Author: Michael

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Blog Tour: Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper

terror in taffetaWhat’s It About?

Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination wedding in the charming, colonial Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. The reception is all set up, the tequila donkey is waiting outside, and the bride and groom are standing on the altar, pledging their eternal love. But just as the priest is about to pronounce them husband and wife, one of the bridesmaids upstages the couple by collapsing into a floral arrangement (a definite wedding “don’t”).

The girl hasn’t just fainted—she’s dead.

Losing a bridesmaid is bad enough, but when the bride’s sister is arrested for murder, the demanding mother of the bride insists that Kelsey fix the matter at once. Although Kelsey is pretty sure investigating a murder isn’t in her contract, crossing the well connected Mrs. Abernathy could be a career-killer. Before she can leave Mexico and get back to planning weddings, Kelsey must deal with stubborn detectives, a rekindled romance, and guests who didn’t even RSVP.

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Blog Tour: The Vilcabamba Prophecy by Robert Rapoza

The-Vilcabamba-Prophecy-by-Robert-Rapoza-e1459182171998What’s It About?

When a mysterious benefactor funds archeologist Nick Randall’s research, he departs on an expedition to find the lost city of Vilcabamba. Hidden deep in the Amazon, Randall believes this legendary city holds proof that his controversial theories are true. He disappears shortly after arriving in the jungle.

Randall’s beautiful daughter Samantha learns of his disappearance.  An accomplished archeologist herself, she is forced to make a difficult decision. Pursue her career or search for the man she blames for her mother’s death.

But someone else is looking for her father as well. Francis Dumond, a shadowy man with unlimited resources, will stop at nothing to find Vilcabamba and use its secrets to control the world. In a race against time, Sam must find her father, prove his theories and stop Dumond before a stratovolcano destroys Vilcabamba and all of them as well.

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Moral Dilemmas as Propaganda

UK Release Poster

Eye In The Sky is meant to convey the agony of deciding whether or not to kill terrorists with drones even if there is “collateral damage.” It features a star-studded cast including Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman in one of his last roles, Aaron Paul and Phoebe Fox. It is also a cunning piece of propaganda.

Spoiler Alert! Don’t read any further if you haven’t seen the movie and plan on doing so.

The plot is rather basic. The bad guys (numbers 4, 3 and 2 respectively on the British most-wanted-list in East Africa) are schedule to meet in a house in Nairobi. A Kenyan anti-terror squad is standing by to arrest them. An American Reaper drone hovers above, the eye in the sky. There is, of course, confusion. Some suspects arrive as scheduled, but others were already in the house. They leave again for a different house in a Nairobi slum which, oddly, is controlled by al Shabaab, the Somali jihadist group. The Kenyan anti-terror unit has some amazing tech—miniature drones the size of a bird and a beetle—which broadcast HD quality live stream from inside the house around the globe. Two of the men inside are being outfitted with explosive vests, suicide bombers about to embark on a mission to kill innocent civilians. The capture mission becomes a kill mission. All this happens in the first third of the film. The rest is a rehashing of the Philosophy 101 utilitarian dilemma. Is it okay to kill one sweet, innocent girl in order to save hundreds of victims who’d be blown up by the suicide bombers?

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Literary Ashland – Conversation

This month’s edition of Literary Ashland turned out different than intended. Our planned guest couldn’t make and so Ed and I ended up having a fun conversation about writing, linguistics, melodrama, clues and everything in between. So enjoy this unscheduled and unrehearsed show. As Ed pointed out, the show is a clear sign that both of us had experience walking into a classroom unprepared.

[audioplayer file=”http://www.kskq.org/media/lashland/LA042216.mp3″ titles=”Literary Ashland Radio – a conversation”]
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Blog Tour: One Dead, Two To Go by Elena Hartwell

Book CoverWhat’s It About?

Private Investigator Edwina “Eddie Shoes” Schultz’s most recent job has her parked outside a seedy Bellingham hotel, photographing her quarry as he kisses his mistress goodbye. This is the last anyone will see of the woman. Her body is later found dumped in an abandoned building. Eddie’s client, Kendra Hallings, disappears soon after. Is Kendra in trouble too? Or is she the killer?

Eddie usually balks at cases requiring a gun, but she also hates to be stiffed for her fee. Before she knows it, she is knee-deep in dangerous company. It doesn’t help that her card-counting adrenaline-junkie of a mother has shown up on her doorstep fresh from being kicked out of Vegas. Chava is only sixteen years older than Eddie and sadly lacking in parenting skills. Her unique areas of expertise, however, prove to be helpful in ways Eddie can’t ignore. So Chava from tags along. Add the new homicide Detective Chance Parker, who happens to be Eddie’s ex, and Eddie’s got a case more frustrating and perilous with each tick of the clock.

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