Silver Dagger Book Tours
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
Silver Dagger Book Tours

 

Blue Fire - Book Tour and Giveaway

2/22/2022

22 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Blue Fire
A Victoria Emerson Thriller Book 2
by John Gilstrap
Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Picture
John Gilstrap, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave novels, continues his acclaimed Victoria Emerson thriller series with Blue Fire.  In the wake of a global conflict that has devastated America, one woman must lead—and protect—a community of survivors determined to rebuild all they have lost . . .
 
They call it Hell Day—a world war that lasted less than twenty-four hours. Nations unleashed weapons that destroyed more than a century’s worth of technology. Electrical grids cannot generate power. Communications and computers cannot run. And the remnants of the U. S. government cannot be depended upon. Those who survived must live as their ancestors did, off a land ruled by the whims of nature.    
 
One-time congressional representative Victoria Emerson has become the new leader of the small town of Ortho, West Virginia. She has been struggling to provide food and shelter for the town’s inhabitants, while coping with desperate refugees. An autumn morning’s calm is shattered when her teenage son sounds the alarm with the cry “Blue Fire”—the code phrase for imminent danger.
 
A band of National Guardsmen intends to take Ortho and its resources for themselves. They have enough soldiers and firepower to eliminate anyone who dares to stop them. But Victoria swore an oath to defend and protect her people, and she isn’t about to surrender. It’s time to tap into the traditional American values of courage, ingenuity, and determination – and fight fire with fire.



Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kensington * Kobo * BooksAMillion * BookShop


Picture
Picture
​Chapter One


Victoria Emerson heard the urgency in the tone before she understood the words. She pivoted toward the back door as she rose from the table that she’d transformed into a makeshift desk in what used to be a diner called Maggie’s Place. Since the days immediately following the war, Maggie’s had served as an ersatz city hall. Her knees scooted her chair across the wooden floor as she stood.
“What on earth is that?” asked Ellie Stewart. They’d been meeting about the status of the clothing bank now that winter was clearly in the air.
“Whatever it is, it sounds important.” Victoria opened the door.
A horse approached at a full gallop. Its rider, her fourteen-year old son Luke, hung tight to the saddle horn with his left hand while he slapped the reins with his right. Never setting a horse until a few weeks ago, he’d taken to it well, but he was pushing the beast way too hard on the asphalt roadway.
“Blue fire!” he yelled. “Coming down the river! Blue fire! Coming down the river!”
Victoria’s heart skipped a beat and then doubled its rate.
“Is he shouting blue fire?” Ellie asked, leaping to her feet. Everyone understood Blue fire to be the code phrase for the highest level of alert. It meant imminent danger from deadly forces, whether man-made or from natural causes.
Victoria didn’t answer. Instead, she reached back inside the door and grabbed the M4 rifle that was never more than a few feet away from her. It was a sad fact about feral, terrified humans that violence came more instinctively than kindness. That was a lesson hard-learned in the first days after the war.
Slinging the rifle over her shoulder, she adjusted the pistol on her hip to make room for the stock, and stepped the rest of the way outside. She waved, trying to get Luke’s attention, but he was focused on spreading the word on imminent peril. She shivered against the chill of the autumn air and jogged around the side of the building to jog toward the intersection of [X & Y] streets, the spot that had evolved by silent consensus to be the social and governmental center here in Ortho, West Virginia.
This unincorporated little burgh had never had its own town government, instead taking leadership from a county whose real leaders had evaporated, either killed in the attacks and their aftermath, or just choosing to go away. Those who remained had survived the unspeakable destruction of Hell Day—the eight-hour conflict that left the world in ruins—but all the technology and conveniences of the 21st century were gone. Even the previous century was beyond reach. Electricity was a memory, and without it little else worked. Most of the homes that existed on Hell Day had propane in the tanks buried in their backyards, and as long as pressure remained, the gas could flow. But the clock was clicking down on that, too.
Equipment that used microcircuitry or was even moderately computerized had been transformed by electromagnetic pulse into paperweights and doorstops. A few ancient cars still worked, but without electricity to power pumps, it was a daunting challenge to raise gasoline from underground tanks where it languished unused.
As she hurried toward the square, Victoria looked across the street and caught the eye of Army Major Joe McCrea, who returned a look of dread. He had not made the progress he’d been hoping for on the construction of barricades to provide some level of protection from miscreants and marauders. The town still reeled from the attack from the Grubbs gang just a few weeks before.
Rifle in hand, McCrea jogged to intersect Victoria’s path to the square. She slowed, but only slightly.
“This better not be a mistake,” McCrea said, making a broad gesture to the dozens of people who were responding to the call and flooding toward the square. “That would be a bad way to start.”
The emergency response protocol was new to everyone. Most agreed that a swift response was key to mitigating any emergency, and they’d voted overwhelmingly to arm themselves while outside their homes. Those with access to long guns—in this part of the world, that meant just about everyone—agreed to keep that heavier firepower close at all times.
McCrea’s biggest fear about the new alarm protocol, which he’d voiced only to Victoria, was overreaction and alarm fatigue. People had different opinions of what emergencies looked like, and if miscalculations resulted in a series of false alarms, especially in the early days, the system would quickly fall apart.
The fact that Luke Emerson was the first Paul Revere to trigger the alert protocol made it even more important that the emergency be real. Victoria had risen to leadership in Ortho by default rather than by election, and while her support remained strong among the original residents of the town, the daily flood of newcomers placing demands on the community’s already limited resources were forcing her to make decisions that were increasingly unpopular.


Picture
Picture
Picture

Crimson Phoenix
A Victoria Emerson Thriller Book 1

Picture
Brad Taylor meets The Stand in a riveting novel of suspense kicking off a brand new series perfect for fans of the page-turning novels of A.G. Riddle, Mark Greaney, and Matthew Mather.
 
“One of the most singular and compelling heroines to come along in years.”
—Jeffery Deaver, 
New York Times bestselling author
 
“Snaps with action from the very first page.”
—Marc Cameron, 
New York Times bestselling author of Stone Cross and of Tom Clancy’s Code of Honor 

From John Gilstrap, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave novels, comes Crimson Phoenix—first in the new Victoria Emerson Thriller series.  With America brought to the brink of destruction, one woman becomes the last hope of a nation and its people . . .
 
Victoria Emerson is a congressional member of the U. S. House of Representatives for the state of West Virginia. Her aspirations have always been to help her community and to avoid the ambitious power plays of her peers in Washington D. C. Then Major Joseph McCrea appears on her doorstep and uses the code phrase Crimson Phoenix, meaning this is not a drill. The United States is on the verge of nuclear war. Victoria must accompany McCrea to a secure bunker. She cannot bring her family.
 
A single mother, Victoria refuses to abandon her three teenage sons. Denied entry to the bunker, they nonetheless survive the nuclear onslaught that devastates the country. The land is nearly uninhabitable. Electronics have been rendered useless. Food is scarce. Millions of scared and ailing people await aid from a government that is unable to regroup, much less organize a rescue from the chaos.
 
Victoria devotes herself to reestablishing order—only to encounter the harsh realities required of a leader dealing with desperate people . . .
 
“Just the thing for readers who feel oppressed by the pandemic lockdown.”
--
Kirkus Reviews

“A gripping page-turner.”
—Taylor Stevens, 
New York Times bestselling author
 
“An explosive story that keeps your mind churning and pulse racing . . . Don't miss this powerful new series from a master thriller writer.”
—Jamie Freveletti, international bestselling and award-winning author




Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kensington * Kobo * BooksAMillion * BookShop


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of award-winning action novels including the Jonathan Grave Thrillers and the Victoria Emerson Thrillers. A master of action-driven suspense, his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is the recipient of an International Thriller Writers’ Award for Against All Enemies, the ALA Alex Award for Nathan’s Run, and a two-time ITW Award finalist. A nationally recognized weaponry and explosives safety expert as well as a National Shooting Sports Foundation member, John Gilstrap frequently speaks at conferences, events, clubs, youth programs, and military bases. He is a former firefighter and EMT with a master’s degree in safety from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. John lives in Fairfax, Virginia.


Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

​
Picture
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Feb 22
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
A Pinch of Bookdust
Craving Lovely Books
The Faerie Review

Feb 23
Readers Roost
Westveil Publishing
Bedazzled By Books

Feb 24
Literary Gold
Reading Authors Network
Insane Books

Feb 25
Booklover-Sue
Lady Hawkeye
eBook Addicts

Feb 26
The Book Junkie Reads . . .
A Wonderful World of Words
Scrupulous Dreams

Feb 27
Alternative-Read.com - REVIEW
Authors From Everywhere
The Bookshelf Fairy

Feb 28
A Reader's Book Corner
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼
The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'

Mar 1
Romance - Sweet to Heat
The Library of Erana
❧Defining Ways❧

Mar 2
#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ
Writing Dreams

Mar 3
Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Books all things paranormal and romance
Girl with Pen

Mar 4
Anna del C. Dye official page
Inside the Insanity
The Book Dragon

Mar 5
Buried Under Books - REVIEW
Sylv.net
Liliyana Shadowlyn

Mar 6
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Cover Love Book Blog

Mar 7
nanasbookreviews
Tina Donahue - Heat with Heart
Midnight Book Reader

Mar 8
Book Lovers 4Ever
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author
Teatime and Books
Twisted Book Ramblings

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Picture
22 Comments
Kari B
2/22/2022 08:00:44 am

Sounds like a gripping end-of-the-world thriller with an amazing lead character.

Reply
Rita Wray
2/22/2022 10:22:11 am

Sounds like a good book.

Reply
Marcy Meyer
2/22/2022 12:21:26 pm

I like the cover. It looks really good. I enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds great.

Reply
wendy hutton
2/22/2022 02:22:48 pm

this sounds like an intersting book

Reply
Beyond Comps
2/22/2022 02:56:10 pm

Great cover!

Reply
bn100
2/22/2022 04:26:12 pm

nice covers

Reply
Bernie Wallace
2/22/2022 05:02:29 pm

How long did it take you to write your book?

Reply
Sherry
2/22/2022 05:47:44 pm

I love the covers and think the books sound good.

Reply
Debbie P
2/22/2022 11:54:47 pm

This sounds like a great read. Nice cover.

Reply
Terri Quick
2/23/2022 12:14:13 am

Loving the cover

Reply
Barbara Montag
2/23/2022 09:06:59 am

Thriller, Suspense - a favorite genre of mine!
With a fantastic cover & title.
Thank you for sharing this.

Reply
Karin
2/24/2022 06:43:42 am

Sounds like a great series

Reply
Wendy Jensen
2/24/2022 12:39:23 pm

The book details sound like a great thriller.

Reply
Amy F
2/26/2022 09:29:52 am

Great cover!

Reply
LYNN CLAYTON
2/27/2022 07:41:32 pm

looks.good

Reply
Nancy
2/28/2022 07:46:47 pm

I love the bold colored symbols on the covers of your books.

Reply
Emily Gibb
3/3/2022 09:48:29 am

Amazing Design for the cover

Reply
Danielle Day
3/3/2022 06:49:04 pm

It sounds good.

Reply
K
3/4/2022 01:15:00 pm

I can't wait to read this! It sounds so interesting. Thank you for sharing this! :)

Reply
latisha depoortere
3/4/2022 04:25:41 pm

Thank you so much for sharing!

Reply
NANCY
3/7/2022 12:40:17 pm

Sounds terrific

Reply
Renata
3/7/2022 11:05:13 pm

Sounds good!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Activity Book
    Adventure
    African American
    Alt History
    Anthology
    Apocalyptic
    Audiobook
    Australian
    Bdsm
    Billionaire Romance
    Biography
    Chick Lit
    Childrens
    Christian
    Coloring Book
    Comedy
    Coming Of Age
    Contemporary Fiction
    Contemporaryromance
    Contemporary Romance
    Cookbook
    Cozymystery
    Cozy Mystery
    Crime
    Cyberpunk
    Dark
    Dark Romance
    Drama
    Dystopian
    Educational
    Eroticromance
    Erotic Romance
    Fairytale
    Fantasy
    Financial
    Giveaway-hop
    Gothic
    Health-and-wellness
    Historical
    Historicalromance
    Historical-romance
    Holiday
    Horror
    Humorous
    Inspirational
    Legal-thriller
    Lgbtq
    Literaryfiction
    Mafiaromance
    Mafia-romance
    Magicrealism
    Magic-realism
    Mcromance
    Mc-romance
    Memoir
    Menage
    Middlegrade
    Middle-grade
    Military
    Mystery
    Newadult
    New Adult
    Nonfiction
    Paranormal
    Paranormalromance
    Paranormal Romance
    Parenting
    Pets
    Poetry
    Postapocalyptic
    Pulp-fiction
    Reverseharemromance
    Reverse-harem-romance
    Rockstarromance
    Rockstar-romance
    Romance
    Romanticcomedy
    Romantic Comedy
    Romanticsuspense
    Romantic Suspense
    Satirical
    Sciencefiction
    Science Fiction
    Scifi
    Scifiromance
    Scifi Romance
    Selfhelp
    Shortstories
    Short-stories
    Speculativefiction
    Speculative Fiction
    Sportsromance
    Steampunk
    Supernatural
    Suspense
    Sweetromance
    Thriller
    Timetravel
    Time-travel
    Urban
    Urbanfantasy
    Urban Fantasy
    Western
    Womensfiction
    Womens Fiction
    Ya
    Youngadult
    Young-adult
    Youngadultya
    Young Adult Ya

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

© 2021 Silver Dagger Book Tours