AT DAWN, An Alex Troutt Thriller Review

New Release….
Alex Troutt Thriller, Book #4
AT Dawn

FBI Special Agent Alex Troutt returns in a twisting, heart-pounding thriller.

Three flashes of light illuminate a dark sky. An unspeakable evil devours its prey.

The shimmering view of the sun-drenched ocean can often be nothing more than a mirage. For Alex Troutt, a trip back home for a much-needed summer vacation proves only one thing: greed rules. But how it takes root could destroy her world.

Fueled by the lust of power and money, the shadow of death envelopes her seaside hometown, including those closest to Alex. But as disconnected investigations converge into one focal point, Alex will stop at nothing to blow the entire crime ring straight to hell—even if she has to make the ultimate sacrifice…her life.

Available to buy from…..
Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk    Barnes and Noble    iBooks   Kobo

“Alex Troutt is quickly becoming one of my favorite fictional characters. I love how she’s constantly having to balance her family life and her job, even though her job is continually threatening to take over.” – Sonya N

“I simply love every single one of John Mefford’s novels. They keep you on the edge of your seat reading late into the night.” – Michele B

“Intrigue and attempts at revenge for long held grudges – the twists and turns keeps your adrenalin pumping.” – Tracy C

above reviews from the Alex Trout Series

AT Dawn, like Mefford's previous submissions in the Alex Troutt Detective series, is fast-paced, has well developed characters, and writing that carries you through each scene right into the next, like you are in the story line. I like that in a novel. It keeps me waiting for the next shoe to drop, trying to figure out who-dun-it. 

Alex Troutt (AT) has been through alot in the past few years - cases that are still unraveling as she recovers elements of her past she has forgotten; the death of her husband (also an agent) which may involve betrayal by former colleagues, and since then, dangerous cases that have put her family at peril. She continues to be a force with which to be reckoned, and a badass female detective. In this contribution to the AT series, AT Dawn, Troutt is on vacation with her kids, in her hometown of Padre Island, Texas. She's taken them to visit her father and her best friend from high school. 

Seems like it would be a nice getaway, except Alex' investigative alert goes off when she meets her Dad's new love interest. That doesn't fare well for the already tenuous relationship between Alex and her Dad, because as the story unfolds, incredible serious issues come to the forefront about his new lover. The action starts and, with help from a former CIA agent friend, Alex gets to the truth. 

This book has comedy, action, full characters, plot and follow through. That's what it takes for me to be able to commit to a character and keep following through a series. Alex Troutt is that kind of growing character, and the supporting cast around her, including her kids and fellow detectives add to the investment of the reader. 

**I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Also available in the series…
    

About the Author
A veteran of the corporate wars, former journalist, and true studier of human and social behavior, best-selling author John W. Mefford has been writing novels since he first entered the work force twenty-five years ago, although he never put words on paper until late 2009.

John writes novels full of intrigue, suspense, and thrills, but they also evoke an emotional connection with the characters.

When he’s not writing, he chases three kids around, slaves away in the yard, reads, takes in as many sports as time allows, watches all sorts of movies, and continues to make mental notes of people and societies across the land.

John lives in Frisco, Texas with his beautiful wife, three opinionated kids, and a feisty fat cat who rules the world.

“Pop on over to my Website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads and Amazon Author Page”

OTHER BOOKS FROM JOHN W MEFFORD

Follow the book tour

Read the reviews...

1.	Tuesday 12th July - Miki’s Hope
2.	Wednesday 13th July - Nicki’s Nook
3.	Thursday 14th July - Mother Distracted
4.	Friday 15th July - I Create Purty Thangs
5.	Monday 18th July - Dialogue with Doris
6.	Tuesday 19th July - jlboden
7.	Wednesday 20th July - Sanity is for those without children
8.	Thursday 21st July - Ebook Addicts
9.	Friday 22nd July - Espacularaiesa
10.	Monday 25th July - Life as Leels
11.	Tuesday 26th July - Lynchburg Mama
12.	Wednesday 27th July - Tracy Helps You
13.	Thursday 28th July - Laura’s Interests
14.	Friday 29th July - Notes From A Lady
15.	Monday 1st August - I Create Purty Thangs
16.	Tuesday 2nd August - Notes from a Lady
17.	Wednesday 3rd August - Ali-The Dragon Slayer
18.	Thursday 4th August - My Silly Little Gang
19.	Friday 5th August - First Time Mommy Adventures
20.	Monday 8th August - Totally Addicted to Reading
21.	Tuesday 9th August - In Our Spare Time
22.	Tuesday 9th August - Hollybee Tells

(Linkup closed)

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NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY

Win AT Dawn by John W Mefford ebook
4 Winners!!

Ending on Thursday 11th August at 11.59pm CST
Open Worldwide 

Enter HERE

Good Luck !!

Stay Summer Hydrated with BodyArmor Super Drink

Disclosure: This is a sponsored posts which contains affiliate links.

Summer is here, and that means my kids are ready to rip and run in the sun. While my daughter is headed off to work for her pre-college summer, my 12-year-old pre-teen son is doing what he loves best - all kinds of summer sports and water park activities.  They both work up enough sweat to be their own version of exhausted by the days end. 

That's what summer is all about - making sure they are still actively learning while they burn enough calories to drop into bed exhausted by the time they get home and eat dinner, right? That's always my goal!

While he's out there doing all of that sweating, running and working hard in the summer heat, I need to make sure he's properly hydrated. Sure, I keep a water bottle in his sports bag, and sometimes he drinks that. 

Most of the time, though, he and his sports buddies are more interested in something with flavor and color. Over the years as a team mom and sports parent, I've learned that not all sports drinks are equal. What's in them can affect my kid in different ways, and what environment he's in while he's active makes a huge difference in they way his body stays hydrated. 

If I want to really keep him up to par, he needs some other vital supplements as well. That's where BodyArmor, the #1 natural sports drink, comes in...

BodyArmor SportsDrink helps me keep my kids super hydrated, and give them important supplements, like Vitamins A, B, C & E and Electrolytes. It's also based in coconut water, and made with natural flavors and sweeteners. Summer sports require a lot of energy, often times mean that your child is practicing and playing outside, and for more hours than during the school year. It's important to me to find the right supplement to keep them healthy, hydrated and safe. Hydration is such a huge part of health - even a little dehydration affects performance and severe hydration leads to sickness and in extreme cases, death. 

I limit the number of hours and exertion they can expend in the sun, and in addition to water, I want to keep them full of liquids I trust to be good for them and to them. 

I feel good about giving it to them, and it tastes good - so they feel good about drinking it. BodyArmor comes in so many great flavors and honestly, my family likes every single one of them. There is no other hydrating alternative that we can say that about. You probably know that with kids and adults, variety keeps us engaged in doing what's good for us! 

I found BodyArmor SportsDrinks at my local Target store and stocked up. You can too, using this coupon provided just for you! Print it, and share it with your friends, too! 

Ways I help my kids remember to stay hydrated in the summer sun:

• keep drinks in the bottom of the fridge so they are cold and ready to pack in sports and lunch bags
• freeze a few BodyArmor SportsDrinks so they will stay cold all day while my son is at sports camp
• encourage them to get hydrated in the morning before leaving the house for the day 
• lead by example: Stay hydrated myself. They do what I do!

You can find BodyArmor Super Hydration Sports drink at your local Target, Giant Eagle or Meijer. Don't forget to use the $.50 off coupon by clicking on the link here:  www.drinkbodyarmor.com/coupon.  

Stay Hydrated!

**I received compensation for this post. 

Growing with Grace:Sierra Jones Collection, Volume 1

The Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 1 represents 3 books in the 12 books series. These 3 books follow Sierra's story as she grows through some of what the author portrays as the growing pains of a Christian based teenage girl. Sierra is introduced to us as a mission traveler, adventurous, even returning from a trip abroad to a new adventure - her family has moved in with her aging grandmother who is facing a life change of her own: the onset of dementia or early Alzheimer (not clear on which). Sierra's friends seem to be doing what teenager's should on cue, and it bothers her that she is not. She wants to have a boyfriend, the intimacy of a personal relationship, and to make friends at her new school as easily as the one's she has left behind. We are with her as she faces new challenges, like being alone with her grandmother when she gets a call that she needs surgery while Sierra's parent's are away; and realizing the truth of her friends' personal relationships. I was worried about taking on this reading, and it did take me a while to sort it all out. I like the concept of following Sierra through so much growth, but worried about her focus on having a boyfriend so much. I also wondered why her friends and her were not focused on anything together that was more interactive and time consuming. Overall, the concepts of teenage angst, problem solving and Sierra's maturity over time are definitely present. I wouldn't mind my teenage daughter reading the series, but I am not sure if it will be one of her favorites. I am going to encourage her to read the previous series, first. This was very cutesy, calm reading.

Don't Clog The Blog

Are you a beginning blogger or, like me, just wanting to improve your existing blog? You need Sadie Lankford's Don't Clog The Blog: Dos and Don'ts of Blogging.

This succinct e-book is packed full of the basics of blogging, and it also takes some of the mystery away from this wonderful social medium. Each section gives easy to read and apply list-style advice based on well wrought experience.

This book will save time, frustration, and hair pulling, blood curdling screams when no one else is home. Buy this ebook now for only $3.99. If you blog, you need it!

Lankford has been blogging for more than 10 years, and runs sadielankford.com specializing in social media, blogging, and work from home tips. 
  
You can buy the book now for only $3.99 on Lankford's blog. Also, be sure to check out Sadie on Facebook and Twitter.

I received the ebook, Don't Clog the Blog by Sadie Lankford, free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Neglect, Abandonment & Shame

Despicable Me. I have neglected what's elemental. I love this blog but I have been so busy writing and working on other projects that I haven't given it the time deserved. I am going to do something about that in the next few weeks. Yep, you are right! Guest bloggers! I am asking a couple of my blogger friends to share what is elemental to them, and then we're going to share it right here! I am psyched about it. I hope it is inspiring, thought provoking and comment evoking.

Oh, and if you want to share what's elemental email me at buffisan (at) gmail dot com. No spam, just real life stuff. If it's verifiable blog worthy stuff, it will be right here in black and white.

What is elemental? Those are the issues, components, pieces of you, items, that make up the parts of your life, your world even - that are necessary. They are very necessary to complete the idiom that is you.

For me, an elemental component of my world is hot water cornbread. It seems like such a little thing, but if my mother or grandmother or even my granddad were not making hot water cornbread at certain elemental times in my life whole experiences would be shaped differently.

Now, when I make vegetable soup on a cold day like today with snow drifting in and my kids lying around watching their fave videos, I am pulling out the ingredients to hot water cornbread. Each piece is not just a piece - it is full of the history of my family and the men and women before them who made this simple concoction. It's Elemental.

Wanna try it?
2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
Oil for frying
Batter should be really thick.
Let the oil get hot and drop small pancake size batter balls in; brown on both sides and serve (with or without butter). Great with bean or vegetable soup or any meal.

So, I am looking forward to sharing with you and I hope you want to share with others!

Damn Fine Words

I just ran across a blog called Men with Pens, where a competition is being hosted to get into a class titled The Damn Fine Words writing course. I want into this class. I've been sharing my writing since I was about 11 years old. I wrote my first short story and turned it in for an advanced English class. I was surprised at the affect it had on the teacher, and I wanted to recreate that phenomena over and over again. I wanted people to be affected by words that I wrote.

When I was 5 my babysitter taught me to read, and the power that gave me made etched the importance of words into my psyche. I was forever impacted by the power of a turned phrase.  Being the 7th child of 7, writing became a way to express myself - to take those things inside of my mind out and put them on paper. I was often found sitting in a quiet place with a book, pen and paper creating my own world with words.

I am always looking for ways to better my writing skills, and the chance to take this course at Damn Fine Words would definitely impact my life, both personally and professionally. New and updated skill sets plus confidence will allow me to take better control of my blog and propel it to the next stage. But more importantly, these skills well help me in the book writing process, as I am working on both a 31 day devotional and a novel.The Damn Fine Words writing course will give me so much more of what I need to be better at what I do. 

We see all kinds of extreme couponing in our world today. If you are like me, you just want to save your family some money and get good deals simultaneously. You may not have time to drive to the next township for a couponing class, or read Couponing for Dummies 101.  is for you.

I’ve wanted to learn the art of couponing, and was excited when I got the opportunity to review this course from stay a stay at home mom. Anxious to begin, I settled down in a comfy chair and unpacked my training package.

My course came with a 35 page manual, 14 video lessons, and an accompanying coupon link. Okay, at first the very idea was daunting. 14 video lessons? A workbook? I just wanted to save a bunch of money and get stuff free. But, I decided, if you want to learn, you need to listen. So, I began at the beginning – Lesson 1: Couponing Basics.

I was hooked at “never buy another toothbrush”. The videos last just long enough to equip you with crucial information, resources and determination. The author is realistic and encouraging every step of the way, and the best part is the ease with which you can listen again to what’s most relevant for your couponing success. In just one sitting, I was able to listen to all of the 14 videos and use my accompanying coupon link and workbook with ease.

There were so many good and easy pieces of information that just need to be put together for success. This course is great for anyone who wants to get into couponing, or even just improve their basic couponing skills. All you need is a little bit of time, and this link!

Note: I received this item free for review. I was not compensated in any other way, and the thoughts expressed here are strictly my own.I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.