The Lily Cafe is thrilled to present author Vali Benson and her historical novel Blood and Silver! Title: Blood and Silver Author: Vali Benson Publisher: Tellwell Talent Publication date: April 2, 2020 Genre: Historical Fiction What is a twelve year old girl to do when she finds herself in the silver boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880, and her only home is a brothel and her only parent is a drug-addicted mother? If she is Carissa Beaumont, she outsmarts the evil madam and figures a way out. After tricking the madam, Miss Lucille, into summoning a doctor for her mother, Lisette, she discovers that Miss Lucille has been drugging her. She and the…
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Novel Excerpt: They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach by Ivan Brave
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to present author Ivan Brave and his novel They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach, released today! Title: They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach Author: Ivan Brave Publisher: Self-published Publication date: June 16, 2020 Genre: Literary Fiction, Coming of Age Amid loss, hope, and despair, They Lived They Were . . . is a story about the power to move on. It begins with a show at Brighton Beach, New York, where Ilya Gagarin performs a set of original dance music to a crowd of loyal fans. They know him as a rising internet star, only 22 years old, and the resident DJ at one of Brooklyn’s…
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The Case of the Disappearing Dishes
This may or may not have been inspired by recent events… She had a mystery on her hands, and desperately needed help. But the police thought she’d cracked under the strain and, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the private eyes had been deemed non-essential. It was ridiculous if you asked her. But no one had. Who cared what a solitary housewife thought? No, it was up to her to crack the case. The case of the disappearing dishes. Every night, she loaded up the dishwasher. Everything was accounted for. It was full and ready for a thorough sanitization. After being used by three kids and two adults, they desperately needed…
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Novel Excerpt: Umbral Ten by Douglas Murphy
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to present author Douglas Murphy and his first novel Umbral Ten, the first book in his Khaldaia Chronicles series! Title: Umbral Ten Author: Douglas Murphy Publisher: Self-published Publication date: April 21, 2020 Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy A blood moon rises, demons roam, and the Inquisition approaches.Theodosia Archmail wakes up on the towers of Starkwind Monastery to find that her world has been turned upside down. Corpses litter every room; a beast that was once human roams the ruined halls; and a second, blood red moon hangs in the sky above her.The last thing she remembers is escorting her mother and a delegation of mages to a ceremony of purely…
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Guest Post: Writing to Express Myself by Idelle Kursman
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to welcome author Idelle Kursman! The author of two novels, True Mercy and The Book of Revelations, her post really speaks to my heart in so many ways and her novels sound absolutely fascinating while also spreading awareness for causes close to her heart. Also, please head over to Reedsy and upvote her new novel The Book of Revelations by Friday. Thank you! Writing to Express Myself Being an introvert, I have always found writing the best vehicle to express myself. Most people would describe me as a very quiet person, but that does not mean I do not have ideas or opinions that I would like to share. When…
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Book Blog Tour – Excerpt: The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to participate in the book blog tour for The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill, a light summery read set on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast in Italy. Anyone up for some imaginary travel? Title: The Summer Villa Author: Melissa Hill Publisher: MIRA Books Publication date: April 28, 2020 Genre: Women’s Fiction When a little white lie becomes the story of your life, what if the truth comes out? For three woman, it’s a life-changing trip: one finds the man of her dreams, another discovers inspiration amidst Italian food and culture, while a chance encounter with a handsome local ushers in the ultimate life change for the third. But most importantly, it’s the…
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Guest Post: The Mysterious Teenage Hominid – Writing for Teens by Chris Stevenson
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to welcome Chris Stevenson! He is a YA author and shares here about why he writes in that genre and what the adolescent years offer to a writer. The Mysterious Teenage Hominid – Writing for Teens There was no question why I wrote YA fiction in the first place. When I got into it, it was a thrilling, lucrative and expressive category. Harry Potter was dominating the charts. The Hunger Games appeared, along with Divergent and Twilight. Writing young adult fiction then was like being on a speeding freight train which had no brakes and a throttle that only went forward.There are no estimates of…
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Novel Excerpt: Into the Suffering City: A Novel of Baltimore by Bill LeFurgy
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to present author Bill LeFurgy and his historical thriller Into the Suffering City: A Novel of Baltimore! Title: Into the Suffering City: A Novel of Baltimore Author: Bill LeFurgy Publisher: High Kicker Books Publication date: April 15, 2020 Genre: Historical, Historical Thriller Baltimore, 1909. The city is jumping with danger and excitement. New thrills are everywhere: cars, cocaine, ragtime music, moving pictures. Old troubles also thrive, including murder, corruption, and the painful divisions of gender, class, and race. Dr. Sarah Kennecott is on the autism spectrum—a trait that is unidentified and unappreciated at the time. Her passion is justice for murder victims, and after getting fired for looking too closely…
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Guest Post: It Takes More than a Weekend to Write a Children’s Book by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to welcome Jacqueline Levering Sullivan! She is the author of 4 children’s novels and is here to talk about what actually goes into writing a book for children. It Takes More than a Weekend to Write a Children’s Book I am no longer amazed by the number of people I meet casually who tell me they have always wanted to write a children’s book. Recently, at a formal fundraiser dinner, a woman sitting next to me, on learning I was a children’s author, pronounced, “I’ve always wanted to write a picture book, and some weekend I plan to do just that.” Picture books are usually…
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Guest Post: Fairy Tale Romance by I. L. Cruz
The Lily Cafe is thrilled to welcome I. L. Cruz! She is the author of The Enchanted Isles series, an enchanting Latin-inspired fantasy series. Currently, the first two books, A Smuggler’s Path and A Noble’s Path, are available for purchase (see below). I adore I. L. Cruz, her books, and her blog, Fairy Tale Feminista, because she takes a different approach to looking at and understanding fairy tales. Her posts are fun, informative, and thought-provoking. Enjoy her guest post below about fairy tales and romance, just as I did! Fairy Tale Romance We are quickly approaching Valentine’s Day (what happened to January?) and that means thinking about love and romance. For some, it…
