Mind Sieve 7/16/21

Table of Contents

1) News/Musings

2) StoryOrigin Swap

3) Mini Movie Reviews

4) Movie Previews

Greetings!

I hope you’re having a great summer! It’s getting scorching out there. 🔥

Now if I could only get my back muscles to behave. 😆

I want to write!

News/Musings

Black Jade Book Tour and Giveaway July 12-July 18, 2021

There’s still time to join the fun and get a free copy of Black Jade! This has been put together by the great folks at Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours! There are a few days left, so why not visit these fine folks. 😁

The Url with all the details is here.

BLACK JADE TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 12 – Novels Alive – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 12 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

July 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

July 17 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW

July 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 18 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

Over at Goodreads, reviews are at 25 ratings and 24 written reviews. The average rating at the moment is 4.28 out of 5 stars. 😁 YES! 

Over at Amazon, it has hit 10 reviews! Booyah! All those weeks of contacting reviewers are paying off. 😁

Work continues on Book 2. It is tentatively titled White Gold! I’ve got most of the main items figured out and a possible theme. I have not been able to write as much as I’ve wanted to though. 😭

I am trying to see if I can swap every week between WIPs so Breaking Dawn Cleaners will also get some love. My back muscle is not helping with writing though. I’m pushing to try to start some exercises to strengthen the thing. Wish me luck!!!!!

This month I am trying some other new things, too. I caved and joined StoryOrigin. It’s a multi-purpose site where authors can swap newsletter mentions, do group promotions, create universal purchase links, and more.

I’m trying to check anyone I am swapping with, so I don’t share anything that doesn’t look like good quality on you, plus it gives you a chance at freebies! The groups I am joining at the moment will be free books for reviews. But this time around, I am doing a newsletter swap. I decided to include it in the blog post as well. See below!

StoryOrigin Swap!

Darkest Depths by Yolanda Allard

Do you want to know why you’ve never heard of real live mermaids? Because I killed them all. Just kidding, that’s just what I’m trying to do. Mermaids, unfortunately, are real, and they’re smart. Smart enough to stay out of reality TV. But they’re not red-headed nor wonder-struck.

They’re evil.

In every sense of the word. From their razor-sharp teeth to their gelatinous tail. Their main source of nourishment is you, your delicious human flesh. And they can look just like you.

Unless you happen to notice the reflective sheen in their eyes or the fangs that come out right before they eat you alive. It’s my mission to kill every last one, and then hopefully, maybe, save your butt… if I have time. So, do us both a favor, stay out of my way. Stay in the sunshine where they can’t travel. I and the other hunters have got the nights covered and soaked in the black blood of mermaids.

Regards,
Harper Hatchet, Mermaid Hunter

Mini Movie Reviews 

★ – Why did I go see this? Why?!
★★ – Showed promise but on execution, crashed
★★★ – Enjoyable, just don’t look under the hood too closely
★★★★ – A great film, totally worth seeing!
★★★★★ – 🤯 Too fabulous for words!

Fast and Furious 9

F9 was a bit of a disappointment. The over the top stunts and the needed suspension of disbelief are a given, so that wasn’t their issue. The problem was with the plot and character motivations. While they tried to explain Dom’s brother and their competitive natures, the explanations didn’t jive with what was going on. His brother becoming a rogue agent didn’t fit the motivations shown and no explanations were ever given. The money guy went from one partner to another, but nothing in the film supported this move. Also, during one of the sequences in an enemy vehicle, all the people we’d seen inside it, weren’t there when Dom goes from room to room. They’ve definitely done better. 😭

Rating: ★★★ out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Boss Baby: Family Business

This sequel to Boss Baby explores several family-related themes. The babies are adorable! The ninja kids are super awesome! (I have a soft spot for ninjas.) There are several teary moments and “ahhh” moments, as well as one of the creepiest girls EVER! The pony was a hoot. But where it fell short was the bad guy. The acting and secret were great, but they showed no foundations on how he could do what he did. He did not belong to Baby Corp, so they never cover how he was able to talk or act like an adult. If you can ignore that, the film is rather fun.

Rating: ★★★.5 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Black Widow

Despite being shelved for several years, the film was worth the wait. A couple of points will seem off at the beginning but make sense later as more information is revealed. All the fights and stunts are awesome. The interplay between the characters was great. Several teary-eyed moments. One extra scene at the very end of the credits. It soured the experience a little for me, as I could not believe Yelena would be doing the work they imply after all the family went through. Guess I will have to wait for the next film to see what they do with this. 😝

But, overall, it was a lot of fun!

Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Previews 

Turning Red – Teaser trailer – looks awesome! Lol. Love the tagline – “Growing up is a beast.” 

Hotel Transylvania 4 – I LOVE the premise! LOL. Some of the monsters get turned into humans. Bwahahahahahaha!

The Suicide Squad – appears like the original is being rebooted. Looks great so far. I will be seeing it purely for Harley and King Shark! (Voiced by Sylvester Stallone) (Yes, a character that is literally a walking shark!) He looks awesome! Oh! Nathan Fillion is in this! Sweet!

Venom: Let there be Carnage – Yes! A Venom 2 movie! Sweet! Loved all the snark in the first one. Hee!

Have a great weekend!!!

See you in a couple of weeks!

Gloria

Black Jade Blog Book Tour and more!

I have several things to share with ya'll this week! :)

Black Jade Book Tour July 12-July 18, 2021

Yep, now that Black Jade has been released, we’re going to have a blog book tour! This has been put together by the great folks at Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours!

The Url with all the details is here.

The Black Jade Audiobook is live!

 

Tom Briggs did a great job on the audiobook for Black Jade! We thought it would take 30 days to get ACX to check the files and for the audiobook to go live, so imagine our surprise to see it go LIVE today!

You can find the audiobook at Amazon, Audible, and iTunes!

There’s a 5 minute so sample available there, so you can check out how it sounds. 😁

I’ve also been told that you can listen to your audiobooks through Alexa! You listen on any Alexa device or on the Alexa app on your phone, all you have to do is say “Alexa – state title” and off you go.

Now both the audiobook and trade paperback versions are live. The ebook versions will go live on 6/20/21! Yes, just in time for Father’s Day! Bwahaha!

Over at Goodreads, you can check out the 11 reviews and 10 ratings the book has already received. In case you needed more convincing. 😝

(Joke!) The average rating at the moment is 4.30 out of 5 stars. Not too shabby! 😁

Please feel free to share the URLs with anyone you think might be interested. I would super appreciate the help! 🥰🥰🥰

Upcoming Virtual Reading and Two Giveaways!

 

Strong Women — Strange Worlds Virtual Readings

Strange Women – Stange Worlds is doing a set of live virtual readings from speculative fiction authors. The event is free and will be on the Zoom platform. More info on the overall event at http://nydamnprints.com/StrongWomenStrangeWorlds.html

I am scheduled to read from the science fiction novel “Alien Redemption” on Friday 6/4/21. All the times on the poster are EST. So my reading with five fellow authors will be at 11 AM CST. You have to pre-register https://bit.ly/345p7ZI

Take a quick lunch break for a vacation from the everyday world!  😁 

I’m participating in two giveaways this month! The first is Adventures of a Lifetime – a Fantasy Group Giveaway sponsored by Prolific Works.

The second giveaway is also at Prolific works – Space Exploration – Sci-Fi Group Giveaway.

A Black Jade Audiobook?

Yep! There’s going to be a Black Jade audiobook! 🥳

It was not something I’d originally planned, but…

The reader for the book will be Tom Briggs – he has about 15 yrs experience recording books for the blind or the visually impaired. He also has a weekly radio program on Radio Eye (a closed circuit program available to persons with visual difficulties) and he is actively involved with VIPS (Visually Impaired Preschool Services). With Dai being blind, this seemed a great fit for both of us.

I’ll keep you posted!

I think that’s it! I hope you had a fabulous week!

Gloria

P.S. Happy reading!

Black Jade Cover Reveal Plus!

 

The cover above is for my latest novel called “Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery.” The first book in a new series of cozy historical mysteries! (Uhm, my first ever series, too. So nervous about that part! Lol.) 😄

Awesome art and cover by the talented Charles Bernard!

Here’s the back matter:

Could an old-fashioned ballgown be used to commit murder?

Daiyu Wu is aware that fear of the Yellow Terror has made her nationality a rare breed in the Lone Star State. Being Chinese and blind makes her doubly unique in 1930 Dallas. Despite these impediments, anyone who dismisses her for either fact does so at their peril.

One day, at her family-owned laundry business, Dai detects the scent of burned garlic. With the help of her companion, Jacques, the source is soon discovered. It is a green ballgown. The gown has money pinned inside it to pay for the cleaning, but oddly, it came with no address label to identify its owner. Her extensive knowledge leads Dai to believe someone has committed murder using arsenic. The perpetrator is trying to use White Laundry to hide the evidence. But no mention of foul play turns up in the newspapers, and there’s not enough proof to convince the police there’s been a crime.

Her curiosity and intellect stimulated like never before; Dai ignores the possible consequences and sets out to solve the mystery with the help of her canine companion, Prince Razor, and her confidant, Jacques Haskins. It’s either that or let the killer get away with it — assuming a spoiled popinjay, his jealous self-appointed girlfriend, and Dai’s overprotective parents don’t get in her way.

A Daiyu Wu Mystery – Book 1

It is currently LIVE for Trade paperbacks (long story), and on pre-order for ebook editions. Reviews are coming soon!

Trade - Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733951164

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/black-jade-a-daiyu-wu-mystery

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-jade-gloria-oliver/1139321955

Apple https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1564384317

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Black-Jade-Daiyu-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B094PXSNPS

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1080675

Here’s the first chapter to give you a taste! laughing

Black Jade – Chapter 1

“Jacques, I need you!”

My copy of the Dallas Morning News twirled to the floor as I jumped to my feet. The rare emotions in the summons made my pulse race. It wasn’t often that my companion felt either surprise or excitement, and I’d just heard both. “What is it, Dai?”

“Can you smell it?”

Daiyu was the only child of the immigrant Wu family. She was also the principal reason for the continued success of White Laundry. My companion wasn’t what anyone would expect. She was more of a ‘doll’ than most women called by the moniker could ever hope to be. A mere four foot eight, she was a tiny thing—but assuming that was all she was would be a grave mistake.

“Lye? Soap?” I had no idea how anyone could smell anything else in here.

Dai half-turned on her stool, her dainty gloved hands on her lap. “Garlic, Jacques. I smell burned garlic.”

Her straight black hair fell to just above her shoulders. It was untouched by the finger waves currently in fashion, so there was nothing to detract from its silky fall around her heart-shaped face and almond eyes. Her skin was the color of yellowed porcelain, but the bad lighting in the crowded work area made it seem darker, like transparent yellow amber. A line of perspiration trailed down her long neck, the only sign that she was bothered by the laundry’s oppressive humidity. Her opaque teashade glasses sat ignored at their assigned spot on the worktable, along with the chemicals and powders she mixed for the family business. Her meticulous efforts and her enhanced sense of smell gave her family’s company an edge over the few remaining Chinese laundries in town, and placed them at an even more significant advantage over the American ones. The glasses themselves were more to ease other people’s discomfort than her own. She did not need them. Dai had been blind from birth, her unseeing eyes almost silver and possessing no pupils. Most thought the sight of them disturbing. To me, they were anything but.

“Do you see any garments colored bright green?” Dai’s excitement rebounded in every word.

I was used to being her eyes. It was the main argument she’d used to win her parents’ permission to keep my then seven-year-old self, whom she discovered following her at Dallas City Park. She’d been only eight, her mind already sharp and looking to the future.

“Yes. It’s a ballgown by the looks of it. It’s still hanging with the recent arrivals. Should I fetch it for you?”

“No, don’t!” Dai shook her head. “Not without first donning gloves. No one should let that fabric touch their bare skin.”

My eyebrow rose. What were we about to get into?

As commanded, I found a thick pair of workmen’s gloves and fetched the gown. It was an old-fashioned evening dress, all gossamer and lace. Not something typically found in Texas—more like New York or London, and at least thirty years ago, at that. I hung it nearby, making sure it wouldn’t accidentally touch Dai.

“That’s the one. Surely you can smell it now, can’t you, Jacques?”

“I’m sorry, Dai, I can’t. You know my nose is nothing compared to yours.” I smelled no garlic and had no inkling why that would be a concern, or how it had led her to the conclusion that the gown’s color would be green.

A sharp bark near Dai’s feet drew our attention as her second companion left the comfort of his pillow. Another mongrel she’d picked up off the street, and as loyal as myself. At a guess, I figured him to be a Scottish Terrier and Pomeranian mix. His owner had abandoned him as a pup in the streets as money became scarce everywhere.

“No, Prince Razor, you mustn’t get near it. Sit.”

He did as she asked. Prince set his small paws neatly before him, and his expressive brown eyes watched her every move.

“Jacques, is there a ticket pinned to it?”

I checked. There was one, although… “It’s blank, but stamped paid.”

“Really? How curious.” The timbre of excitement in her voice grew. “Here, run this swab over the dress. Hold your breath while you do it, just in case.”

Still wondering what this could be about—and growing more nervous about it by the moment—I ran the swab down the length of the gown, then deposited it into the test tube she held. “What now?”

She gave me a teasing, coy smile. “Now we go to the lab.” With a spring in her step, Dai grabbed her teashade glasses and led the way, knowing every nook and cranny of the establishment. Prince scouted ahead, in search of any errant mice who dared be in the vicinity. We passed several of the Chinese workers at the vats. They stared as we walked past, but as usual, said nothing. A superstitious lot, many carried charms with pictures of gourds, long believed to be capable of warding off or protecting the bearer against evil. The workers touched them whenever she drew near—despite the fact they owed her. If not for Dai, there might not be a business to employ them or homes purchased in their names so they could stay in the country. But she was both blind and female and had been allowed to live and thrive. Expectations and traditions practiced even in these modern times would have called for Dai’s death when she was born—particularly since she was female and the family had no male heir. Even though from the time of Confucius the blind were supported in court as musicians, her parent’s social class would not allow them to keep a child with such reduced status. But Dai’s mǔqīn had lost all her other children before they were born, and hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of giving up the one who’d made it through.

Going against convention and escalating social pressure were two reasons her family had abandoned all they knew, including their property and lofty status, to come to the land of the free. It was a fact they never spoke of, but one Dai never forgot. Yet even those who came to America to seek freedom from the class restrictions in their country still viewed her continued existence with fear. That she would not be shackled by her blindness somehow made her an abomination and therefore evil.

Dai’s “lab” was located in a small corner of the cellar, which housed the bottom section of the laundry’s large vats and pipes. It was damp and dark—not that the latter made any difference to her. But it kept others out, giving her privacy for what most considered unladylike pursuits. A hanging bulb had been added for my benefit, along with a hatch to make the room light-proof.

Prince dived under the table to keep watch back the way we’d come.

“I believe I have everything we’ll require.” Her hands ran over the small shelves in the corner, grabbing beakers, an oil lamp, and glass tubing.

“Required for what?” I mopped at my sweating brow.

“Why, to test for arsenic. What else?”

Arsenic? She thought the dress had poison on it? “Why would you ever think such a thing, Dai?”

“Please, Jacques—you read me an article on this just last year. Don’t you remember?” She set a stopper in a flask and attached a glass tube to a funnel, which she then placed through one of the two holes on the stopper.

“My memory is far inferior to yours. As you so often enjoy reminding me.”

“Why, yes, you’re right. I do rather like that.” She flashed me an impish grin. “But we digress. You see, arsenic was used before the turn of the century to create the color green in fabrics. But manufacturers weren’t always conscientious about the amounts used in their dyes. Fatal cases were rare, but many consumers suffered health issues because of long-term exposure. Workers dyeing the textiles at the factories even more so.”

More tubing led to a U-shaped vessel, which continued to another lengthy stretch of glass pipe clamped over the oil container of the lantern. “What is all this for?”

“Depending on its current oxidation, arsenic is odorless and, at times, colorless. So detecting it proved difficult for many years, until a brilliant man came up with the Marsh test. An ingenious and effective method of determining the amount of arsenic in the flesh, body fluids, and more.” She ran her hands gingerly over the apparatus she’d made, double-checking her work. “If you’ll place the swab into the beaker, I’ll add the zinc and acid. By heating the mixture, we will further oxidize the arsine in the arsenic.

“Once that happens, please hold the ceramic bowl over the ensuing vapor. Then we shall see what we shall see.”

Dai added the ingredients to the waiting flask. As the chemicals reacted with one another, I held the bowl above it. After that, applying heat to the container caused a silvery-black stain to appear.

“Did it stain?” she asked.

“Most definitely.” It was black, dark as death.

Dai nodded as if she had expected nothing else. “The color and density of the stain are used to pinpoint the concentration of arsenic present. Unfortunately, it’s not something I’ve dabbled in, so I’ve no data to compare it against. The pathologist should have access to a copy of Marsh’s guide.”

Prince Razor barked in agreement. Dai’s excitement was becoming contagious.

“We must find out which of our employees handled the dress and have them wash off any residue right away. Also, have them turn the fans on high. We’ll want to cycle the air as much as possible. Arsenic can convert to a gas, and since I detected the scent of a reaction, it’s likely some got released upstairs. We were lucky a bit of the arsenic wasn’t fully oxidized, so it reacted to the heat and the humidity here. Otherwise, we would have never known something was amiss. Whoever left the gown didn’t count on Texas temperatures.”

She paused for a long moment. I said nothing, still trying to digest all she’d just told me. Then she added, “Before that, please bag the bowl and the dress, as we must bring them with us. We’re going on a field trip!”

“A field trip? Where to?”

“Why, to see the justice of the peace, Jacques! Where else?”

 

Want more? Click here for all sample chapters and also downloads in your favorite format to read them in. 😎

Virtual Tourist – Styx: Master of Shadows 5/9/21

 Good morning!

This week, Virtual Tourist will be focused on Styx: Master of Shadows by Cyanide Studios.

For anyone who loved the Thief games, you’ll want to check this one out. First-person sneaker for the win!

I love that while you are learning about the world and the problems there, there is a subplot you don’t realize is there until you’re 25% or more into the game. This is something of a mind-bending game. I can’t wait to see what other secrets they reveal as the story moved forward.

The new album for Styx can be found here.

Game start screen. You can already see there will be lovely visuals! 😄

The cause of all the troubles. Magical amber. It can open your mind, but it’s also highly addictive. The human and the elves have a truce, but there are those undermining the status quo.

Styx has been caught by the humans currently controlling access to the Tree and its amber. I don’t know yet if Styx was ever human.

This place is huge. Here is one of the hallways. Massive ironworks and gates. Styx has a few tricks up his sleeve though. He can make temporary clones of himself!

This pic gives you a peek at the amazing architecture. This citadel is enormous!

There are all sorts of secret nooks and crannies you can use. Here a view from above of one of the rooms. I love the chandelier!

There are a lot of bad things going on in this place. Human experimentation, probably being the least of it.  😱 

They do such a good job with the graphics, I’ve felt a little queazy on some of these long drops. 😋

The big object is an elevator. As I said, this place is immense!

Home sweet home. Though his brain is addled and he keeps hearing voices, Styx still manages to make it to his safe place inside the citadel.

They have airships! 😍

Sweet!

Hope you all have a great week! And Happy Mother’s Day!