Jeff Abbott’s “Adrenaline” giveaway contest it continues due to the Hurricane

I have been away from the internet it seems like forever, but in reality just since last Friday, and in this day and age that is forever isn’t it? Thankfully the novels I have to giveaway have survived the hurricane and tornado that breezed by; I put them up in a safe place, and now I need to bring this contest and giveaway to a fun and fulfilling end. I have 5 of Jeff Abbott’s “Adrenaline” novels to give out and am looking forward to making some people happy.
To that end, just do a few things to enter:
Follow my blog at : http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Follow my blogtalk radio show: The G-ZONE
Or just shoot me an email saying how badly you wish to win, begging is suggested: gelati.giovanni@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you; I am closing this off the Tuesday after Labor Day. Winners will be announced Weds of that week.
New from Trestle Press authors this week: Chantal Boudreau “Weighing Fate”, Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother”, Darren Sant “A Good Day”, Mark Miller “Daniel’s Lot” & “Meant to Be”, Wenona Hulsey “Burden of Blood”, Joan Meijer “The Rescue”, Robert Ford “The Curse of The Translucent Monster”, Laurie Bowler “Fangs, Inc. The Tortured Revelations”, Michelle Vasquez “Second Hand Bookstore”, Ed & Eunice Vought “Best Friends #4” , Thad Brown, “Lights Out”, William Tooker,”Bad Angels”, April Pohren, “Dream Me To Death”, Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom,”Thirty -1 Reckless”’ John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed”, Allan Leverone/Paul D. Brazill ” The Darke Affair”, Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music: Raised in Hell”, Paul D. Brazill “Brit Grit”, Molly Edwards “The Willow Spring Killer”, John Reed ”Another Lousy Day in Paradise”, Alexandrea Weis “For You”from The NOLA series, and Giovanni The G-Man Gelati “Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire”.

BRAD THOR & BIG DADDY ABEL Jump into The G-ZONE Thursday Sept.1st @ 4.30 pm EST

Internationally Bestselling author Brad Thor and Big Daddy Abel author of the bestselling selling and highly rated Amazon Kindle Open Mic series will be my guests this Thursday, September 1st starting at 4.30pm EST. Brad Thor’s latest bestseller is “Full Black”, while BDA is currently working on two projects: ”Open Mic Volume 5 and the sequel to “Edge of Cataclysmic”.
For the few of you that are unfamiliar with Brad Thor’s work here is a little about him:
“I always get asked if Brad Thor is my real name or if I made it up because it sounded perfect for an international thriller writer. My standard reply is that if I was going to choose a nom de plume, it would fall in the C's somewhere between Clancy and Cussler so that all of my books could be displayed at eye level.
As the son of a United States Marine and a former TWA flight attendant, travel has always been in my blood. In fact, the title for my first novel, The Lions of Lucerne came to me while I was in Switzerland shooting an episode of my Public Television travel series, Traveling Lite (still seen in many countries outside the U.S.).
It happened when I went to visit what Mark Twain called the most moving piece of rock in the world. The Lion of Lucerne is a sculpture of a dying lion with a spear broken off in its side. It had been commissioned to honor the 700+ Swiss Guard who died defending King Louis and Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. Fast-forward a couple of years to my wife and me sitting in a cafe in Amsterdam. I was reading a story in the International Herald Tribune about a Swiss Intelligence officer who had embezzled money from the Swiss Army and was caught training his own shadow militia high in the Alps with high-tech weapons from his own private arsenal. Just like that, the idea for my first novel was born.
Since then, I have written many more with the same protagonist - Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative, Scot Harvath. Thanks to my readers, all of the novels have been national bestsellers and book club favorites. They are also being made into major motion pictures. By the way, many people ask me what order they should read the books in. You can read them in any order. They are all written to stand on their own. But for those who are interested, the order is: The Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, State of the Union, and Blowback.”
About “Full Black”
“#1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor brings readers his darkest and most intriguing thriller yet—a terrifying story of espionage and betrayal—brilliantly paced with superb nonstop action.
Born in the shadows and kept from heads of state, there are some missions so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don’t exist. When one such mission goes horribly wrong, a wave of dramatic terrorist attacks is set in motion. Their goal: the complete and total collapse of the United States.
With the CIA’s intelligence abilities hobbled, former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath launches an audacious plan to infiltrate the terrorists’ network and prevent one of the biggest threats the United States has ever faced.
Simultaneously, a foreign wet work team has been sent to California. Their target: one of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers. While working on a secret documentary project, movie producer Larry Salomon has unknowingly exposed one of the world’s wealthiest and most politically connected powerbrokers—a man with a radical anti-American agenda poised to plunge the nation into deadly, irreversible chaos.
As the plots rocket to their pulse-pounding conclusion and the identities of the perpetrators are laid stunningly bare, Harvath will be left with only one means to save America. Unable to trust anyone, he will be forced to go Full Black.
Intense and frighteningly realistic, Full Black is, hands down, Brad Thor’s most riveting thriller to date.”
Big Daddy Abel:
““Big Daddy” Abel wears his heart on his sleeve, and has his “real” heart in the right place. He lays himself emotionally naked for us to read, ponder and absorb. This, is real, at times all too real. Be prepared; guard yourself, as “Big Daddy” takes you for a “real” ride into his real mind, real heart and real soul.
Hi! Introductions may be in order, yes? Only proper thing to do I think. I am Big Daddy Abel. A singer, guitar player, & entertainer. Usually my "job" is to entertain. Getting people to laugh, dance and sing and just have a good fun time. However, at times... my mind goes beyond that. It goes a little deeper and sometimes, as I've been told, a little TOO deep, (I used to be a school teacher in my former life. Shhh! Don't tell anyone.) Thank you for giving/sharing your time here with "my thoughts". I hope you feel something positive on the other end of it all.
One of Big Daddy Abel favorite quotes “"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future."
Here are some of his favorite bands/musicians: Van Halen (1976-1984), The Beatles, Aerosmith (1973-1989), The Black Crowes, Prince, Seal, Led Zeppelin, Butch Walker/The Marvelous 3, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Alice in Chains, Love/Hate, Buckcherry, The Cure, George Clinton, Mozart, Electric Mayhem, The Soggy Bottom Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, Too Much Joy, Beethoven, the kid down the street learning guitar.”

The Hand of God and My “Status”

Hello everybody! Yes, I am still alive and so are my wife and kids. A “Funny” thing happened on the way to experiencing an earthquake, a hurricane and a tornado all in the span of four days. Why is that “Funny”? Well let’s see, I can really write pages on this subject. In fact I have, and they are in the able hands of Big Daddy Abel the guy that let me jazz with him on “The Edge of Cataclysmic”. The Author’s Lab/Collaboration story just wrote itself for me. I started with the flood we had in 1996 when many of the same events seemed to be happening and now what happened from Friday night as we prepped for the storm and then the storm and aftermath.
Now the hand of God my friends, where does this come in? For us it was everywhere. From our incredible neighbors as we banded together to discuss our plans to the day itself and the fact that we not only didn’t have our home flooded (it just came within feet of our door step), but for the first time this year during a storm our street didn’t lose power, but all the other homes in our development did; there are about 400 homes in our development. Go figure. Our biggest injury, if you can call it that, is that we did not have use of our triple play: phone, cable and internet. There were many downed trees and the outage was a byproduct of it I guess. It is an ongoing problem they wish to solve for us. They are sorry for the inconvenience and hoped to have the issue resolved soon,blah,blah,blah. Basically sometime we will have it back. But in the grand scheme of things, I got to win a beer pong game, play plenty of Scrabble and Monopoly, read till my eyes blurred, and have my family around. Basically the kids wanted to come over to eat because we were the only ones with power. Once again, the Hand of God guaranteed that our family remained close through it all.
In closing, I think we cornered the market on bottled water; we have it in the convenient 2.5 gallon size, gallon jugs, and individual bottles. If you are in need of AA or D size batteries, we are the people to see. Canned goods, yeah, we have them too. Bleach, we can make everything white for just about anybody. We once again came to “The Edge of Cataclysmic” and survived. How did you and yours make out? I would love to hear from you, just send me an email, write on Facebook or Google + wall, hit me on Twitter, or just make a comment on any of the other social networks you find me. It feels good to be back, thanks for the emails.

Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire by ,well, Me

I have been fortunate to carve some time out of the days here and there and finally get this done, the sequel to “I Have Chrome Balls, Don’t You?” You may not know this but “Chrome Balls” actually made it to number 54 on the Amazon Kindle Top 100 Comedy; no joking here, I am being serious. I received some pretty nice five star reviews, and one four star, to me that just screamed sequel. So what did I do, how could I possibly continue the plotline? I have the synopsis below and the link to Amazon Kindle so you can quickly purchase this amazingly insightful, deeply moving, poignant, soul searching, informative, and educational digital short story. You will laugh (I want to plant that seed into your head right here, LAUGH). You may cry as you get in touch with your inner being, that child waiting to come out, that fun place you haven’t been in a while but desperately want to visit. Perhaps you may just go online and decide it is time that you play bocce, that you need to possess, nay I say MUST have your own set of Chrome Bocce Balls. If you do that, please order it through my blog, just click on the Amazon banner at the top of my blog, it will take you right to the main Amazon page and you can purchase anything Amazon has for sale right there. I have a wife, eight kids, two grandkids; a dog….every little bit helps, just buy your stuff through my blog at Amazon.
Back on point here: what is my point, oh; you may have fun with this read that is the idea behind it besides imparting some bocce knowledge. My friends from over the pond there in cheery old England have told me I have learned a little something from watching all those episodes and movies of Monty Python and Benny Hill, while others say that my grasp of the game of bocce is truly insightful and thank me for being kind enough to share my love for this truly family game. I do have a few that just tell me I am, well, nuts, but I get that a lot, so it just rolls of my back. I will let you decide, and if you are nice enough to read my little digital short story or heaven forbid you purchase both so you have the complete set, please leave a review, I would appreciate it very much. How else am I going to learn?
Link to the story: http://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Bocce-Between-Collaborations-ebook/dp/B005IB5R6I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314105810&sr=1-1
Now for what is inside this tasty bit of fun and frolic:
“Fast on the heels of “I Have Chrome Balls, Don’t You?” comes “Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire”. Dan “Big Balls” Cannoli and Giovanni “The G-Man” Gelati represent the U.S.A. and take on the Chinese and Russian National teams in “The World Bocce Ball Tournament”. Are you looking to learn a little more about the incredible game of bocce? Find out how our two heroes stack up on the International Landscape and World of competitive bocce. Action, suspense, laughs, bocce and much, much, more.
Check out what has been written about “I Have Chrome Balls, Don’t You?”:
“This story is a perfect summer read and makes me want to rake off a bocce ball court in the backyard. Without knowing anything about Giovanni Gelati, I searched bocce ball on my Kindle and it came up with this story. You really don't have to know the author or the game to laugh through the whole thing.”
***Ben Booker

“As you may have figured out, “I Have Chrome Balls, Don't You?” is a humorous, hilarious look at a down and dirty bocce tournament. In this digital short, Mr. Gelati goes head-to-head to beat out any competition and with the help of Mrs. Gelati (who keeps his balls nice and secure within her purse), he just may have a chance. Good thing for his wife, or this man would very well be lost in life!!
***April Pohren, author of Dream Me to Death

After reading this, I can honestly say that I will never look, or think, of Bocce ball the same again. This is tons of fun and I DARE you - wait, nope, make that DOUBLE DOG DARE you - not to burst out laughing as you read through this story. What more can I say?! Get out there and grab yourself a copy - your sanity and your Kindle will thank you profusely!! “
***April Pohren, author of Dream Me to Death

“This is a MUST read! Not only because it's good and funny, and well written, but because it's about Bocce ball. I think Bocce ball is awesome (though I've never played it personally). I can't wait for another 5 star in between story! G-Man has got some MAD authoring skills and I hope to see LOTS (lots and lots and lots and lots) more of these from him! Great job!”
***Molly Edwards, author of The Willow Spring Killer

“I did not know much about Bocce before, but this short story makes me want to learn more about the game. If it's as funny as the G-man made it out to be, I need to get on this bandwagon. The G-man has a way of making you laugh no matter what the topic may be about. Way to do it again, Giovanni!”
***Katrina

“You need not be a fan of the game Bocce to enjoy this read. You do NOT have to check if your balls are chrome. If you are a fan of double entendre, as I am, the title alone is enough for you to want to read this book. I won't give away anything, I will simply tell you to check it out because you will not regret it.”
***Arthur Dent

“Absolutely hilarious! I'm not sure who left Giovanni loose and unsupervised, but the result will make you laugh your butt off! I'm not going to tell you much about the story because it's short and you need to read it for yourself. If you've been reading his Author's Lab/Collaborations then you'll love this one too! It's a really short story but it's worth .99 for the laughs and entertainment!”
***Michelle Vasquez, author of Second Hand Bookstore

Early Praise for “Holy Chrome Balls on Fire”:
"Jerry Lee Lewis had GREAT Balls of Fire. The G Man's are made of chrome.
“Do you know how HOT chrome has to be to catch FIRE?! 4840 degrees Fahrenheit.
THAT is HOW HOT THIS BOOK IS!!! READ IT!”
***Big Daddy Abel, author of the #1 Kindle sensational Open Mic series ,Volumes 1,2,3,4, “The Jersey Shore Has Eyes”, “The Bar-A series”, and “The Edge of Catacylsmic”.

John Reed "Another Lousy Day in Paradise"

Ready to take a trip down memory lane? Do you remember the time period between 1978 and 1983? Okay, were you even born yet? I know I am an oldhead, so for me I was into the fun romp through some of the memories of music, clothing, word usage(slang), places similar to Space Port, and many other things John Reed details in his debut novel. The time period is special for me because I met, fell in love with my wife and got married during this time period. Although Jay Cody had his share of problems during this time period, the number of smiles that came to my face as I read this were many, so many that my wife had to read it when I was done. We share many things, my wife and I, including my e-reader. Hey, I don’t just let anyone touch it, you know that.
Back on point here: John Reed hits all the high points of the time and adds many more insights into a unique time in history. Boston produced and hosted some nice music during this time period and he uses that as a very nice backdrop to the story. The element was an excellent one for him to use as the canvas for his diverse plotline. His characters are excellent and well developed; their experiences seem to be explained from the point of view of someone with firsthand knowledge. He blends the real with the imagined very well; it just meshed and was seamless. Although my experiences through my adolescence were nothing compared to those of the main character, Jay Cody, I enjoyed the trips down memory lane. Whether you lived through this time period like me, or are just looking for a great read, this is an excellent novel for you. Here are a few links for you; he was nice enough to stop by The G-ZONE, my blogtalk radio show, and the Amazon Kindle link for the novel:
The G-ZONE blogtalk radio show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop/2011/08/04/author-john-reed-stops-by-to-chat
“Another Lousy Day in Paradise”: http://www.amazon.com/Another-Lousy-Day-Paradise-ebook/dp/B005IBNHQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314099725&sr=1-1
Here is the synopsis:
“The years from 1978 to 1983 were an amazing, yet confusing, time. Especially if you were a teenager and living in Massachusetts in the city of Waltham - and Jay Cody was a prime example of the rebellious Waltham youth living in a time when Disco ruled (and then died) and hair styles went from long to feathered. A trip one night to a movie theater changed Jay’s life and put him on a road to what he thought was manhood. Mixed in with what would become Classic Rock, Drugs, Casual Sex, Fights, Concerts, Booze, and you have Waltham (and youth life in general), in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
A teacher once told Jay that Waltham was like a “Paradise.” Living day-to-day during his coming of age years, he felt more like he was living just “Another Lousy Day in Paradise.””
New from Trestle Press authors this week: Chantal Boudreau “Weighing Fate”, Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother”, Darren Sant “A Good Day”, Mark Miller “Daniel’s Lot” & “Meant to Be”, Wenona Hulsey “Burden of Blood”, Joan Meijer “The Rescue”, Robert Ford “The Curse of The Translucent Monster”, Laurie Bowler “Fangs, Inc. The Tortured Revelations”, Michelle Vasquez “Second Hand Bookstore”, Ed & Eunice Vought “Best Friends #4” , Thad Brown, “Lights Out”, William Tooker,”Bad Angels”, April Pohren, “Dream Me To Death”, Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom,”Thirty -1 Reckless”’ John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed”, Allan Leverone/Paul D. Brazill ” The Darke Affair”, Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music: Raised in Hell”, Paul D. Brazill “Brit Grit”, Molly Edwards “The Willow Spring Killer”, John Reed ”Another Lousy Day in Paradise”, Alexandrea Weis “For You”from The NOLA series, and Giovanni The G-Man Gelati “Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire”.

Walter Ramsey "Beneath the Dune"

Refreshing, that is a very simple word to describe this novel, just refreshing. The style ,substance, and overall feel of this novel was a breath of fresh air in a very crowded genre. I enjoyed Walter Ramsey’s narrative and the way he developed his characters. He comes straight at us the reader, no muss, no fuss, just straight out fun, excitement, and action. He finds a nice way to blend a variety of elements together in a very cohesive way, nice and linear, kept the tangents to a minimum and we the reader get to receive maximum results. Go for the ride, enjoy yourself.
Here is the synopsis:
“Tucker Lee Anderson’s boss needs him to check out a story over on the beachside. Not earth- shattering, it’s more of a follow up to the Ed Ventara case, he says. When Anderson, a staff reporter for a local Southern newspaper hears this, a red light goes off in his head. But wait, wasn’t Ventara the serial killer convicted of killing five children, even though they only found four bodies a few years back? Following the discovery of a child’s skeleton, what at first appears to be a straightforward case of suspected murder is anything but, when Anderson finds himself not only investigating the case, but also dabbling in ancestral research. This laid-back divorced dad’s ordinary life soon takes a turn when in the process, he soon discovers family ties that bind him to both the present and the past—but what does this have to do with the child? Set in the Central Florida community of Brevard County, Beneath the Dune features an interesting cast of characters, and what Anderson uncovers is bound to shock a few upper class residents to the core. Steeped in suspense and blended with humor, the book has all the ingredients necessary for the making of mystery that is sure to hold you in its grip to the very end”

Win a Copy of Jeff Abbott's "Adrenaline"

I want this contest to be fun, easy, and well just fun. I am going to keep it simple so here goes: I have 5 copies of the novel, “Adrenaline” to give away. The First 1,000,000 people that buy my new digital short story “Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire” get a chance to win one of the novels. Now, if for some unforeseen reason that doesn’t happen, what we will fall back on will be something even easier: For your chance to win, just stop by my blog, Gelati’s Scoop, click follow (I have never done this before, go figure. It is now right around my blog archive in the middle), or fill in the email subscription at the top of the blog and/ or do the same at my blogtalk radio show, The G-ZONE. I am including both links below, just click have fun, and hopefully win an awesome read.
My blog, Gelati’s Scoop: http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/
My blogtalk radio show, The G-ZONE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop

What is your writing style? Mine, well, that is kind of backward.

Happy Monday to everybody! Okay, stop grumbling, a new week has started; let’s get rolling. I ask every author I get the privilege to speak with, “What is your style: do you outline?, Do you just go with your idea? Do you do a little of both?” Basically I have come to the conclusion that each is different no matter what and the style choices are just as individual as snowflakes. I get to ask Joel Andre this same question a little later on today on my blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE,
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop/2011/08/22/joel-andreauthor-of-cry-of-the-fallen-is-my-guest-today
I am looking forward to his answer. What is mine you might ask? Well it is a bit different than most. Put my name in the Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nookbook toolbar and you will see why. I write with a wide assortment of accomplished authors that span a wide array of genres. I have yet to be nailed down to just one. We in The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series have tackled every genre from YA/all ages to hard core horror and just about everything in between. We have even done non-fiction with Big Daddy Abel discussing global warming in “The Edge of Cataclysmic”. The titles under just my name, there are two, are about playing bocce, which I actually do and enjoy. Most of the authors I speak to tell me write what I know, so I went with something I know a bit about. Along the way I try to inject a bit of humor to lighten the mood up a bit.
Basically I am more used to writing with someone than not, which is quite the reverse of everyone else. Most authors I have jammed with have told me this was their first time stepping out of their personal comfort zone and sharing a universe with someone, kind of scary at first, but after we begin to roll, they find it is fun and in many ways liberating. Jazzing off of someone makes things a bit unpredictable, brings a sense of apprehension and also anticipation as to where things are going to go and what is around the corner. It has unlocked doors for many that I have worked with, incited their creative juices, got them flowing and allowed them to write anew with a different vision of their worlds and how to bring them forward. What we do in The Author’s Lab/Collaboration is not one upmanship; it is a synergy to produce the best story, a seamless and fun experience for the reader, something that if you didn’t know it was written by two or more authors you wouldn’t be able to tell. I have tried from the first story to include a core group of characters into each story thus keeping things continuous for the readers so they flow no matter what the genre each and every week.
The authors I have worked with have embraced that concept and taken everything we have set to do to a new level each and every time. Now when I try to write by myself(“I Have Chrome Balls ,Don’t You?” and the recently released “Holy Chrome Balls on Fire”) , I find it at times difficult to stay focused. I have no one to jam with; it is just me all by my lonesome self. I miss the interaction to be honest with you; I prefer to jam, fortunately, I do get to that, and will continue to each and every week. Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t checked out an installment of The Author’s lab/Collaboration do so, see what we have been able to do these many months, we have about 20 installments already with another dozen in various stages of completion, and tell me if what I have just said is not true. If you think it looks like fun, and we have had plenty of fun, and you want to be part of this grand experiment, drop me a line; I am more than honored to work with you: gelati.giovanni@gmail.com .
New from Trestle Press authors this week: Chantal Boudreau “Weighing Fate”, Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother”, Darren Sant “A Good Day”, Mark Miller “Daniel’s Lot” & “Meant to Be”, Wenona Hulsey “Burden of Blood”, Joan Meijer “The Rescue”, Robert Ford “The Curse of The Translucent Monster”, Laurie Bowler “Fangs, Inc. The Tortured Revelations”, Michelle Vasquez “Second Hand Bookstore”, Ed & Eunice Vought “Best Friends #4” , Thad Brown, “Lights Out”, William Tooker,”Bad Angels”, April Pohren, “Dream Me To Death”, Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom,”Thirty -1 Reckless”’ John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed”, Allan Leverone/Paul D. Brazill ” The Darke Affair”, Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music: Raised in Hell”, Paul D. Brazill “Brit Grit”, Molly Edwards “The Willow Spring Killer”, John Reed ”Another Lousy Day in Paradise”, Alexandrea Weis “For You”from The NOLA series, and Giovanni The G-Man Gelati “Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire”.

Jeff Abbott "Adrenaline"

I am always up to reading about the birth of a new character aren’t you? I was captivated by Sam very quickly, his wife not so much. But I digress. The twist and turns in this novel are many, the double crosses and triple crosses are plentiful and the action is just about nonstop. I like the title of the novel; it fits. The ensemble cast was fun for me; their morals and code of ethics were pretty plain, and the good guy, well he just rocks. Jeff Abbott took me on a rollercoaster of a ride right in my living room and I loved it. This novel was hard to put down, if you haven’t gotten this in your hands yet, do so; the rush and the ride are well worth the trip.
***Starting Monday, I will be running a contest here on Gelati’s Scoop as well as The G-ZONE, my blogtalk radio show, to give away 5 of Jeff Abbott’s” Adrenaline” novels.
Here is the synopsis:
“If you knew this was our final day together, what would you say to me?"
"Anything but good-bye. I can't ever say good-bye to you." Sam Capra is living the life of his dreams.
He's a brilliant young CIA agent, stationed in London. His wife Lucy is seven months pregnant with their first child. They have a wonderful home, and are deeply in love.
They have everything they could hope for...until they lose it all in one horrifying moment.
On a bright, sunny day, Sam receives a call from Lucy while he's at work. She tells him to leave the building immediately. He does...just before it explodes, killing everyone inside. Lucy vanishes, and Sam wakes up in a prison cell. As the lone survivor of the attack, he is branded by the CIA as a murderer and a traitor.
Escaping from the agency, Sam launches into a desperate hunt to save his kidnapped wife and child, and to reveal the unknown enemy who has set him up and stolen his family. But the destruction of Sam's life was only step on in an extraordinary plot-and now Sam must become a new kind of hero.”
New from Trestle Press authors this week: Chantal Boudreau “Weighing Fate”, Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother”, Darren Sant “A Good Day”, Mark Miller “Daniel’s Lot” & “Meant to Be”, Wenona Hulsey “Burden of Blood”, Joan Meijer “The Rescue”, Robert Ford “The Curse of The Translucent Monster”, Laurie Bowler “Fangs, Inc. The Tortured Revelations”, Michelle Vasquez “Second Hand Bookstore”, Ed & Eunice Vought “Best Friends #4” , Thad Brown, “Lights Out”, William Tooker,”Bad Angels”, April Pohren, “Dream Me To Death”, Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom,”Thirty -1 Reckless”’ John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed”, Allan Leverone/Paul D. Brazill ” The Darke Affair”, Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music: Raised in Hell”, Paul D. Brazill “Brit Grit”, Molly Edwards “The Willow Spring Killer”.

John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed” The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series

Personally I didn’t know much of the backstory on The Winter Hill Gang till I had to do some research on it for this project. John Reed puts together a very compelling story filled with humor, suspense and plenty of information on Boston and the surrounding area. The picture he paints of “The Gang” is very vivid and definitely piques the interest of the reader, particularly if one has no knowledge of them. If you do, and have lived through it, then you will just find this to be a joy and walk down memory lane. I was fortunate enough to have John Reed on my blogtalk radio The G-ZONE a little bit ago; we discussed not just “Winter Hill Exhumed” but his new release, a full length novel, “Another Lousy Day in Paradise” (To be released week of August 20th).Here is the link followed by the synopsis:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop/2011/08/04/author-john-reed-stops-by-to-chat
“The Winter Hill Gang is one of the most infamous crime organizations that hailed from Massachusetts. Based in the city of Somerville (just minutes from Boston), the Winter Hill Gang ruled the mob world in the state for much of the 60’s and 70’s until they were taken down by multiple arrests in the 80’s. One of its former leaders, Benny O’Doyle, is now retired and living a quiet life. While not all believe this, journalist John Reed takes it to a more dangerous level when he pursues O’Doyle to see if the old mob boss wants to talk about the “old days.” Reed’s curiosity gets the best of him and, with the help of Giovanni “The G-Man” Gelati, he tries to get O’Doyle to agree to talk to him. The planned interview turns into a night of chaos and makes him wonder if the long gone Winter Hill Gang has been resurrected.”
*** Just as a preview, here is the synopsis for “Another Lousy Day in Paradise”:
“The years from 1978 to 1983 were an amazing, yet confusing, time. Especially if you were a teenager and living in Massachusetts in the city of Waltham - and Jay Cody was a prime example of the rebellious Waltham youth living in a time when Disco ruled (and then died) and hair styles went from long to feathered. A trip one night to a movie theater changed Jay’s life and put him on a road to what he thought was manhood. Mixed in with what would become Classic Rock, Drugs, Casual Sex, Fights, Concerts, Booze, and you have Waltham (and youth life in general), in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
A teacher once told Jay that Waltham was like a “Paradise.” Living day-to-day during his coming of age years, he felt more like he was living just “Another Lousy Day in Paradise.”

Raised in Hell Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music” series

Have you read the synopsis of this series yet? Julia Madeleine has put together a series that is a fun, engaging read and you do not have to be a fan of music to enjoy it. Okay, I love music and that is an added benefit. If I can get her on my blogtalk show, The G-ZONE, sometime soon one of the questions I am going to ask her is:”Did you have more fun doing the research or writing this?” Each installment is going to have a different historical musical figure in it. This is the second work of hers I have read; the other is the Paul D. Brazill “Drunk on the Moon” installment “Fear the Night”. Check out my post on that. My suggestion is to get in on the beginning of this hot new series because her content ROCKS, not just what is inside it.
Here is the synopsis:
“It’s the late 1930s in Memphis Tennessee and “The King of the Delta Blues Singers” is reigning in the dingy juke joints. Sadie, the daughter of the Devil himself, has a signed contact with him that’s come due. She’s got a soul to collect. In a blues club on Beale Street, Sadie finds him on the stage and waits for him with a bottle of bourbon, ready to take him to hell. But what happens if he doesn’t want to go?”
New from Trestle Press authors this week: Chantal Boudreau “Weighing Fate”, Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother”, Darren Sant “A Good Day”, Mark Miller “Daniel’s Lot” & “Meant to Be”, Wenona Hulsey “Burden of Blood”, Joan Meijer “The Rescue”, Robert Ford “The Curse of The Translucent Monster”, Laurie Bowler “Fangs, Inc. The Tortured Revelations”, Michelle Vasquez “Second Hand Bookstore”, Ed & Eunice Vought “Best Friends #4” , Thad Brown, “Lights Out”, William Tooker,”Bad Angels”, April Pohren, “Dream Me To Death”, Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom,”Thirty -1 Reckless”’ John Reed “Winter Hill Exhumed”, Allan Leverone/Paul D. Brazill ” The Darke Affair”, Julia Madeleine “The Devil’s Music: Raised in Hell”, Paul D. Brazill “Brit Grit”, Molly Edwards “The Willow Spring Killer”.

Trestle Press & QR Codes (what the heck are they?)

Starting today just about every author involved with Trestle Press will have a QR code for their work, not just their novels, novella’s and digital short stories, but also their own blogs, websites….What exactly is a QR Code? Here is a little something from Wikipedia I hope that will help to explain it and then I will go into how and why we are implementing this immediately:
“A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR readers, smartphones, and, to a less common extent, computers with webcams. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data.”
I am going to use one of our authors as a prime reason how we and why we feel so strongly in the use of the QR code, Big Daddy Abel. Now if you know or heard of BDA(Big Daddy Abel), then you know besides being the author of the Open Series of Amazon Kindle bestselling stories and one of the Collaborators In The Author’s Lab, he is one of the members of The Amish Outlaws. The Amish Outlaws perform in front of thousands each week. We have provided BDA now with a QR Code for not just his work with Trestle Press, each of his stories, but he also has some of his own work on REVERBNATION: http://www.reverbnation.com/bigdaddyabel
Now when he is out, he can produce a card that has all his work on it if one of his many fans is wondering if and how to get to his work, BAM! He pulls it out the card; they snap a picture of the code on their smartphone and purchase his work, anywhere he goes. One click, one stop shopping, right from the author, straight to their Amazon Kindle account. He can be anywhere, doing just about anything, and he is able to sell ABEL. I would call that a pleasant customer experience, personal service right from the author; there is no better way to sell.
The uses and applications of this are many and we plan to implement as many of these as possible as quickly as possible. I am also planning on placing them on my cover art that we use in promotions, so you the customer can just zone in on it, and buy it immediately, right from Amazon Kindle, no need to do anything else, it, the QR code ,takes you right to your Amazon Kindle account right from your smartphone. Cutting edge, sure, but that is what we pride ourselves on here at Trestle Press. Our authors are not just getting used to it, but expecting it. We LOVE to build and make connections that bring our authors and their readers closer together.

Paul D. Brazill's "Drunk on the Moon" , "The Darke Affair" by Allan Leverone

The “Drunk on The Moon” series has quickly become a fav of mine. The installments are slated to hit once every three weeks, next up for the fourth installment is B.R. Stateham;it is a barn burner, and it comes in at about 11,000 words. But I digress, sorry. Allan Leverone was nice enough to helm the third installment and he does a great job dancing between the noir and the horror. He uses a deft hand in continuing the series and giving us another facet to the character and better understanding of the universe he inhabits. I think the line from an old commercial puts it best, with a little twist and change to it: “He didn’t make the series, but he makes it better!” .If you haven’t read the series yet, get on board with it and have some fun, it is worth the ride.
Here is a little something on this installment:
“It’s not easy being a PI, especially when you’re also a werewolf. But when a federal agent turns up to investigate the bizarre occurrences happening daily in The City, things get markedly more complicated for Roman Dalton. When that agent then disappears, Dalton finds his entire future may hinge on saving the man determined to put him away forever.”

Molly Edwards "The Willow Spring Killer"

Blood, suspense, mystery, intrigue what are you looking for in a good read? Well, this one has them all. Molly Edwards goes for broke in her debut effort and delivers the goods, in spades. I can say I was NOT surprised when I got a chance to read this. Her ability to write is evident in the first paragraph. She knows how to create a universe and draw us into her characters’ lives and make us care about them very quickly. I think you have gathered by now that I really enjoy the digital short story form, but the thing is, not everybody has grasped the concept or what it takes to do this, she has, already. The town and the players that inhabit it are fun, engaging and memorable, you can’t ask for much more. Thankfully there is more to come from Molly and I for one look forward to it. Look for a pretty neat guest post from her on Thursday; it is a very nice read. Here is the synopsis of the story for you:
“What do you do when your find your best friend of 15 years hanging, lifeless, from a rope in an abandoned school house?
That's what Willow Spring Police Officer Josie Summerville was about to find out. When she finds blood in the abandoned school house, she has no idea what she's about to find. Or, that she's being watched. Then, a mysterious note on her front door sets her mind into overdrive. Will she figure out the puzzle before it's too late? Or will she be the cause of another killing by the Willow Spring killer?
Molly Edwards is a single mom of two adorable boys. She's a Pharmacy Technician and a book-a-holic. Where you find her, you'll find her Nook, or a book, and sometimes both. She's an avid and dedicated book blogger over at Reviews By Molly. She resides in North Carolina, though she wishes her home was in Pennsylvania. Visit her site at www.reviewsbymolly.com “

How Much Are You Willing to Pay for Your Dreams? by April Pohren

Dreams are priceless, however reaching them and making them a reality can be rather costly. Why, you ask? Well, when I say costly, I don’t necessarily speak in terms of money, but rather in heart and soul.
Every single person, in this world, has dreams. Some may be huge, some may be small. This varies, mind you, depending on who the person is and where they stand in life. A person who has known poverty and strife all of their life may dream of the time when they will be able to have 3 meals a day. Others, who may have never suffered such a thing, may view this as a silly and small dream. Not so. All dreams are precious, no matter what they may be. Other people may dream of making it big in Hollywood or landing a job of a lifetime. Whatever the dream may be, know that it should never be given up or set aside.
Achieving a dream is not easy, however the satisfaction of knowing that you have tried everything within your power toward that dream, is beyond rewarding. Grasping the actual success of achieving that dream is like none other.
Why did I mention that dreams may be costly? By this, I mean that often times, it takes great courage and emotional strength to reach out and move beyond your comfort zone, to make attempts to turn those dreams into reality. How simple it is to sit back and think how amazing something could be, how difficult it is to take the steps to make it so.
I have had a deep seeded dream to become a published author since I was a young child. I remember when I was around 6 years old; I entered a Halloween story to the city newspaper. It was published and I still have it in my photo album. That story consisted of one loooong sentence. I had never been so proud of a sentence in my entire life. From there, I constantly wrote poems, short stories and any other thing that put words to paper. I was also an obsessed reader from the day I discovered how to put letters and sounds together to form words. What an amazing and brilliant concept.
Throughout high school and college I took every writing class that was available, as well as joining writing groups that bonded me with others who shared my love of putting words to paper. For whatever reason, I was never hesitant about sharing my writing. I thrived on it. Keep in mind that I was an incredibly and painfully shy child, so this was a huge leap for me.
All was well on the writing front until after I graduated college and entered the “real” world. Out went the time spent to express myself through words and in came the job and responsibilities. You know how it goes. I did pen poems now and again – this has always been my way to deal with turbulent emotions. Other than that, I did continue, internally, with the dream of seeing my name in print. That dreams sat idle and patiently waiting for me to kick my butt in gear and do something about reaching that dream.
I began my book review blog, Café of Dreams Book Reviews about 4 years ago. What an exciting and wonderful way to express myself and be creative with words once again! Baby steps… Through blogging, I have met some amazingly wonderful people – authors, publishers, reviewers, the list goes on. By reviewing and interacting with authors, this made my dream of being published seem a tad more within reach. Someday…
Fear and uncertainty. Two words that can butcher the desire to reach dreams to bits. These are the feelings that I felt when it came to actually sitting down and writing. What happens if my work is horrible and everyone hates it? What if I truly stink and that dream is thrust down the toilet. Having a dream is one thing, believing it can one day be obtained is one thing, going for that dream and having it shot full of holes until it resembles Swiss cheese, something else entirely. Fear made me stare blankly at the computer screen, thinking that I am better off not knowing. This, my friends, is what I meant when I said that the cost of reaching a dream can be more costly than the world’s biggest diamond. The price of reaching out to those dreams may cost self-esteem, stability, every drop of courage within your body and so much more. Is the cost worth it? One will never know until they try. Even if the outcome of that dream may not be what was initially desired, the satisfaction of trying and knowing that you took steps to reach that dream way overpower the idea of sitting back and watching the world go by and all of its possibilities. Who knows, even if the exact dream that you held dear doesn’t come through, something even better may be obtained. Something that never would have been, if you had not tried.
Have my dreams come true? Well, in terms of writing, they are on the right track, thanks to Giovanni Gelati and Trestle Press. I tell you, this man is the greatest giver of opportunity there is. My sincere gratitude is forever his. I have recently had one of my pieces of work, Dream Me to Death published with Trestle Press, thanks to Giovanni. I have dipped my toe into the sea of dream catching and it is up to me to make the most of it. Yes, I am incredibly nervous about having my work out there for the public to see (especially since it has been so many years since writing was an everyday activity). However I am thrilled to have the chance to finally see what I can do. Those baby steps are becoming toddler steps and will one day be giant leaps. The more I write, the more I learn. My dream of seeing my name in print has been reached and now I must work to fulfill that dream even deeper. I want to move people with my words. I want to entertain people with my tales. Will this happen? We shall see…

Matthew Dunn "Spycatcher"

I just finished reading this novel, and I have to say that I enjoyed the last part of it more than the beginning. Why you might ask? The reason is that halfway through my reading of the novel I had the good fortune of interviewing the author on my blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE. Matthew Dunn’s voice is smooth, silky, and yet vibrant. I had gotten a sense of why and how he was able to recruit so many spies; he was pretty captivating. I had his voice in my head as I read the rest of the novel, just like he was narrating it for me. The other fun part was trying to figure out how much of his main character is fact and how much may be fiction. I love the main character he has created in Will, aka Spartan. My suggestion is that if you have read this fast paced novel to tune into the show; I have the link here in the post, or if you are planning on reading it, give it a listen and grab Matthew Dunn’s essence. It will make things that much better for you.
Here is the link to the show and then the synopsis:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop/2011/08/11/matthew-dunn-and-benjamin-sobieck-drop-in-to-chat
“Matthew Dunn spent years as an MI6 field operative working on some of the West’s most clandestine missions. He recruited and ran agents, planned and participated in special operations, and operated deep undercover throughout the world. In Spycatcher he draws on this fascinating experience to breathe urgent, dynamic new life into the contemporary spy novel.
Featuring deft and daring superspy Will Cochrane, Dunn paints a nerve-jangling, bracingly authentic picture of today’s secret world. It is a place where trust is precious and betrayal is cheap—and where violent death is the reward for being outplayed by your enemy.
Will Cochrane, the CIA’s and MI6’s most prized asset and deadliest weapon, has known little outside this world since childhood. And he’s never been outplayed. So far…
Will’s controllers task him with finding and neutralizing one of today’s most wanted terrorist masterminds, a man believed to be an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. Intending to use someone from the man’s past to flush him out of the shadows, Will believes he has the perfect plan, but he soon discovers, in a frantic chase from the capitals of Europe to New York City, that his adversary has more surprises in store and is much more treacherous than anyone he has ever faced—and survived—up to now. “