Welcome and Prizes
Welcome to the Smoke and Mirrors blog hop, where you can discover the summer dream destinations of the collection’s authors while taking an opportunity to enter to win one of two grand-prize giveaways.
They include the following two packages:
Book Lover’s Grand Prize
Signed paperback of Miranda Warning by Heather Day Gilbert
Signed paperback of Disconnect by Rachel Trautmiller (unless reader prefers an ebook)
$25 Starbucks gift card donated by Alexa Verde
Ebook copy of Color of Danger by Alexa Verde
Signed paperback of Kept by Sally Bradley
The Song of Suspense Series by Hallee Bridgeman
Signed paperback of One Among Men by Connie Almony
AND
Kindle Fire Grand Prize
Kindle Fire donated by Kelli Hughett
Ebook copy of One Among Men by Connie Almony
Ebook copy of Color of Danger by Alexa Verde
First three ebooks of the Kennedy Stern Christian suspense series by Alana Terry
Ebook copies of Disconnect and Aftermath by Rachel Trautmiller
Comment on EACH of the Smoke and Mirrors author blogs before 5pm Monday May 30th and you will be entered to win. The winner will be announced at a Facebook virtual cruise event (more on that below) on Monday May 30th, as well as contacted individually the next day. We can’t wait to give these things away!
Who’s in the Blog Hop
Maybe you’ve come from Alexa Verde’s blog, where she tells us about the many worlds she’s truly visited as well as the ones found in her living room. Or maybe you’ve begun this journey with me. Either way, strap on your seatbelt because you are bound to be traveling some serious miles over the following Smoke and Mirrors authors’ blogs:
… And me, Connie Almony.
Connie Almony’s Dream Destination
So what is MY dream summer vacation destination?
Hmmm. That’s a hard one. One thing I do know is that it is NOT the beach. You see, I worked a beach stand in Ocean City, Maryland at the tender age of 14 and spent 56 hours a week renting umbrellas and rafts to hordes of tourists packed onto the shore, while squirming from the continual grind of sand in my bathing suit (also known as my uniform), and the smell of briny water in my hair. We had lots of fun at times, but I no longer see the beach as a vacation (except during off-season when it is blessedly quiet). I tend to prefer the mountains.
But if I had to choose a DREAM destination I might have to go back to Paris, France, and maybe even venture into the French countryside. There is something about the artistry in everything the French do that fills and intrigues me. The architecture in Paris, alone, inspired me to paint … and I don’t paint. Even the accents of the citizens were glorious!!!
When planning my trip to Paris, way back in college, I couldn’t wait to visit the museums and see the extraordinary talent from artists of centuries past. What I didn’t expect to love were the crafted lines of the buildings. Yes, I knew about the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but even the regular old apartments had a personality that spoke of the city with a spice that is uniquely PAH-REE.
The Long View, the novella I contributed to the Smoke and Mirrors collection, takes place in the Baltimore-Washington area. I grew up, and still live in, the suburbs between these two historic cities. I’ve visited many historical sites from school-age field trips to adulthood and had been told that some of them were designed with a French architectural influence, but there is something about being immersed in the unity of the Parisian flavor throughout an entire town.
If you want to see what I mean, I’ve created a Pinterest board with a few pics I found on the social media site. Some are of the city I’d visited, and others are of the countryside I’ve only dreamt of seeing.
Click here to see the board, but don’t forget to come back. We have more in store for you.
The Facebook Virtual Cruise Event
Before I send you on to the next Smoke and Mirrors Dream Destination author blog, I want to tell you about our Virtual Author Cruise we are hosting on Facebook next week called “How Do Eight Christian Romantic Suspense Authors Change a Light Bulb without Causing Smoke and Needing Mirrors?” This event will begin on Monday night, May 30th, and run through the next Monday night June 6th. You, the reader, can join us, off-and-on, for an entire week. Answer some of our READER questions and ask all the Smoke and Mirrors authors that burning question you’ve never had the guts to ask. This is your chance. You can also engage in polls so we can learn about you. We really want to know more!!! We will be stopping in regularly throughout the week to answer your questions and read your answers. If you are interested in joining us for this FIRST EVER virtual author cruise event of its kind, click the link here.
Enter to win
But before you do, don’t forget to comment below (and leave your email just in case) to enter to win one of our enormous grand prizes. (Note: If I don't respond to your comments, that means Facebook is still locking me out of the function due to malware issues. I'm really itching to chat with you!!! And if for some crazy reason, you cannot get the FB comment function to work for you either, just go to the next blog and let us know there. We have been besieged with a few cyber issues this week, but we desperately want to give these prizes away!!! Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Where-To Next
For now, I’d like to introduce you to our next Smoke and Mirrors Dream Destination blog post. Click here for a ride to Hallee Bridgeman’s blog where she will tell you HER dream summer vacation destination and give you hints on what it takes to avoid the Russian mafia.
The Long View (part of the Smoke and Mirrors collection)
He’s ex-FBI and training with terrorists.
One wrong decision ended J.T. MacGregor’s budding FBI career and turned his life in a completely different direction. No longer would he strive for the appreciation of men when he could have impact with eternal implications. But now, Dr. Long, his once-mentor who hadn’t supported him at his former job, makes an unusual request and J.T. wonders … What are Dr. Long’s motives and how can J.T. use them to get what he wants?
She’s no stranger to her father’s covert world of thieves and terrorists, but this time he’s gone too far.
Destiny Long would prefer to see the good in others instead of judging them based on culture and nationality. While her father serves their country taking down terrorists, she aims to recover souls. When the man behind the one kiss she will never forget joins a fitness club owned by her good friend—who her father suspects is a terrorist—she knows something isn't right.
He’s no longer FBI. He doesn't need a gym membership. And she’s found him at home praying head-first into a tasseled rug. All this evidence leads to one big question …
What side of the war on terror is J.T. MacGregor really on?
