Book Spotlight: The Chosen Seven by Gill anderson

BUY BOOK FROM AMAZON: LINK 

BLURB

FARZAD ABED is an unhinged Iranian immigrant living in Australia. His sociopathic tendencies coupled with his political views make him a very dangerous man indeed. Farzad wants the world to sit up and take notice of him and randomly selects six bystanders to hold hostage at a city restaurant.
JACOB BROWN is a fitness fanatic who finds himself at the centre of a bizarre situation when he arrives at his favourite restaurant to pick up a takeaway for dinner.
JAGRITI GOSHAL is a young unassuming Indian waitress working at Alessandro’s Cucina.
REGINA TERRY is a fearless Afro-American woman in Australia on a business visa who unexpectedly finds herself embroiled in a crazy siege with a madman.
LEVI HAINES and BILL WALKER are colleagues having a business dinner at the restaurant. Bill is Levi’s sleazy boss with unethical intentions and Levi is dining with him against her will.
PAUL TOWNSEND is a local electrician who happens to drop off a quote at Alessandro’s Cucina at the same time Farzad descends on the restaurant to begin taking hostages. 

Follow the roller-coaster ride of emotions as these strangers find themselves embroiled in a terrifying siege orchestrated by a madman. The authorities scramble to put together a definitive plan of action to contain the situation quickly. But not everyone will come out alive ...


EXCERPT

Prologue

 Saturday 6 April 2019,  7.00pm Eat Street, Seminyak,Bali

Farzad Abed was agitated. He had some idea about what had to be done; however, the exact circumstances and the people that would be involved were yet to be determined.  He felt hot and bothered as sweat poured relentlessly down his 6-foot 3 heavy set frame. Despite the sunset just over an hour before, it was impossible for him to cool down due to the intense humidity in Bali. Farzad was constantly scanning his surroundings as he walked by the overwhelming array of enticing menus outside each eatery on the popular Eat Street near Seminyak square. The heat was getting to him and the anger that constantly simmered at the surface of his mind was becoming dangerously close to making him explode.

     Farzad would make his mark on the world, he was confident about that. Being indecisive and flighty was his downfall though, and he needed to be mindful of this so that his lack of patience and impulsive nature did not make him rush things and foil his plan.  He would know when the right place and time were presented to him.  He had an important message to convey to the world and the right people would need to be chosen to help him ensure it was spread across the globe. There would be a sign from the universe and he would feel it in his bones, in his very fibres in fact.

   He suddenly darted into a large restaurant with an expansive outdoor eating area. Several holidaymakers sat sipping cocktails, enjoying a casual al fresco dinner whilst spending their hard-earned wages on their annual holiday indulgences. Despite the relaxed vibe of the eatery with its colourful umbrella’s and benches scattered with large inviting cushions, the relentless stream of taxis and motorbikes thundering past was in direct contrast to the vibe the establishment attempted to emulate. A young Australian couple became aware of the tall heavyset man sitting at the table next to them. His thick black curls were damp with sweat and his sunglasses were slipping down his nose.  He sat at the table to their left, his legs spread wide as his gut hung down between them.  The couple paused their conversation momentarily as they noted the man’s strange vibe and penetrating stare. 

     In unison, the couple attempted to exchange polite but uneasy smiles with their new dining neighbour who did not smile back. Instead, he stared menacingly at them. They tried to resume their conversation under the steady glare of this strange man who seemed to be sitting extremely close to them. Had he moved his table closer in an attempt to join them?  The female pitied him and thought perhaps he was just lonely.  In stark contrast, the male’s antenna for weirdos had been activated and alarm bells were starting to go off in his head.


      A petite Balinese waitress appeared and presented a menu to Farzad, a warm welcoming smile lighting up her dainty features.  Abruptly, Farzad stood up and flipped the menu out of the waitress’s hands upwards into the air. He stared at her, his teeth bared and his eyes darting wildly around the venue. On a whim, he thundered towards the exit whilst muttering incoherently to himself.  The waitress staggered backwards in shock, an alarmed expression on her face. Picking up the menu from the ground, her eyes followed the retreating man who was taking off down the street.  Sometimes tourists were so strange, she thought. Once she was sure he had left the vicinity, she let out a sigh of relief and resumed her duties. However, she could not shake off the gut feeling that she had just got off lightly somehow. Instinctively she knew the strange man intended to cause harm and was thankful she hadn’t been his next victim.

     Farzad was fizzing mad as he returned to the mayhem of Eat Street. Those fuckers had got off lightly tonight. He had not executed his plan, as not only were the patrons in that eatery not worthy of hearing his message to the world, but in addition, none of them had shown any leadership potential.  They were all pathetic weaklings, not noble enough to be a part of his cause.  Little did the people in that eatery know that his change of heart had just spared them their lives that night. They would live another day thanks to the pitiful couple he had made eye contact with.  They were too desperately boring to be a part of the fun and games he had planned.

    The other pedestrians tried to avoid Farzad as he marched along the narrow pavements without stopping to let anyone pass him.  His girth and manic glare made the other tourists uneasy and no one challenged him as he shoved past them, knocking bags from shoulders and elbowing people in the chest causing them to yelp in pain.  Even the groups of Balinese girls outside the many massage parlours  who automatically called out ‘massas’ (massage) to anyone who looked remotely like a tourist knew instinctively not to offer their services to this odd-looking man.

      Farzad reached his hotel and stormed past the bemused concierge straight into the vacant lift – he needed  to get to his room quickly.  Upon exiting the lift on the third floor, he turned left and marched along the corridor as fast as his huge frame would allow.  Upon reaching his room, he became flustered when his first two attempts to insert the key card failed. Finally, he managed to time it correctly and the green light indicated he could enter the room. His face was beetroot with rage as he stood silently in the dark allowing the cranked-up air conditioning to blast some welcome cold air on to his sweaty frame.  After a few minutes, he felt calmer and like a zombie, he stared blindly into space for a while.  He had no idea how much time had passed when he eventually sat ramrod straight on the end of the king-size bed.  

        Farzad could not have articulated his thoughts even if he tried. He tried to remember why he was in Bali and then it came to him. His intention was to harm westerners much like the Bali bombings that occurred in 2002 had. He wanted to do something on a much smaller scale but equally as horrifying. Somehow it hadn’t felt right and he would fly back to Adelaide tomorrow without completing his mission. Eventually, his mind tired and he allowed himself to fall backwards on to the bed.  As he succumbed to sleep, he surmised that perhaps he would have better luck in executing his plan in the near future. Tonight had not been the right time after all.

About the author:

Gill D Anderson is the author of best-selling novels Hidden From View and The Chosen Seven. Gill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and immigrated to Adelaide, South Australia in 2004 with her husband and two daughters. Gill has a Social Work background and currently works in a corporate role in the field of Child Protection. Gill feels very strongly about violence and sexual assault, which are prominent themes in her debut novel Hidden From View.

Facebook Gill D Anderson -author - Instagram gillyanderson71 - Twitter @GillianAnders16

BOOKSPOTLIGHT: Sweet Surprises ( Inn Love) by Devika Fernando

BLURB

A fiercely independent interior designer from America - A charming Italian man with a secret identity - An old villa with its own secrets

Italy has always fascinated Victoria. Now that the interior designer from America is there to help convert a grand old villa into an inn, it feels like a dream come true – even more so when she falls head over heels in love with the handsome gardener. The few precious days she shares with Riccardo make her rethink every decision she’s ever made in life. But just when Victoria is ready to take a leap of faith, she learns that her irresistible Italian isn’t who she thinks.

Riccardo Moretti is the heir to a marble empire fortune and definitely not relationship material. But when the fascinating American woman overseeing the villa’s transformation mistakes him for someone else, he seizes the opportunity. With her, he can truly be himself, removed from scandals and from his family’s claws. He’s lost his closed-off heart to the talented, outspoken foreigner - but will their love be enough to overcome all the obstacles and secrets in their way?

BUY LINK AMAZON: mybook.to/innlove3

EXCERPT 

Riccardo glanced at the woman walking next to him, wondering why he felt this strong pull towards her. It wasn’t merely attraction, though he found her utterly beautiful. His body was reacting way too powerfully to her nearness. That moment when he’d had his arm around her and her curves pressed close, he had felt such longing that it was almost a physical ache. Another second of her in his embrace and he’d have done something as foolish as kissing her.

Idiota, he mentally scolded himself, sei spazzo. It was crazy to think she would welcome such advances. They were basically strangers, and she had no idea about his true identity. And yet, he yearned with every fiber of his being to get to know her better.

“Careful.”

He grabbed her hand to stop her in her tracks. His short cut had taken them through a small thicket of trees that loomed like ghostly shapes in the moonlit semi-darkness.

“There’s a small stream running through here,” he explained and saw her lean forward to check why he had stopped her from strolling on.

“Oh, you’re right!”

Acutely aware that he was still holding her hand, Riccardo had to push himself to focus on the here and now.

“It’s very narrow here, just a few meters. There are stones you can step on to cross it, but you have to know where to set your foot.” He turned to her, feeling her fingers tremble in his hold. “I’m sorry, it was stupid to lead you this way but it’s the short cut I am used to. We can either walk back a bit and take the normal route or you can let me help you across.”

She peered at the inky expanse of water, trickling slowly rather than rushing like a proper stream. “Ah well, what’s a night stroll without a bit of a risk?” With a chuckle, Victoria shrugged. Was she aware that she hadn’t pulled her fingers out of his grip yet? “Let’s do this. But I have a feeling you did this on purpose, so you can be a gallant knight in shining armor without seeming chauvinistic.”

Yet again, she surprised him. Riccardo laughed, giving her fingers a squeeze. “No, I swear. I took this familiar path automatically, I wasn’t thinking.” And how could he think straight when being near her scrambled all his brain cells? “Shall we?”

“Lead the way, fearless knight.”

With another laugh, Riccardo oriented himself and then pointed at a dark shape by their feet. “Here, see. This is the first stone. They’re all big enough to get a grip but they might be a bit slippery. Just follow in my footsteps.”

At her nod, he took the first step and led her cautiously across the few meters of water. She let go of his hand as soon as they had crossed the brook, and he felt oddly bereft.

“Only five more minutes, then we’re there.” He nodded ahead, at where the lights were much brighter and closer now.

“Great.” She gave a single shiver, hugging herself.

“You are cold. I’m sorry. It can cool down rapidly here at night.”

He had no idea why he was apologizing for something clearly out of his control and not his fault. Reacting on instinct, he slipped out of his leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders. His hands lingered on her arms for a precious second or two, feeling her lean into the touch before he stepped away.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, her voice quiet and wobbly. Was she as impacted by their closeness and the tension shimmering around them as he was?

Calling himself a fool again, Riccardo lengthened his stride. The sooner he got her home, the better, or he would really do something stupid and invite her for dinner and a glass of wine.

SERIES

This small-town romance series features novels that each revolve around a bed & breakfast in a different country. The books are sweet romances, set in countries like England, Canada, and Italy. They can be read separately as stand-alones with a happy ending and are great for fans of Nora Roberts. No cliffhangers, no cheating, but some mild swearing.

Book 1: Tantalizing Temptations (England) | mybook.to/innlove1
Book 2: Hidden Hopes (Canada) | mybook.to/innlove2

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Website  Facebook  Twitter

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds - something that influences her writing. Her trademark is writing sweet and sensual, deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust.

What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, Devika is a faithful servant to all the cats and dogs she has adopted. When she's not writing, she's reading or thinking about writing.

Book Spotlight on The Mohanbari Murders

Blurb

Simran, the swashbuckling, no-nonsense new ASP of the Mohanbari District is baffled when a nine-year-old is found dead in a busy market lane. Determined to crack her first heinous crime, she doesn’t leave any stone unturned. While trying to figure out the case her path crosses with Major Imran. Sparks fly, but she is determined to hate him. As the matter gets more complicated, Simran begins to trust Imran.

Running through the nooks and alleys of dingy Mohanbari and the mysterious forest nearby, Simran must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again.

Excerpt

Simran mulled over her third cup of lal chai in the SHOs chamber. It was a typical police office. Portraits of Gandhi ji and Baba Saheb lurked in opposite corners, on the wall with the honour board, behind the wooden chair. A big whiteboard with details about court cases for the week and important investigations graced the south wall. The north wall was reserved for DKBasu's Guidelines on Arrest. The west wall in front of the chair was a glass partition from where the entrance and the duty officer's room were visible.

Deeply craving a cigarette, Simran involuntarily put her pen in her mouth as placebo. Investigation in a murder case, that too of a child, is urgent and should take precedence over everything. A police officer's life, however, is not that simple. Her small red notebook was filled with all that she had to do and an important page in that was dog eared and labelled "Murder: 9 years old". Her meticulous note-making skills while helping her in complying to all the orders passed by the seniors, were also a bane, because she never forgot anything.  Another page which was folded into half bore the name of Major Imran surrounded by multiple circles doodled in anger. A small devil caricature also graced the page.

Two months since her joining as Assistant Superintendent of Police, Simran had run into Major Imran on two occasions. Imran had tried hard to impress her in the first meeting, at the evening gathering at the Mess. Dressed in his best formals, Imran had paid attention to Simran all evening and cracked stupid jokes to make her laugh. All Simran could think about was how short he was. She had been kind to him, but there was no attraction. None whatsoever. Imran followed it up with a message next morning.

"Morning Ma'am! Shall we catch up on coffee in the evening?- Imran"

Aghast at his forwardness, she replied a curt no.

 "Morning…not possible...I am busy-Simran"

"L Imran"

Simran wanted to make a sighing smiley but held back. She was distracted the whole day and cursed Imran for making her uncomfortable.

The second meeting was more eventful. They met at a high-profile intelligence meeting, where Imran completely ignored her. A curt nod in acknowledgement of her existence was all she got from the Major, who looked dapper that morning in his Olive Greens. He was not that short after all. Simran's ego had been bruised by Imran's neglect.

About the author

Esha Pandey

Esha Pandey, is an author and a police officer. She made her debut as an author with her book Kiss of Life and Other Stories, a collection of short stories. Esha currently lives in New Delhi. She is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2010 batch.

Esha has a Masters in International Relations and Masters of Philosophy in American Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Before becoming a civil servant, she dabbled with the idea of being a journalist and worked with Times of India as a copyeditor. She has won a United Nations FPA Award for Excellence for the “Best Short Story”.

Esha has kept her passion for writing alive through her tough assignments in policing because writing is music for her soul. Her TDH hero is her partner for life, her husband Rajiv, who supports her in all her endeavors. When she is not doing either, policing or writing, she is busy dealing with her two bundles of naughtiness, her sons.  She can be reached at twitter.com/PandeyEsha and https://www.facebook.com/EshaPandeyAuthor/ .

Get the book here:

Book Spotlight for “Past Marriageable Age” by Sudesna Ghosh

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Length: 75 pages (novella)

Format: Kindle edition

Blurb

Koel is almost 40 years old and too old to be married — according to Indian society. She's a successful lawyer and a bookworm and quite happy living like a nun until she meets Ranbir Ray. Significantly older than her, Ranbir is hot and sweet and full of pleasant surprises. Can Ranbir teach Koel about life, love and happiness in this heartwarming, fun romance?

Excerpt

That ended our privacy as we found Reema and Aditi waiting impatiently. They had a table for four next to the bar. Ranbir greeted them politely, waiting for me to slide into the sofa before he sat on it too. We were like the perfect couple. So fast. So well dressed. Familiar with each other and getting more familiar at speed.

We ordered drinks and sushi. Ranbir stole glances and smiles at me, wrapping one arm around my waist until the drinks came. Aditi shamelessly measured his every movement. Reema asked him about his business. I was ignored.

Devouring my sushi, I listened to Ranbir describe his struggles setting up business in a political culture like Kolkata and how hard it had been at first. Reema was in awe. 

Ranbir asked about Reema’s work. He said he was aware of the competition in her field and knew of some of her campaigns. That won her over. Aditi was quiet until she interrupted with a silly question.

“So Ranbir, do you think my friend and you have a future together?”

I was livid. This age gap thing was getting out of hand. I asked her to apologise. However, Ranbir wasn’t annoyed. Or he was not showing it. Instead, he told me an apology wasn’t necessary.

“Aditi is concerned about her friend. It’s a good thing,” he acknowledged.

Ranbir really was a kind man. Glaring at my friend, I waited for his answer.

Clearing his throat, he confirmed that yes, we did have a future together. 

“You see, Aditi, at my age, you don’t spend too much time thinking about what you want -- you just go after it. What I mean to say is that, I have fallen hard for your friend and I intend to keep her by my side for a long time.”

How beautiful. Tears hit my eyes. Happy tears from the heart. I saw Reema and Aditi control their tears too. Ranbir hadn’t used the word ‘love’ but I knew what he meant. I felt the same way about him from that day at the bookstore and coffee shop.

Aditi took a swipe at her eyes and asked him what a long time meant at our age.

Taking my hand in his, he declared, “It means for as long as your friend wants to be with me.”

The three of them all looked at me. I said thank you. Everyone burst out laughing. Aditi behaved well for the rest of the meal. Afterwards, Ranbir dropped her home before he dropped me. She said sorry. Dismissing it with a wave of his hand, he handed her a chocolate bar. He joked, “Now don’t say thank you, Uncle, please.”

We couldn’t stop howling. He was so funny!

About the Author

Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh is an author based in Kolkata, India. She is a graduate of University of Rochester and an ex-journalist. When Sue isn’t reading or writing, she is busy doing her best to keep her rescue cats happy. 

You can find her on Twitter @sudesna_ghosh and on Instagram @sudesna_meow

Buy your copy of Past Marriageable Age here: AMAZON