August 28, 2023
Holy smoke. This book makes the sixth one Alana Lorens has dropped in to tell us about. Sixth! I don’t know about you, but I’m in awe of that sort of prolific output. (She must keep her editors busy and I approve of that, knowing the trouble I get into when I am not busy.)
Today’s book is called Remnants of Fire, which is such a provocative title. That can mean so much!
So let’s get to it. Alana Lorens, what song makes you think of your new book, Remnants of Fire?
Newspaper reporters are driven to dig deep for their stories, even when the subjects of their investigations don’t want people to see what’s buried there. This is true for Sara in her new position at the paper, as well a her friends.
“Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera would be it. Not only did I discover Phantom during the period I first wrote this, but there are comparable themes in the stories. Heroine Sara Woods is swayed by her teacher into certain beliefs that could save her life–or end it.
Comparable themes? Yikes! But at the same time, you’ve got to read the official book description of Remnants of Fire… Ready? I am!
Looking for a fresh start, Sara Woods takes a job as a news reporter in a small town. Her first assignment for the Ralston Courier is to investigate of a string of deaths, all young women, all her age.
To deal with chronic back pain, she seeks help at a local healing center. She soon becomes convinced that there is something strange about the Goldstone Clinic. Its doctors and nurses are all the picture of perfect beauty and health, while their patients at first seem to improve and then mysteriously deteriorate.
Dr. Rick Paulsen, a physician at the local hospital, offers to teach Sara how to access her internal power, enhancing hidden skills and revealing secrets from her past.
Police officer Brendon Zale also takes an interest in Sara, watching her every move and trying to get close to her.
The deeper she digs into the Goldstone, the harder it is to deny links to the paranormal. Can she figure out what is going on and who to trust before it’s too late?
NB: This story was previously released as Love Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. It has been rewritten and new material added.
That is NOT the comparison to Phantom that I was expecting — and I am glad of it! (This actually sounds way better and the paranormal twist has me certainly extremely curious.)
Get your copy!
Smashwords
And hey, before you connect with Alana Lorens, check out her past time in the bright light of the Featured New Book Spotlight!
Second Chances
Tender Misdemeanors
Encounter
A Rose by Any Other Name
Prophecies and Promises
Okay, now it’s time to connect with Alana so you can talk to her about Remnants of Fire
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Bookbub
Twitter
Instagram
Book Trailer
And remember! The best way to say thanks to an author for a good book is to buy it for a friend. But other really good ways include telling friends about it — and strangers, too, via a review. Be sure to leave a review online; it helps make a book more visible to the buying public. And we don’t want to keep these gems all to ourselves, do we?
No, no we do not.
October 23, 2017
Let’s welcome Lyndi Alexander to West of Mars! Lyndi and I have known each other for years now and I think she’s pretty darn cool. I bet you will, too — and that you’re going to love her song!
Her book is called Love Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, and it’s been around awhile. We’re good with that because it’s new to me! It’s got to be new to some of you guys, too.
So what’s the song that makes you think of your book, Lyndi?
Anything from Phantom of the Opera. LOVE ME, KISS ME, KILL ME is the story of Sara Woods, who is innocently drawn into a mystery of deadly proportion, just as Christine was in the musical. I listened extensively to the soundtrack while writing the story, and can still suddenly be in the middle of one scene or another if I hear the music. Life is never what it seems, and trusting too soon can be dangerous.
The haunting quality of the Andrew Lloyd Webber creation inspires me–Sara’s journey will do the same for the reader.
But… but… there’s no one song I can link to! Here’s the theme song, such as it is, performed — by all people! — by Nicole Scherzinger. Who knew she had such pipes? She’s also lucky enough to sing with FOUR different men who played the Phantom (although damn, this one dude belongs in Les Miz and I wish I knew all their names ’cause I’d like to hear more of them). So enjoy this and check out the rest of the soundtrack.
(It has been so long since I’ve heard this, I’ve forgotten how powerful the music is. This is going to be a hell of a book Lyndi’s written.)
Ready for the description:
A bad divorce, a broken heart, a need to begin again.
These three things propel reporter Sara Woods to leave her comfortable position working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and take the first news job that comes along, working as the new reporter for small-town Ohio’s Ralston Courier. Ralston is a sleepy little town that doesn’t seem to have much to offer this big-city girl, but her very first assignment is to investigate a dead body, a young woman found half-frozen on the side of a country road.
But soon the story on this body ties in with others, and she finds herself scrambling to come up with a common link among the dead other than the fact that they’re all young women Sara’s age.
Still recovering from a previous auto accident and struggling with chronic pain, she becomes a patient at the Goldstone Clinic, a local mecca of healing.
But all is not as it seems at the Goldstone, its doctors and nurses are all the picture of perfect beauty and health. Patients at the clinic first seem to get better, then they deteriorate. Sara enlists the help of Dr. Rick Paulsen, a doctor at the city hospital who shares her concern about the deaths of the young women, one of whom was his own patient. He teaches her through Eastern techniques how to access her internal power, skills she never knew she had, revealing secrets from her past.
Police officer Brendon Zale also takes an interest in Sara, but he stalks her, watching her every move, and he won’t leave her alone. He always turns up at the most suspicious times, especially where the dead bodies are found. What’s his interest in Sara?
As she digs deeper into the story, and more young women die without explanation, she tries to choose allies wisely, but not till the last confrontation does she discover the identity of her true enemy.
By then, it’s too late.
Yeah. I need this book. Do you need this book?
And connect with Lyndi!
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