come to visit an old acquaintance of his who needs his help. The estate is in the background.
A missing servant’s drawing of gods from home.
A bridge is under construction at the harbor. Same as the one they fought on in one of the newer films, perhaps?
Inside the Cursed Mermaid bar — you can see their logo on the wall. (I think I lowered the resolution too much on these. 😢)
A merchant ship that had an explosion its hull the previous evening. Could it be related to all the resent people going missing? Dum Dum DUM
The clues have led Holmes and Watson to a warehouse.
Frogwares always takes care to include all sorts of lovely details to their games.
Mystery of the Dancing Statue
StoryOrigin Swap 2 (UBL)
A Paranormal Women’s Fiction (PWF) that’ll have you in stitches!
Poppy’s uncontrollable mind-reading magic makes her an outcast in the Manhattan magical community, but when an enchanted statue is stolen from an exclusive organization of witches, she’s recruited to track down the thief.
With the help of her beloved Irish wolfhound and an old friend from out of town, Poppy must follow the clues through magical New York — a mysterious lab, a fake date, and the heart of an old neighborhood — to solve the Mystery of the Dancing Statue!
This prequel novelette is part of the Midlife Undercover series and the Moseman Midlife Universe, and can be read at any time.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Fair — grab some reads in your favorite genre for Jun 2023 Group Promo!
Feed your Sci-Fi cravings with Science Fiction Books That Knock You Out Group Promo!
BookSirens available ARCs for June 2023 for Urban Fantasy! Grab them while you can!
BookSirens Thriller ARCs for June 2023! Can you handle the thrills and chills?
🌟 Shout out to Reviewers Corner! 🌟
Thanks this month go to:
Black Jade — Ysobella Black
The Joy of Murder — Donna and Ysobella Black
The Secret Humankind — Margarita Bailey, My2Doxie, Delphia Von Heeder, and Margarita Rose
A great big THANK YOU to all the reviewers!
(Do you want your name in here, too? All you need is to post a one or two-sentence review at Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, or send me a link if it’s posted elsewhere and I will add you here next round!)
I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Until next time!
Gloria
