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Dahlia - Book Tour and Giveaway

5/7/2021

107 Comments

 
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Dahlia:
The Velvet Witch and Her Dark Spirit
by David Minutillo

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romantic Thriller

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Making a pact with the underworld isn’t a problem …
… but change the deal and hell breaks loose.

Dahlia’s world was turned upside down as a child and her innocence taken. But she chose to fight back with her own blend of magical mayhem. Levi has been let down by every person he’s ever loved. He’s betrayed, lost and about to end it all.

London, 2019. Our star-crossed lovers meet at a tattoo festival on the Thames. Big Ben might look the same, but magic is spilling onto the streets as Dahlia’s dark spirit begs for blood. Can she keep her raging orbit in check long enough to survive? Are they doomed? Or can Levi save them both?

You'll love this paranormal thrill-ride of beauty, chaos and despair which will keep you guessing until the bitter end.




** Only .99 cents!!**
Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Audible * Google * Kobo

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​Dahlia and I sink into each other as the energy builds in her too. We’re both glowing like brilliant suns with a need to prove nothing and gain it all. I close my eyes, put my hands on her belly and feel the force that’s giving her life. 
The waves are pushing out to my extremities, each stronger and more powerful than the last. It’s like the surge of pure ecstasy, but it doesn’t dissipate as they break. This is a tidal wave with such force it could shift a city. I become queasy as my stomach starts to spasm. It wants to get the tea out and fast. I close my eyes and force my inner muscles to hold it down. Eventually, after retching several times, the tumble dryer settles, and I’m able to sink back into the bliss. 
The owl hoots again. 
“Are you ok?” she asks as her eyes flicker closed. 
I can’t manage a yes, just a long, satisfying groan as I fall deeper from reality. The waves have completely subsided and left a spiritual glow in every corner of my being. I close my lids and can see into my mind. I’m standing in the centre of my thoughts, watching neurons fire as they communicate with each other. Dahlia is standing next to me, barefoot and brilliant.


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A small travel journal on a family holiday to Italy in 2005 would become the catalyst for my first book. After bad weather forced us inside, I found myself scribing a story about a fictional character named, Lucca from Portofino. Balcony Nights – Tales of a Moonlit Guitarist was born, and for the next year, my keyboard took a beating as my imagination leapt into print.
But my downfall was self-belief. And eventually, niggling inadequacy won the battle, and I shelved the project. Over the next decade, I would get random hot flushes of enthusiasm and open the manuscript from time to time. Though inevitably, after a day’s tinkering, I would see a complete rewrite was in order and quietly back away from the near finished draft.
Ironically, another holiday would change all that, when I read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (the Holy Bible for anyone suffering with procrastination). It was time to kick my own ass into submission and get a book finished. The idea for Dahlia came into my head a few days later, and once again, I spent morning and night, before and after long days of work, bashing away at the keys. One day I looked up and there it was. A 120,000 word, completed manuscript.
Not long after, came the redundancy call from Egan. And just like that, I was a full-time writer. It’s now been a year and change since that day, and I couldn’t be prouder of sticking to my guns and working my ass off to make this dream come true. In that time, I’ve started and finished a novella called Travel Infinity, completed a second, 100K manuscript called Scarecrow and have just published my first novel called Dahlia - The Velvet Witch and Her Dark Spirit on all major sites.


Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads


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​Where did the idea for Dahlia come from? 



I love getting asked this because the story is so out there. 
 
In 2018 I was on a charity mission to East Timor. A few nights after we arrived, I woke at 1am and couldn’t switch my mind off. I decided a midnight mission through the markets outside our compound was in order. 
 
The smell of fresh fish and frying bread hung in the air. Locals haggled over produce and spat wads of beetle nut at their feet. Others shouted in Bahasa, a siren rang, a rooster sang his song proudly. I got burnt by bubbling oil and slipped on entrails. The bustle was so intoxicating I ventured deeper into the unknown.  
 
After buying some coffee flavoured sludge from a rickety stall, I noticed I was being watched by an eccentrically dressed, pretty woman in her forties. Her hair was wrapped in a black headscarf, her eyes were dark, she was heavily jewelled and had a different cut of face to the locals. Being the only white person in the markets, I was an outcast. And in her, I’d found an ally. 
 
I was summoned with a curling finger and was too scared to refuse. Her stall was no bigger than my pantry and was hidden behind a blackout curtain. Was this the start of an unwilling organ extraction? Was I about to get jumped for the wad of Rupiah in my pocket?  
 
We sat around a table no bigger than a pizza tray and after chanting a blessing, she gave me a beaded necklace and held it in my hand. “Shirt off,” she said in the only English she spoke during our interaction. I obeyed because I was under her spell. We sat and stared at each other. She mumbled as she gazed into my eyes, squeezed my shoulders, read my palm and pulled a random tarot card.  
 
Then, without warning or explanation, she disappeared out the back of her “office” to never return. I freaked out and made my escape a minute later. But the magic remained. 
 
Later that day, as I was laying bricks and sipping coconut water from the source, I started building the story that would become Dahlia : The Velvet Witch and Her Dark Spirit. The pretty witch was my partner, her mystical energy spread to me, she had a dark side which I discovered was because her soul belonged to a demon. She was mentally ill from years of suffering, but she was brave and kept fighting. 
 
I was so captivated I did something I hadn’t done in fifteen years and put pen to paper. I had 5,000 words when I landed in Perth. A year later I had 128,000. After another year of editing, I’d sharpened it to 87,000 words and uploaded the finished manuscript to Amazon, IngramSpark and Findaway Voices. 
 
Today, I’m writing the next story in the series … Dahlia : The Forest.  
 ​
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107 Comments
Bea LaRocca
5/7/2021 06:44:41 am

An intriguing synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like an exciting read. Thank you for sharing your guest post and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and am looking forward to reading your story

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David Minutillo link
5/7/2021 05:00:14 pm

Thank you for the kind words, Bea. Dahlia is definitely a one of a kind story and holds such a special place in my heart for so many reasons. I hope it ends up being the same for you.

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Michele Soyer
5/7/2021 06:56:04 am

I have not seen a book that draws me in this much in a very long time...A definite read for me... this book tour has made me aware of so many authors I had been exposed to before.. Thank you...

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David Minutillo link
5/7/2021 05:01:59 pm

Dahlia is devilishly enticing like that. Enjoy Michele. Feel free to contact me with any after thoughts, post read. :)

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Danielle Day
5/7/2021 07:21:37 am

Interesting and I think the cover works,

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Erin
5/7/2021 07:27:11 am

I am excited to read your book. It looks great! Thanks for sharing.

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Kari B
5/7/2021 07:57:20 am

Sounds like an exciting and dark world to escape to.

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Beyond Comps
5/7/2021 08:33:48 am

Great cover!

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:37:34 am

Thank you! I sweated over it for quite a while as it's a lot more basic than some of the other fantasy covers going around at he moment. But I couldn't be happier with it now and it seems to get a lot of compliments. I had it designed by a graphic designer on freelancer.com.

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Shirley Ann Speakman
5/7/2021 08:56:14 am

The book sounds very intriguing and I enjoyed the guest post..

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Marcy Meyer
5/7/2021 09:45:02 am

The cover looks really good.

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Robert Young
5/7/2021 10:31:29 am

Thank you for sharing about the book and about yourself as well.

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:39:54 am

You are welcome. I love sharing my story and the story of Dahlia. I'm very proud of both. I really didn't think I'd have a whole book in me, now I've finished three with a fourth underway.

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Rita Wray
5/7/2021 10:53:44 am

The book sounds very intriguing.

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Wendy Jensen
5/7/2021 11:08:28 am

The book details make this sound like a fantastic read.

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:47:21 am

I've read through it 30+ times now and I still love each pass. I really hope you enjoy it too.

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Rachel
5/7/2021 11:25:46 am

I love the backstory!

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Ann Fantom
5/7/2021 11:51:58 am

This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.

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Sara Zielinski
5/7/2021 12:01:10 pm

I think this book sounds amazing and the cover looks great!

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kelly tupick
5/7/2021 02:02:18 pm

The book sounds great and the cover looks awesome!

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Jon Heil
5/7/2021 02:04:21 pm

Wonder what hidden things will be exposed

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Paige Chandler
5/7/2021 02:36:37 pm

Perfect cover for this fantasy. GOOD WORK.

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wendy hutton
5/7/2021 02:49:50 pm

this sounds like a wonderful book

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Peggy Salkill
5/7/2021 02:54:09 pm

Sounds like a good read!

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Abigail Gibson
5/7/2021 03:09:45 pm

This looks super cool thank you for a chance to win and keep up the amazing work!

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Kelly D
5/7/2021 03:20:25 pm

The book details sound great. It is well written with interesting characters.

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Susan Smith
5/7/2021 03:41:00 pm

Sounds great, I like the cover and the excerpt.

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Bernie Wallace
5/7/2021 05:20:56 pm

How long did it take you to write your book?

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:53:10 am

Gday from Australia! I was working full time during the first draft so I was only able to get 2-3 hours a day in most days. It took just shy of a year to write. Then another 5-6 months full time to edit it. I had the Writers Guild of Victoria conduct two manuscript assessments then a final proof read by a local writer hear in Perth. Definitely feels good for it to be getting in the hands of readers now. Enjoy the read Bernie.

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 01:02:09 am

*here - Never underestimate the importance of a proof read or an editor. hehe

Debbie P
5/7/2021 05:44:48 pm

This sounds like a really great book.

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Ellie Wright
5/7/2021 05:59:44 pm

This sounds like a great book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

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Sherry
5/7/2021 06:05:30 pm

The cover is amazing and the book sounds great.

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David Hollingsworth
5/7/2021 06:34:32 pm

The cover is amazing and creepy!

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:57:15 am

Thank you David. That's exactly what I was going for. Enjoy the read.

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David Basile
5/7/2021 07:36:58 pm

The book sounds like a good read

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Timmy
5/8/2021 12:55:35 am

This book might actually grab my attention!

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Ginger Hafer
5/8/2021 03:59:56 am

Dramatic cover. The black and red coloring sets if off nicely. Sounds like an interesting story.

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:59:24 am

Red for passion, black for darkness. Sums up Dahlia perfectly. Thanks for the compliment. Enjoy the read.

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Barbara Montag
5/8/2021 12:28:04 pm

Urban Fantasy, Romantic Thriller - Love it & the eye catching cover!
Thank you for sharing the review.

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David Minutillo link
5/9/2021 12:56:14 am

Two of my favorite genres. Always got to have a good love story in the mix. Life is pretty boring without love. Enjoy!

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Cynthia C
5/8/2021 01:21:51 pm

The excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.

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Jamie Martin link
5/9/2021 04:18:10 pm

Do you have any advice for new writers?

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Debbi Wellenstein
5/9/2021 09:45:12 pm

I enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!

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Amy F
5/10/2021 04:41:48 pm

Intriguing cover design and excerpt!

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bn100
5/10/2021 10:29:30 pm

nice cover

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Kevin Shepherd
5/11/2021 10:00:32 am

This looks like a great read! Thank you

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Jenn
5/12/2021 09:43:34 pm

Sounds very intriguing! The excerpt is filled with a lot of description, which I love.

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David Minutillo link
5/15/2021 02:32:54 am

Thanks Jenn! I appreciate your kind words about the description. ALOT of effort went into getting that right. Enjoy the read!

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Judy Thomas
5/13/2021 06:15:18 am

I love the rather scary yet beautiful cover!

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Cathy French
5/13/2021 07:51:30 am

I love thrillers. This one sounds terrific and like that it will keep me guessing until the end.

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David Minutilo link
5/15/2021 02:31:43 am

So do I! Nothing like a bit of suspense to keep you engaged in a story-line. Enjoy Cathy!

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Jenny S
5/13/2021 07:51:41 am

The cover alone is a show stopper. If I saw it on a shelf I'd stop and pick it up to find out more.

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Molli Taylor
5/13/2021 09:25:53 am

i really like the cover, a little mysterious!

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shannon zeidan
5/13/2021 09:36:10 am

The cover really grabs my attention. I'm intrigued by the description too.

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David Minutillo link
5/15/2021 02:30:21 am

Thanks for the compliment. Hopefully you buy a copy and see that the inside is even better than the exterior. :)

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Nancy
5/13/2021 09:00:32 pm

I think that the cover of your book is very eye catching.

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Mary Cloud
5/13/2021 09:36:25 pm

No questions for the author. The book sounds interesting.

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Shana
5/14/2021 11:27:00 am

Congrats on the book

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tammy ta
5/14/2021 01:55:45 pm

I think the book details are very catching to the eye. \\i have no questions for the author.

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Melanie Borhi
5/14/2021 07:05:32 pm

the book sounds great love it!

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Veronica Lee link
5/15/2021 04:33:00 am

The book sounds very intriguing - can't wait to read this!

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Serge B
5/15/2021 12:12:36 pm

I enjoyed the excerpt

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Bryan Vice
5/16/2021 06:10:38 am

Wow this is a book I know I can get into looks very interesting

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Coline T. link
5/16/2021 11:39:57 am

Great cover and I appreciate getting to find out about another great book :-) thanks

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jan
5/16/2021 04:15:34 pm

i love how the story started - with a travel journal!

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Jenn
5/16/2021 08:36:26 pm

Oh to be 18 again, but minus the scary adventure! Sounds like a thriller!

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Olivia Parker
5/17/2021 07:25:45 am

I like the cover colors interesting expert i will read it. I like the author post and picture nice background. I am following author and book tour. Thanks

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julie murphy
5/19/2021 03:07:31 pm

How do you know if you will write a stand alone or a series?

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aaron r
5/19/2021 05:51:37 pm

Magical mayhew it's almost like the world that everyone is living in and that's really cool to me. Sometimes it does get twisted.

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Terri Quick
5/19/2021 07:50:41 pm

Cool cover

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Jessica C
5/20/2021 06:46:29 pm

I really like the cover of your book! Thank you for the chance to be entered, what has inspired you to write this book?

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Cindy Merrill
5/21/2021 09:27:32 am

Looks like a good story, a book I can get lost in on a rainy day.

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AuntySuzany
5/24/2021 06:55:49 pm

Love the cover, sounds intriguing! Thank you for sharing with us!

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Nancy E Loring
5/24/2021 08:11:43 pm

Isn't amazing how ideas just come into your head with no rhyme or reason.

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Julie Barrett
5/25/2021 08:55:58 am

I loved hearing how this story came to be and your writing process. Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a chilling read!

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LeonieT
5/27/2021 09:03:46 am

Initially it sounded too scary for me but if it contains romance there is hope for a happy ending.

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N. N. Light
5/27/2021 05:11:22 pm

Wow, that excerpt really grabbed me!

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Barrie
5/30/2021 09:40:53 pm

What a storyline! How did you come up with it!

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LYNN CLAYTON
5/30/2021 10:41:49 pm

oh this looks like a great read

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Lisa F.
5/31/2021 09:14:58 pm

Such an interesting story about where the idea came from for this book. That creativity process is intriguing.

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latisha depoortere
6/3/2021 02:59:23 pm

This sounds good thank you for sharing!

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Daniel M
6/3/2021 05:44:30 pm

like the cover

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Ally Gibson
6/3/2021 08:22:26 pm

Wow! The excerpt is amazing. I can't wait to read this book!

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Tracie Cooper
6/4/2021 08:31:05 am

Love the inspiration for the plot!

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Sarah L
6/6/2021 02:59:42 am

Looks like an interesting book.
Thanks for the contest. 

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avm
6/6/2021 07:30:39 pm

looks awesome

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Hesper Fry
6/6/2021 07:32:49 pm

The cover really catches the eye and I really enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds like a very interesting and good read!

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BILL HOFF
6/6/2021 08:01:03 pm

My daughter would enjoy this book

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Jen Reed
6/6/2021 09:03:17 pm

It looks like an exciting book and the cover is haunting looking.

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Juana Maria Esparza
6/6/2021 10:53:40 pm

I liked both the excerpt, and the book cover.

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Kayla Klontz
6/6/2021 11:04:06 pm

I really like the cover!!

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Virgil C Treadway
6/6/2021 11:55:05 pm

Great Job

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Heather Mahley
6/6/2021 11:55:42 pm

This sounds so good

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Renata
6/7/2021 12:02:15 am

Creepy cover

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Debra Ellen Jensen
6/7/2021 12:39:23 am

I think it sounds like a good book

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jennifer galindo
6/7/2021 06:09:10 pm

What was your inspiration for this book?

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jason jennings
6/7/2021 08:46:16 pm

love it sounds great

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Janine Hwang
6/7/2021 08:47:47 pm

I love the inspiration behind this book and the black and red colors of the cover

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Leigh Nichols
6/7/2021 08:52:29 pm

Love the haunting cover- can't wait to read this!

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Stacey A Smith
6/7/2021 09:16:40 pm

sounds very deep! but good!

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Anita Jude
6/7/2021 09:35:51 pm

I love the book details and the cover looks mysterious

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Buddy Garrett
6/7/2021 09:39:13 pm

It sounds like a very interesting read.

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Cassandra D
6/7/2021 10:16:39 pm

Interesting guest post.

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Betty Curran
6/7/2021 10:23:30 pm

This sounds like such an intriguing story. And I love the cover design.

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Sand
6/7/2021 10:28:09 pm

Sounds like a great book!

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megan allen
6/7/2021 11:11:15 pm

This looks really good! I am definitely adding to the top of my tbr!

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