Introducing: Jana DeLeon

Get to know more about Jana DeLeon and where the ideas for her funny and entertaining books come from. 

"Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Jana spent thousands of childhood hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat and even more reading books in a giant rope hammock at the end of the pier. She’s never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world."

Louisiana Longshot is available now from Amazon in paperback and ebook. 

You can also enter to win a $25 eGiftcard to Amazon for Barnes and Noble courtesy of Jana DeLeon!

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New Book: Louisiana Longshot

We're heading to Sinful, Louisiana this week for a mystery that will keep you guessing AND laughing! Read on to find out more about Fortune Redding, the Sinful Ladies Society who pull her into a mess she never expected, and a deputy that is determined to keep things quiet. 

"It was a hell of a long shot.... CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever—in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. 

Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. 

To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late." 

Praise for Louisiana Longshot

 "Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday "Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

Louisiana Longshot is available now from Amazon in paperback and ebook. 

You can also enter to win a $25 eGiftcard to Amazon for Barnes and Noble courtesy of Jana DeLeon!

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Winter Book Blast Event

Stock up on these great new books for your holiday reading! 

No matter what genre you read, you're bound to find a fabulous new book to read during our Winter Book Blast Event! 

Starting December 15th through the 23rd, I'll be hosting a variety of authors every day. Each day will feature a specific genre. You'll get a chance to read a little about each book, and if you're interested, click on the link below each summary to get your own copy in time for the holiday season! Check out the schedule below to find your favorite genre. 

Dec 15th: Action Adventure

Dec 16th: Drama

Dec 17th: Crime

Dec 18th: Romance

Dec 19th: Young Adult

Dec 20th: Historical Fiction

Dec 21st: Mystery/Detective

Dec 22nd: Fantasy

Dec 23rd: Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal

Along with the daily features, you'll have the chance to win FREE books! 

One Grand Prize Winner will win a prize pack of books! 

In addition to the grand prize, many of the authors featured will be offering either a paperback or ebook copy of their books during the book blast. To enter, scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget and start entering! 

And don't forget to visit each of the blogs on the Linky list below for your chance to win individual books! 

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** Giveaway Rules **

US residents can enter giveaways for either paperbacks or ebooks. International residents can enter ONLY for ebook giveaways. International residents can enter the grand prize giveaway, but they will only receive ebooks listed, or listed paperbacks will be exchanged for ebooks due to high shipping costs.

Review: The Last Best Hope

When a great occurrence in history is determined by a few key events, many wonder how history might have changed had those key events not happened, or happened differently. Such is the case with the Civil War. In David Parrot's, The Last Best Hope, this question is turned into the fictional story of Ezekiel Edwards and Chastity Stottish. 

One of the interesting tactics of this book the mixture of both historical figures and fictional characters. Lincoln himself plays a role, and it is interesting to see Parrott's view on how Lincoln may have handled defeat. The morose, sullen, and often cranky man is far from the Lincoln most of us picture, but was portrayed in a way that felt believable. The same could be said for many of the other notable historical characters like John Wilkes-Booth and The Pinkertons. The research done on these men showed through, and the creative license taken to incorporate them into this story brought them to life. 

The main characters, Ezekiel and Chastity, are both interesting characters. Ezekiel was more of a standout for me than Chastity, due partly to his larger bulk of the chapters, but also because of his deeper backstory and the confusion he is faced with after the war when he must struggle between making his fortune in this new world or standing up for what he once fought for. Chastity plays a smaller role as a willful daughter of a local tycoon. She is spirited and a lively character, but I didn't feel as though she had as much depth as Ezekiel, which made it more difficult for me to get into her character. The relationship that develops between the two was enjoyable. Their irritation at each other early on was a fun aspect, especially knowing that they really were fairly well suited for each other. 

This was an interesting take on what the United States (turned Confederate) might have been like. I felt like Parrot did a good job of creating a realistic alternate history. My main issue with the book as a whole was the pacing. For those who enjoy detailed historical novels, it may not be a problem. I had been hoping for a little more excitement and struggle and less of the workings of the oil business. I found myself only becoming seriously invested in the story about halfway through the book when Lincoln's life is in danger and Ezekiel steps in to give warning and help. If there had been more of this earlier on it would have held my attention better through the first half of the book. 

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but selectively. It's not going to be for everyone. 

Who would I recommend this book too? I think it is mainly going to attract serious historical and Civil War era readers. Those looking for an action or adventure story may not get what they were after. Those looking for a serious romance won't be pulled in as much by Ezekiel and Chastity's story as more passionate romances. Readers who are willing to invest the time into this book will find it to be an interesting take on what might have been. 

The Last Best Hope is available now from Amazon. 

Favorites: The Last Best Hope

When writing a historical novel that takes and alternate view to what has really happened is undoubtedly a big task. There has to be a careful balance of fact and fiction. 

David Parrott manages this balance very well. He pulls in characters from history that played important roles in the Civil War and gives them new histories in this book. I liked the air of familiarity this gave the story, but at the same time was something quite new. 

Of course, telling this story with only historical characters would be very difficult, so a few new characters were needed. Even though the main character, Ezekiel, was based on several real people, his unique story was able to pull this alternate history right where the author wanted it to go. It created a well rounded and interesting story. 

The Last Best Hope is available now from Amazon. 

Interview: David Parrott

Today we have the chance to learn more about what inspired this novel, and how author David Parrot turned his musings about "what if" into a novel. 


1. What was your inspiration for "The Last Best Hope?" On the day I attended my nephew’s wedding at Gettysburg I had what I can only describe as a “ghost experience.”  The sun was setting and my wife and I were slowly driving through the battlefield, and right at that moment Paul Robeson began singing “Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot” a capella on our car radio. Also at that moment, a pink tinged mist flowed down from the nearby mountains and made all the statues in the park appear to go into motion.  I felt the hair on the back of my neck raise up and a feeling that “they’re all still here” came over me. 
This was the impetus to begin a story about the men that died  (or were wounded) in that field on that day. In a bizarre twist, when I began to do serious research of the men involved in the events of the first day at Gettysburg, I found that the very spot I was at in my car ride that evening was where the Bucktail regiment made their last stand on July 1st, 1863.  I didn’t know that until after I had decided to base my story on the men who came down from the oilfields of Western Pennsylvania to fight there on that day.

2. How did you decide what would happen to the actual historical characters, like Lincoln, in this book? As I researched the battle more, I was influenced by a book on the events of the third day of Gettysburg that showed that only an extreme act of heroism by George Armstrong Custer and his Michigan cavalrymen kept the tide from turning for the South (see the book Lost Triumph: Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg--and Why It Failed  by military historian Tom Carhart.) This was typical of nonfiction history accounts which I read in my research. Very often the authors would say “if events had not happened in just this way, the South might have won at Gettysburg and turned the tide of the War.”  
Following that line of reasoning, I looked at some of the plans that had been made if the South did win at Gettysburg.  There was an army, led by Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard that was poised outside Washington, ready to assault the capital and Lincoln.  My story accepts that premise, that if the Confederates won at Gettysburg, they would have concentrated their forces on capturing Washington, DC, and deposing Lincoln.  
In my story, the White House is sacked and Lincoln is shot.  His bodyguards (who were Pennsylvania Bucktails) spirit him off into the woods. Most people think he is dead. These events have a profound impact on him, and he is bitter and angry about what has happened to his family, himself, and his nation. 

3. How much research was involved in writing this? I spent several years writing and researching drafts of this story. I have a master’s degree in historical theology, and that training helped me know how to do the research. I was given excellent access to historical material at the Drake Well museum in Western Pennsylvania, including rare and restricted archival writing, maps, and photographs.  I also spent time with Titusville historian and author Steve Karns. 
My nephew owns a farm at Gettysburg, so I used that as my base for on-site research at the battlefield.  In addition to that, I have a number of friends who are Civil War re-enactors who read drafts of this story and made pointed criticisms of any inaccuracies they found in the text. I was also given access to documents and materials by the county historical societies in my area, and read dozens of books, including regimental histories and first person accounts of the early days of the oilfields in Western PA. 

4. Can you tell us a little about the main character, Ezekiel Edwards? Edwards is a combination of historical figures. In my research on the Civil War I learned that there were a number of men who showed up in their hometown after the war, to find that everyone thought they were dead. (Some even had graves and tombstones to visit.)  This accounts for the part of his story that concerns his wife thinking him dead and remarrying (that actually happened to some soldiers.) His New England background is based on several historical figures. The first was Jonathon Edwards  the famous Puritan preacher and philosopher. The other two men were both named Chamberlain – Joshua Chamberlain, the hero of Little Round Top, and another Captain Chamberlain who was the leader of the Bucktails, was from New England, and who was injured on the first day of the battle and carried to McPherson’s barn. He was shot in the shoulder, but recovered to write the 150th Bucktails regimental history. 
Each of these characters lent some of their story to my invented character Ezekiel Edwards. The parts about being taken to Pittsburg (old spelling) to recover are authentic, and I think he is fairly typical of the educated class of men who were prominent both in the Civil War and in the oilfields like Pithole, PA. 

5. Chastity Stottish is another important figure. Can you describe the role she plays? She is a nurse in Pittsburg, and is also the somewhat spoiled daughter of a wealthy iron mill owner, her father Solomon Stottish.  She is headstrong, independent and unconventional (few young ladies were allowed to become nurses then, it was too risqué.) She is also extremely unconventional in that she is in love with an African American slave when the story begins. But the conflicts inherent in that situation come to a head when she gets further involved as a love interest of Ezekiel Edwards, who is sent to “fetch her” by her wealthy father. She also plays a key role as Abraham Lincoln’s nurse. He is grouchy and morose, and she must put up with not only his moods, but his reputation and position. If she loses this patient to his injuries it will have a dramatically bad effect on the nation.  
Through the romantic relationships that she has with Marcus the slave, and later with Ezekiel Edwards, I try to show that she grows as a person – from being something of a brat, to someone who plays a key role in the development of the story and the unfolding of events. 

6. How did you chose the setting for this book? I’ve mentioned the events which led to me writing about Gettysburg, and Pittsburg,  but the main setting for the story is in Pithole, PA.  I first heard about Pithole while riding a tourist train through the Oil Creek Valley. The docent on the train pointed to a stream coming down a hillside and said “Up that valley is Pithole. A million dollars a day in gold changed hands in that town in 1865, and there was a murder a day.”  Just that chance remark made me think it was a great setting for a suspense novel.  

7. Even with the South winning the civil war and slavery remaining legal in this book, there is still a desire for many to live differently. How is that portrayed in this book? I think the fact that Lincoln survives, and his dream for an America really built on the ideals that he believed in – that America could not be “a house divided – it shall have to be all slave, or all free” animate this story. When he later talked about a nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the principle that all men are created equal” I think it was a watershed moment in American history and thought.  
With hindsight we are able to look back and say that the triumph of freedom for all people in America was inevitable.  But it was not inevitable for those who had to fight to end slavery –  many of the historians I have read see the outcome at several key points in the struggle to be in doubt.  I think what my story tries to suggest is that even if the cause was lost, the struggle would have continued on, and that spirit of liberty and freedom that is at the heart of the American experiment would have prevailed. I think that is portrayed by the events at the end of the book when General Grant appears on the scene. 

8. Who are your favorite authors? I grew up reading American authors like John D. MacDonald and Taylor Caldwell. I later came to be very interested in British writers like J.R.R. Tolkein, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis. I like their combination of myth and fantasy in their work.  But I still have some American favorites like that I like to read currently, like Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson, who do a mix of fantasy and science fiction, and the Gorky Park author, Martin Cruz Smith.

9. Do you have any interesting rituals or habits when you write? Nothing very special, although I do like to put on music from the period I am writing about and I find that inspiring. 

10. Can you tell us about any future projects?  I have thought about a sequel to my current Civil War novel that features U.S. Grant, but the main thing I currently have on the back burner is an apocalypse story that combines elements of the Christian view of the “end times” with elements of the what I call the “scientific apocalypse” – massive climate change, plagues, etc.  

The Last Best Hope is available now from Amazon. 

Introducing: David Parrot

Let's get to know a little more about David Parrot and what inspired this alternate history novel. And don't forget to come back tomorrow for a behind the scenes look at how The Last Best Hope came to be. 

"David L. Parrott was born in Detroit, but as a boy he lived in Pittsburgh and Sweden. He spent his formative years in DuBois, Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor s from Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, California, then moved to Boston where he studied church history and languages at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, with some coursework at Harvard Divinity School. While in Massachusetts, he earned a master s in historical theology and worked restoring colonial homes. 

When he returned to Pennsylvania he ran a small construction business while writing fiction in his spare time. He and his wife, Leslie have two children, Travis and Lauren. Because his wife is of Japanese-American descent, he began researching the internent of the Japanese-Americans (including his wife s entire extended family) during World War II. This research led to his first historical novel MURDER IN MANZANAR. His other published work is a humorous mystery, THE CURIOUS CASE OF PUNXSY PHIL based on the legend of the weather predicting groundhog. 

David s interest in the Civil War grew from his work in church history as well as the connections between the oil region of Western Pennsylvania and the battlefields of the Civil War. His nephew owns a farm at Gettysburg and a number of the author s friends are active Civil War re-enactors and historians. These connections helped him in his research while writing THE LAST BEST HOPE. It also helped to have a sister, Dr. Jayne Magee, who teaches writing at a community college in Ohio: she has helped improve the story with her insightful comments. He is currently working as a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the Communications Media department and teaches courses on communications theory and scriptwriting. He is completing a doctorate in that field, with a research interest in foreign language acquisition in 3D virtual worlds using avatars, while continuing to write in his spare time. His interests include writing, history, restoration of antique British cars, and German toy trains." 

The Last Best Hope is available now from Amazon.