In addition to EVERYTHING else I’m currently doing with my writing career, I’ve begun the process of converting my first KindleVella story into book form. I hope to have the completed work ( it’s 32 chapters Yikes) ready to publish in KU on January 1. That’s a bit of a daunting date, but I seem to thrive well under pressure these days.
The episodic story did so well in KindleVella and continues to do so, I felt I wanted to offer it to a wider reading audience, so, the process begins.
Here’s a little tease from the book for today’s Tuesday Teaser:
Since first learning of their assignment, a question had been burning inside her. Anna finally gave it a voice. “Can she really be as good as we’ve been lead to believe? I mean, she’s been stuck out here in the sticks for ten years. Can she still have that edge?”
None of the current members of the SPCD, aside from Tucker, had been FBI agents when Kella was a major member of the unit.
“From everything I’ve read in her bio, she’s one smart chick,” Diego said. “Three doctorates before the age of twenty-three; tenth-degree black belt. She was the choice of the Director to head the unit after her old man was killed. She passed, so it went to Petrie.”
“And he’s never looked back,” Jemson said, a flash of humor crossing his face. In the next instant, he grew serious again. “Petrie told me a story once a few years ago when we worked on the Bordello Butcher. Remember that one?”
“I heard about it,” Diego said. “One sick dude.”
“Yeah. Petrie figured out who the perp really was because of something he remembered Kella said when she was just a kid. Seems she was always at the Bureau or Quantico with her old man after her mother died. They were working a case where the guy strangled his little boy vics and then tied a big red bow around their necks as a calling card.”
“I remember that one,” Anna said. “Required reading during training because of the age-specific profile.”
“Yeah. Well, it seems Carson O’Brien was the one who wrote the profile, but it was little Miss O’Brien who nailed the guy. She was twelve.”
“How?” Diego asked, keeping his eyes on the car in front of him as it turned off the main street.
“The team liked a coupla guys for the do-er, but couldn’t finger any of them with the limited evidence. The kid comes into the conference room one day, sees the pictures of the crime scenes all over the bulletin board, spots the bows, and tells her old man the guy’s left-handed.”
“How did she figure that?” Anna asked.
“Well, they’d all been staring at the pictures for days, and Petrie and O’Brien felt something wasn’t right about the way the victims were laid out. They thought the positioning was wrong or something. Anyway, she comes in, looks at the pictures, tells her old man the perp’s left-handed and then demonstrates it by tying her shoes first right-handed and then left. Seems she’s ambidextrous as well as brilliant.”
“I am, too,” Anna said. “Ambidextrous, I mean,” she added, her face turning color.
“You shoot both hands?” Diego asked, eyeing her in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah. My Dad taught me how to use both.”
“Well, then you should know there really is a difference in how the bow falls if you tie it left-handed,” Peter said. “Only one of their suspects was, so the team zeroed in on him and actually caught him, under surveillance, pick up his last victim.”
“Pretty smart kid,” Diego said.
“To hear Petrie talk her up, she’s the best thing that ever happened to profiling. The Director offered her anything she wanted to stay on as head of the unit. She’d had enough, though, when her old man bought it. The killer almost did her in as well. The way I heard it, she was an ounce of blood away from dying when she killed the guy.”
“I heard that story at the Academy,” Diego said. “When we took Weapons and Firearms. The instructor drilled into us how important it is to practice shooting from every imaginable angle, no matter what physical condition we’re in. That kind of training saved Kella O’Brien’s butt.”
Intrigued? I’ll keep you posted and if you subscribe to KU you’ll be able to read it.
Ever notice how most of my post titles come in threes? LOL
Anyhoo…
Today is – commercially – referred to as CYBER MONDAY, the Monday after Thanksgiving.
The experts tell us this is the most heavily shopped day on the Internet during the holiday season. I don’t know if I agree with that because I know people who are still online, shopping, on Christmas Eve with the thought the gift will be delivered December 25th morning.
With the advent of a spike in Covid cases recently, I wonder if people are going to take advantage this year – as they did last year – by doing a great deal of their shopping online instead of having to brave the outside, infected, world. Shipping and the supply chain issues are also currently problematic, so it may be easier to find that perfect gift online.
It’s said this day is predicted to be the best of the year for retailers who offer online shopping this year. As someone who sells her books, for the most part, through digital means, I hope this is true.
If you are shopping the Internet today and have a book lover and/or romance reader/women’s fiction reader on your gift list, I hope you’ll consider my newest Holiday RomCom,FIXING CHRISTMAS, as a gift. It’s on sale digitally for the next few days at only 99cents at all major online booksellers ( not only Amazon!).
Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.
Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods.
Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt, can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at despite being a little neurotic and a whole lot of snarky.
Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?
It’s no secret I live in a small town. It’s also no secret I am a big supporter of small-town businesses.
The TOADSTOOL BOOKSHOP, for instance, is an indie book retailer in my town and they have been uber-supportive of my publishing career from the get-go. I had a book signing with them yesterday and they went all-out for me.
Living in a small town where you see and know the owners of local businesses at church, or out dining, or at the local YMCA, it’s easy to want to support them. After all, if their businesses thrive, your little town does too, because they give back to the community.
So today, on SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, I encourage you all shop locally owned and operated stores for your holiday gifs.
And as an aside, did you know that every writer is considered a small business owner, indie authors most of all? We have a product ( our books) that we market to the public ( readers) for a price. So, please, if you know any indie authors who are your favorite writers and they sell their books from their website, support them as well. I’m included in this group because I have an online store attached to my website here: BOOKSTORE If you want to order any books directly from here, use this order form.
Support your local businesses, peeps. It’s a good thing.
And so, on this day after America gave thanks for her many blessings, the commercialization of the holiday season – better known as BLACK FRIDAY – begins.
I will tell you this honestly: I have NEVER gone shopping on Black Friday. I’m not one for crowds. They make me nervous. Covid didn’t help my anxiety, either, but bolstered and increased it a million-fold.
Cyber shopping was truly invented for people like me – the ones who must and need to shop, but hate going out in public to do so. Long lines. Whining kids. Grumpy shoppers. People who don’t cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze right in your face.
Nope. Not my cup of tea at all.
Which is why I love to shop internet/store deals on this day.
If you’re like me and hate to leave home on this busy, ridiculously busy day, I’ve got a deal for you and the book lovers on your holiday gift list – a #99cent sale on FIXING CHRISTMAS my latest Dickens Holiday Romance. Today it is available for a limited time at #99cents everywhere digital books are sold – Amazon, Nook, Applebooks, even Kobo.
Here’s the universal link. Just click and choose your purchase venue:FIXING CHRISTMAS
If you like a small town, later in life, and holiday romcoms – or the romance reader on your gift list does – this is the book for you! And at less than a dollar? Well, that’s even better.
Whether you’re embracing the hordes in the stores, or sitting on your couch finger shopping, I hope you find all the deals and gifts you want this holiday season.
And I really hope one of them includes my book! Shameless plug, I know, but this is me, after all!
In 2020 I spent the day cooking and visiting with family via a three-hour Zoom call. Not the best Thanksgiving ever, to be certain. But, at least we were still able to see one another, talk and make fun of the way our lives were going.
This year no zoom call. My family is all vaccinated, some of us have been booster-ed – some have appointments to be – and we are all still diligent about handwashing, sanitizing, etc. We can meet face-to-face to share our meal and give our thanks.
That alone is enough to be thankful for today, but I have a few other things I want to share that I am so grateful for and now seems the appropriate time to do it.
I am thankful and grateful…
for my freedom. With the recent events in Balarus and the middle east, I can imagine myself in no other country on earth but this one. We may have issues – Lord, we have issues – but we are inherantly free as a people to express ourselves.
for my family. It may not be big, but it’s a wonderful conglomeration of people and personlaities who give me joy every single day.
my new baby grandson who owns my heart, pure and simple.
the fact my parents are still alive, relatively well, and able to live in their own home. Now in their upper 80’s this is an amazing accomplishment.
my ability to still think clearly enough to write for a living! Some days the words don’t come, but when they do, I am thankful for each and every one.
the people who read my stories and actually like them. That is priceless to me.
my health -such as it is. After another bout with this dreaded skin cancer I’ve grown to dispise, I am going into the next year giving thanks that it could have been worse. A few scars on my face and body are the proof I defeated this ridiculous disease.
My daughter, who fills my life with immeasurable joy and who makes me glad each and every day I was blessed to give birth to her
My crazy dog Maple. I had hoped for a calm, service-type personality dog. Nope. Not even close. But still I am thankful she came into our lives.
my husband who makes my life complete in every way and has for the past 40 years. Here’s to another 40!
The happiest of days, my dear peeps. I hope your tables are filled with people you love, your stomachs are filled with delicious food, and your health is, and remains, well.
~Peg
Happy Thanksgiving. Pumpkins with fruits and falling leaves on rustic wooden table
It is so hard for me to believe Thanksgiving ( in the US) is tomorrow! Where the heck did this month go? Or for that matter, this year?! With the birth of my first grandchild in September, the loss of my father-in-law two weeks ago, and the marriage of my nephew last weekend, I am one tired chickie! And just for giggles, let’s throw in the fact I’m doing NaNoWriMo again this year.
Yikes. I guess I’ll sleep in….well, I really don’t know because next month is pretty filled, too.
While I am decorating for the Christmas holidays starting tomorrow, I wanted to let you know about two events going on concurrently this week.
First, FIXING CHRISTMAS – A Dickens Holiday Romance ( Dorrit’s Diner) is on sale for only #99cents for one week. Amazon jumped the gun and started the sale yesterday, but for every other venue, it begins on Thanksgiving day. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, now is the perfect time to order it!
On Black Friday I will be signing books at the TOADSTOOL BOOKSHOP in Keene, NH from noon until 2 pm signing FIXING CHRISTMAS and all my other Holiday books:
So get your Holiday reading started – or buy some books as gifts for the romance lovers on your holiday gift list!
Books are a great gift anytime of year, but especially during the Holiday Season!
Happy Thanksgiving, peeps and hope to see many of you on Black Friday – also called Plaid Friday for those who shop local – at the TOADSTOOL! ~ peg
“Some of the joys in being a septuagenarian are unexpected. Google is one—how else did you think I knew how to spell septuagenarian? Dressing however you want is another. It’s especially fun to wear what a blonde twenty-something on Facebook assures you is completely wrong for you.” – Liz Flaherty, Window Over the Desk
Getting romance novels published is hard for me these days—not so much because I’m the age I am, I guess, or because I look the age I am, but because I sound the age I am. The editors I’ve worked with in past years are kind in their assessments, but they either say no or they edit my work to the point that it really doesn’t look so much like my work anymore.
That’s hard. I won’t deny that. But publishing a book of essays that have previously appeared in newspapers and blog posts and magazines—that’s “dressing how you want.” And the age you are. No one who reads the Window books ever mentions that I sound old.
Let me know. Do I?
In 2020, I released the first collection of Window Over the Sink columns. It was for my family, really, and to give my own ego a boost. (Any writer who says she doesn’t need that now and then is lying, by the way.)
It was so much fun.
Which is why I decided to open the Window Over the Desk. My view out this particular window is a favorite—even today, when I’m drying…things…on the clothesline. Also today, the hay bales in the field that have given me pleasure for several weeks have been gathered and stored for the long winter.
I hope the essays in this book give you some pleasant reading time over that winter. I hope they make you remember things, laugh sometimes, and refill your cup and sit down and read “just one more.”
As I mention way more often than is necessary, I’m kind of old. The years have dimmed some reflections through the window, brightened others, and changed a whole bunch of them. What a trip it’s been.
Thanks—again—for joining me on the journey.
The Woman in the Mirror
Do you ever feel as if you lost yourself somewhere along the way? If you’ve had a bad time or an extraordinarily good one, do you ever look in the mirror and wonder exactly who’s looking back at you? Because you’ve changed, and you’re not sure what to do with the person who’s there.
I’m feeling thoughty here—can you tell? I’m always, always whining about how much I hate change, yet when I look back—over bad times and extraordinarily good ones, it’s an ongoing cycle, isn’t it? It’s what keeps life new and interesting. And, yeah, sometimes awful.
But if it weren’t for change, and my kicking-and-screaming caving to it, I would:
Never have changed jobs and I’d have been stuck with working one I hated.
Never have married the man I did because he wasn’t the first person I loved.
I’d never have had a third child.
I’d have given up the first time a publisher said Nope.
Or maybe the second.
For sure by the twenty-third.
I’d have kept my hair short.
And let it go gray.
I’d still be writing longhand on lined paper and thinking I wasn’t good enough.
For anything,
So, no, I don’t always know the woman in the mirror, or, for that matter, the man I’m married to. I don’t always like either of us. There are days when I do feel like I’ve lost the person I was. Because I have. Because every re-invention in every time of life is change, it’s often hard, and it’s always necessary. I think maybe I like it.
Retired from the post office, Liz Flaherty spends non-writing time sewing, quilting, and wanting to travel. The author of 20-some books and her husband Duane share an old farmhouse in North Central Indiana that they talk about leaving. However, that would require clearing baseball trophies from the attic and dusting the pictures of the Magnificent Seven, their grandchildren, so they’ll probably stay where they are. Liz can be reached at lizkflaherty@gmail.com or found at http://lizflaherty.net
I know COVID destroyed a lot of things. Being isolated and quarantined for so long has to have a negative effect on socialization, so I’m wondering if one those social things that got shoved to the wayside were BOOK CLUB meetings.
Now, I know many people ( read: men) think book clubs are nothing more than an excuse for women to gather, drink wine and complain about their…men. While the drinking wine and gathering may be true ( and let’s just say the complaining is too,) most book clubs really do exist for a reason – to read and discuss a chosen book.
Sounds kinda obvious, doesn’t it men??! ( Add the sarcasm.)
So I’m wondering with COVID were book clubs able to keep on keeping on? Zoom could have helped, but there’s nothing like gathering in person to discuss your club’s chosen copy of the month is there?
And here’s a shameless plug: the reason I wonder about book clubs is because I’d like to have one of my books featured in one.
Told you it was shameless.
When I lived in Wisconsin I belonged to a book club that met once per month. The book was decided by the club manager and I never read a book that I liked or could relate to when I was a member. Part of the problem may have been because I was the youngest member at 30 and the mean average of the group was 70.
After we moved I was so busy with my family I never bothered to find a club in my new town.
But now that I write, I’d really like to get one of my books in front of a book club and get their reactions to my written words.
So ( here’s another shameless thing, this one is an ask!) if you have a book club with your friends, would you consider me for a featured author spot? I love zoom and I could pop in after you’ve all read the book to discuss it. Connections to people with similar tastes and likes in books is a great way to foster relationships, so if you’ve got a book club, please consider me!
I know it’s only November, but a writer’s actual holiday preparation starts in the Spring and early Summer. That’s when the new crop of holiday romance books must be completed so they can be put on sale from October through December. Some authors even have Christmas in July events to promote their new and upcoming holiday romances.
I simply adore a good holiday love story no matter what time of the year it is. I don’t get my fix of holiday romcoms and smalltown stories from the Hallmark or Lifetimes channels on TV, though, but through reading. I can count on several authors each year releasing a new book for the season and like clockwork, I buy them all.
I adore slipping away for a few hours with the newest Nancy Naigle holiday story, or Jill Shalvis’ most recent holiday romcom. Brenda Novak and Debbie Macomber never disappoint in the holiday fiction department, either.
My love affair with holiday romances began when I read Nora Robert’s ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS when it was released in 1994. This lovely story of twin boys who ask Santa to bring a new mommy for them and their daddy pulled at every heartstring in my chest. Since then, reading these kinds of stories has become my happy place around the holiday season.When shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, office parties, and relatives-you-could-do-without-seeing alloccur within a ten-week period of time, hiding out for an hour or two with a good holiday-centered-romance is my way of staying sane. In fact, now that I write my own romance books, holiday love stories have become a thing for me to release into the world too!
This year’s addition is FIXING CHRISTMAS – A DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE ( Dorrit’s Diner), which released on 11.9.2021. Last year I was honored to be part of a group of authors who penned the CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS stories about a small fictional New England town during the holidays. Several of the authors – including myself – loved telling the stories so much we teamed up for another season. Each book is a standalone romance but from book to book you meet some of the same townsfolk. It’s a truly charming town and the stories are all heartwarming.
Here’s a little about FIXING CHRISTMAS:
She’s a neurotic, snarky, chatty writer trying to get her professional and personal life back on track.
He’s a quiet, widowed, ex-military handyman.
When her rental house starts falling down around her ears, he’s charged with fixing the issues – and just might be exactly what she needs to fix her own ones as well.
So for the first time EVAH this week I had 2 books release into the book-reading world within 1 day of one another.
This was not my choice, but…
The first book was with my brand new publisher Magnolia Blossom. They surprised me and put up MERRY’S GHOST, my first paranormal love story, on Amazon. I found out it was released after the fact so I had no time to do any promotion for the book.
When writer and paranormal investigator Chase Seacort comes to spend a few weeks at a friend’s Hampton getaway, all he wants is to be alone, finish his current book about East Coast hauntings, and try to put the horrid events of his past year behind him.
All thoughts about a quiet respite alone vanish when he meets his quirky, gorgeous neighbor. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty captivates him with her perpetual smile and free and easy personality.
Merry June lives a quiet life in her beach house, devoting herself to her two loves – art and photography. Once she discovers Chase’s identity, she can’t wait to introduce him to her great-grandaunt Davinia. But Davinia rarely shows herself to others.
You wouldn’t either if you were a ghost trapped between this world and the next.
With Chase’s help, he and Merry investigate the mystery that’s kept Davinia’s spirit prisoner in the house for over 100 years, and in so doing discover a history of infidelity, heartache, and murder.
When a face from Chase’s recent past puts Merry’s life in danger, he must fight two battles for the woman he’s come to love – one on the spiritual plane and one in the physical world.
I’ve been scrambling to get the book up on social media sites for the past three days. The publisher did get me a Bookbub new release notice, so that was helpful in getting the word out. This is my first foray into ghosts, witches, and such.
If you’ve been reading along on this blog you know I’ve talked about this book ad nauseum ( LOL) but I love it sosos much.
Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.
Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or flood.
Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt, can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at despite being a little neurotic and a whole lot of snarky.
Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?
Promotion for the two books has taken up a big chunk of my life these past two days. In addition to caring for my parents, helping out with my new adorable grandson, dealing with my dog hourly (!) and then the death of my father-in-law last weekend, it’s not wrong to say this past week has been…stressful.
But… two more of my stories have made it out into the romance-loving, book-reading work, so there’s something to be said for a little stress!
Check out the reviews for FIXING CHRISTMAS here: Book bub
Here’s hoping the reviews for MERRY’S GHOST are as kind!
I’m off to take a walk and clear my head so talk soon, peeps. Happy reading ~ Peg
On her 21st birthday, someone slipped a potent drug combination into socialite Aurora Brightwell’s champagne putting her in a coma for the next ten years. It’s been a long road back, and it’s time to reclaim the life she lost and find out exactly what happened on that fateful night.
Financier Kincade Enright has his own reason for helping Aurora discover who poisoned her, but for the time being he’s keeping that – and his true identity – to himself. What he can’t keep hidden though, are his growing feelings for the one-time paparazzi darling and party-girl.
When this prince of finance joins forces with the former sleeping beauty, nothing can stop them from finding the answers they seek…or prevent the powerful emotions developing between them as they search for the truth.
Thank you to all the readers who voted for WOKE in this year’s RAVEN AWARDS.
YAY! It’s finally here. I’ve been waiting and waiting for this day to come for months and I’m so glad I can finally introduce you to FIXING CHRISTMAS, my contribution to the second season of the CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS series.
you know it’s the origin story for heroine ABRA CHARLES in FIXING CHRISTMAS.
Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.
Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods.
Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at and dream about, despite being a little neurotic and whole lot of snarky.
Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?
Yes, it’s that time of year when authors of all ilks, walks of life, and publishing status attempt the annual NANOWRIMO ritual of penning 50,000 words ( or more ) in the 30 days of this month. For the seventh year running, I am a participant.
This can be a grueling endeavor for many writers, especially those who don’t have writing full time presently as their career choice. Writing between the office and home, at kids soccer practices, when at the dentist’s office waiting for an appointment are all the norm to most writers who still need to work at alternate jobs to keep food on the table. But even writers who work full time from home can find the prospect of writing a minimum of 1670 words a day – every day – daunting.
The first time I participated in NaNo I was still working full time. Writing that amount every day wasn’t something I’d ever done before. But I accepted the challenge and…did it! I wrote later at night, early in the morning, on lunch break, while dinner cooked. I wrote marathon sessions on the weekends. And it all paid off because at the end of the month I had the rough draft of a 75,000 word novel.
These days I’m afforded the luxury of writing all the time,but I still like the challenge of NaNo because it focuses me and makes me hone in on a specific and measurable word count goal every single day for a month.
Psychological theory tells us it takes about 21 days of consistent behavior to make a habit. Well in 30 that habit should be ingrained.
Writers write. That’s what we do. And making it a habitual part ofyour daily life is beneficial for so many reasons, not the least of which you can be more productive with product, namely, books.
Are NaNoWriMo-ing this year! Good luck if you are.
Pregnant and divorced, successful artist Trix Warden returns to Dickens to raise her child surrounded by family. To do that, she needs to renovate a horse barn into a gallery/market for other artists.
At 36, her baby is an unexpected miracle that is hers alone. Determined to get everything done before Delivery Day, she hires widowed single father, Jon Carpenter to do her renovations.
As they move through the work, they spend time together enjoying the holiday season. Trix helps Jon through tricky times as a parent of teens, and he offers support throughout her pregnancy.
Their friendly business relationship blossoms into mutual attraction, and on Christmas Eve, when the baby comes early, Trix trusts Jon with her secret and her heart. But the secret Trix reveals creates a deep divide between them as Jon struggles to accept the decision Trix has made.
Trix is afraid her secret Christmas baby, and her choices, may tear their newfound love to shreds.
July 3 – Dickens
“I’m getting a divorce.” Those words had seemed like a dreadful announcement to give her family last Christmas, but she’d weathered the storm. The combined Moore and James families had rallied quickly and supported her through the whole messy business. Dale, her husband of too many years, had left her for his much younger receptionist.
It still pinched that she was the first divorcee in her family. Trix Warden, loser at marriage. Last Christmas she couldn’t imagine anything worse.
Until now, today.
Because today she got to say the words, “I’m pregnant. I’m a pregnant divorcee.” She winced because that wasn’t the worst of it.
She smoothed her flowy white blouse and denim shorts as she walked the hall in Gram’s house.
Everyone had gathered for the Fourth of July weekend. From the kitchen she saw them on the patio, sitting on chairs in a semi-circle, cold drinks in hand. Her cousins Kayley and Brenna sat beside Brenna’s husband, Jett. He wore his usual expression; besotted. Not only did he love her cousin he was wealthy and generous. Kind, too. They’d only been married a few months having met right here in Dickens last Christmas.
She’d overshadowed their budding romance with her horrid divorce announcement, but that couldn’t be helped.
She sucked in her belly and plastered on a smile. Her Egyptian cotton top was long and roomy. It was perfect for July heat. This morning, without warning, she’d been unable to zip up her best pair of shorts, so she’d dug through her ‘big’ clothes and cut off her pre-divorce jeans above the knee. She needed to give her blossoming tummy more room.
Trix drew in a breath and slid open the screen slider. “Hi everyone. I finally made it. Getting out of Brooklyn was a bear.”
has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.
She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she’s happy to be publishing her work herself.
With over 35 titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Aside from standalone romances, she has 4 ongoing romance series, Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and Love at Christmas. Contemporary family sagas find a home in Return to Welcome. She’s hard at work on a new series releasing in August 2021. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits
Another of my favorite Dickens’s authors, MADDIE JAMES, has just released her newest addition to the second season of the DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE BOOKS, THE LAST CHRISTMAS AT HOLLYHILL INN. This is actually the third book in the HOLLY HILL INN stories.
The newest story, THE LAST CHRISTMAS AT HOLLY HILL INN is available now.
Can a couple on the verge of divorce find romance again during their last Christmas holiday at Holly Hill Inn?
“I can’t do this, Will. I can’t fake my way through the holidays just to make our families happy. We both know our happily-ever-after is a farce.” “You could if you tried, Ava. It’s not that difficult to be nice to each other. We used to do it all the time.” “We used to be in love, Will.” “We still could be.” Ava stared at him. “What are you saying? You want to call off the divorce?” “I’m saying that I don’t think we are through, Ava. Not yet.”
Will and Ava Cohen were wildly in love—five years ago. Today, they are ships passing in the night, two professionals driven to reach the pinnacle of their professions. When Will steps in the door of their restored brownstone in Brooklyn each evening, Ava is already on stage at the Gershwin, playing the role of Glinda in Wicked.
They are calling their marriage quits—but not until they spend one more Christmas holiday together with their families at Holly Hill Inn. Traditionally, the family arrives in New York, and they all take the Christmas train to Dickens together. Will and Ava plan to share their news on the train ride back home.
That was the plan, anyway.
As the Christmas spirit of Dickens and Holly Hill Inn spins around them, Ava and Will begin to look at each other differently, and both wonder if they’ve been too hasty in deciding to divorce. Have they really thought this separation through? But the train is about to leave the station, and they are unsure if they can halt it—or if they should.
Will this really be their last Christmas at Holly Hill Inn?
Maddie James writes to silence the people in her head. If only they wouldn’t all talk at once….
From flirty contemporary romance to darker erotic titles—often mixed with a dash of suspense or a hint of paranormal—James pens stories that frequently blend a variety of romantic sub-genres. The happily-ever-after, of course, is non-negotiable.
Affaire de Coeur says, “James shows a special talent for traditional romance,” and RT Book Reviews claims, “James deftly combines romance and suspense.” Maddie is the award-winning author of over fifty titles of fiction—from short stories to novels.
You all know how much I lovelovelove having my Wild Rose Press sistahs come visit me. This year. the WRP has a new series titled CHRISTMAS COOKIES, and one of my favorite sistahs, Maria Imbalzano, has a new addition to the series that just released yesterday: RED VELVET CRINKLES & CHRISTMAS SPRINKLES. The book sounds as delicious as the title implies!!!! Maria is stopping by today to tell us all a little about the book.
Maria…
Hi Peg: Thanks so much for having me. I’m thrilled that my newest novella “Red Velvet Sprinkles and Christmas Sprinkles” has been released this week. It’s part of the Christmas Cookie Series published by the Wild Rose Press. This is the first Christmas story I ever wrote and I loved writing it almost as much as I love the Christmas holidays. One of our family traditions that I follow every year, is baking Christmas cookies. I always did it with my mom and now I do it with my daughters, although my cookies never come out as good as my mom’s did. I’m a little casual with measurements for ingredients and I don’t always have everything I need, so I substitute. The heroine of this book, Bella Simonetti, is very similar to me in that regard and there are some funny scenes where she and her mom don’t see eye to eye in the baking department. Despite that, Bella has a plan to help transform her parents’ failing business, just in time for the holidays.
Competitive, work-obsessed Bella Simonetti has just been fired from her high-paying job at a Manhattan law firm. At an all-time low, she returns home and helps her parents at their small-town gift shop, but the business is failing and may not make it past the Christmas holidays.
Successful landscape architect Dean Jackson is like a son to Bella’s parents. But he’s a persistent annoyance to her—he seems to have forgotten his unforgivable blunder thirteen years earlier.
When Bella transforms her parents’ gift shop into a cookie cottage, Dean’s generosity and magnetic smile are hard to resist, and those feelings of unrequited adolescent love come rushing back. But can Bella let go of the past and accept Dean for the man he is today?
Just then the bell over the door signaled a customer. Bella glanced up to see if their guest was here to browse or needed help, but no customer materialized. It was her dad with Dean in tow.
She had to admit he was even more striking than in high school. His light brown hair, sweeping from left to right in a perfect wave of silk, still had sun streaks from the summer, no doubt enhanced while playing on the links. And those green eyes had always been like flashing gemstones that sucked her in. But the best was his roguish smile—half teasing, half serious, but permanently heart-stopping.
Her best bet would be to prevent any cause for cheerfulness. Yet his intense frown was also mesmerizing. Staying away from him altogether seemed the ideal solution, but her parents had different ideas. Of course, her surliness toward him might make him rethink his charitable desire to help.
“Hi, Bella. How’s it going?” Even that simple greeting came with a full-blown smile.
She was screwed. “Fine.” She got right to the point—no friendly chitchat. “If you and Dad bring the boxes up front from the storeroom, Mom and I will take care of the decorating. You won’t have to stay.”
“Are you kidding? I love to decorate for Christmas. I’ve been helping your parents do it for the past few years while you’ve been AWOL.”
She blew an errant strand of hair out of her eye. “I wasn’t AWOL. I was working. In New York. I couldn’t up and leave on a Wednesday afternoon to come home and decorate.”
There came that half-teasing, half-serious smile. To avoid it, she started pulling Christmas balls hung on red-and-green silk ribbons from the large box she’d brought out.
“I can help you hang those in the window. I hid the hooks above the molding last year so we don’t have to remove them every year.”
“Clever.” Her sarcastic tone couldn’t be mistaken.
“We’ll need a ladder,” he determined. “I’ll get it from the back, then you can hand me the balls, and I’ll attach them.”
She slitted her eyes at him. “I want to hang the balls. You can do something else.”
“Fine. But it takes two for this job. You don’t want to be going up and down the ladder each time you hang a ball. It’s inefficient.”
He had a point. She’d have to bury her reluctance to work with him at the risk of coming up with some other childish excuse.
Once Dean brought the ladder to the window, she climbed up three steps and took the first ball from him. Not a well-thought-out plan since her butt was now at his eye level.
“Can you stand over here, please?” She pointed to the other side of the ladder.
“It’s better if I stand behind you, to spot you. In case you lose your balance.” His grin emerged, and she gritted her teeth to prevent a growl.
Inhaling, she reached up to tie the ribbon on the hook. Her sweater inched over her midriff, giving him a view of her torso. This day just couldn’t get any worse. If she hadn’t been so stubborn in demanding that she hang the ornaments, she’d have the pleasure of staring at his physique, not the other way around.
is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full-time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.
Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award. Two of her novellas, “The Blueberry Swirl Waltz” and “A Song For Another Day” won first place awards in their categories in the NEST (National Excellence in Story Telling) contest. Both of these novellas were also finalists for the Beverley Award.
Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you…I’ve teamed up with 45+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Steamy Romances to 2 lucky winners!
Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁You can win my novel BALANCE
plus books from authors like Piper Rayne and April Canavan.
Gobble, gobble . . . Do you hear that? It’s the international calling for booklovers, courtesy of the persnickety turkey. It’s time to fill up your e-reader and/or device with spectacular books (e-copy and audiobooks) and this giveaway is a great place to start. N. N. Light’s Book Heaven has gathered new releases as well as wonderful backlist books in one giveaway. There are also a few Amazon gift cards up for grabs. The list is long and personally, I’d love to win myself but alas, I can’t. So, I’ll just live vicariously through the lucky winners. If there’s a particular book or prize you’d like to win, be sure to say which prize you want when you enter via Rafflecopter. Enter below and good luck!
Another wonderful writer I had the pleasure of working with on last Christmas’s Dickens Anthology was Lucinda Race. This season, Lucinda has not one new story to share from Dickens, but 2! The first. HOLIDAY HEART WISHES has already been released and is a novella. Here’s a little about the book:
Holiday Heart Wishes
Can a Christmas wish come true…
When social media director Vera Davis loses her job in the city, she takes her adorable, goofy rescue pup and heads home for the holidays, to her sweet hometown of Dickens. She’s hoping to move in with her mom and start a new business. But her drive is interrupted when she rescues a handsome, snowbound stranger stranded by side of the road.
Newspaper reporter Tony Barbee may be a stranger to Vera, but Dickens is his hometown, too. He’s come to spend Christmas with the uncle who raised him. But Vera and Tony are in for a surprise when they find her mother and his uncle living together. Aren’t they moving too fast?
Tony and Vera share something besides relatives in a blossoming romance: a tradition that when they see the Christmas tree in the gazebo on the village green—a scene right out of a Norman Rockwell painting—they should make a Christmas wish. Though they resist their own growing attraction to one another, Christmas is a time of surprises and gifts, and the unexpected answer to a heartfelt holiday wish may bring Vera and Tony the greatest gift of all…
Jillian Morgan, single mom and flower shop owner, once had a promising career as a women’s hockey player. Instead, she now has a precocious six-year-old daughter who loves hockey as much as she did. Jillian’s focus is her daughter and the busy upcoming holiday season in the small town of Dickens. Then a newcomer stops in for flowers. He might be good-looking—no, great looking—but Jillian doesn’t need a complication of the male variety.
Brett Parsons hasn’t held a hockey stick in ten years, not since an injury ended his dreams of being an NHL star. He’s moved to Dickens to help his newly widowed mother. With a recently broken engagement, and still unpacking while looking for a job as a physical therapist, he doesn’t have any interest in dating. But he might make an exception for the pretty blue-eyed florist.
Brett’s delighted when he takes a job coaching the local youth hockey group and finds Jillian’s daughter on his team. Jillian’s not the average hockey mom, and Brett’s looking forward to discovering her secrets. In spite of the attraction, Jill’s wary. It’s easier to stay single than to have her heartbroken again. But both of them know life rarely turns out as planned. In a town that cherishes Christmas, hockey pucks and holly berries might just lead to kisses under the mistletoe.
Award-winning and best-selling author Lucinda Race …
is a lifelong fan of romantic fiction. As a young girl, she spent hours reading romance novels and getting lost in the hope they represent. While her friends dreamed of becoming doctors and engineers, her dreams were to become a writer—a romance novelist.
As life twisted and turned, she found herself writing nonfiction but longed to turn to her true passion. After developing the storyline for The Loudon Series, it was time to start living her dream. Her fingers practically fly over computer keys as she weaves stories about strong women and the men who love them.
Lucinda lives with her husband and their two little dogs, a miniature longhair dachshund and a shitzu mix rescue, in the rolling hills of western Massachusetts. When she’s not at her day job, she’s immersed in her fictional worlds. And if she’s not writing romance novels, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on. It’s too bad her husband doesn’t cook, but a very good thing he loves takeout.
When divorced mother of two, Carole Kelley, moves herself and her children to Dickens, she figures the most difficult thing she’ll have to face is providing a perfect Christmas for her 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.
What she doesn’t count on is Jaxon Matthews, Wil-Bar Toy’s attorney and quite possibly the most infuriating man she’s ever met.
Jax wants nothing more than to finish up his current workload within the next few weeks so he can pack his bags and leave for his usual solitary Christmas on Grand Cayman Island. His plans are quickly derailed when a big contract falls through, forcing him back to the negotiating table less than a month before the holiday.
His plans are further delayed when he meets Carole Kelley. Despite his best intentions to steer clear of any romantic entanglements, he can’t help but be drawn to the beautiful woman and her infectious holiday spirit… something he hasn’t felt in years.
Once he realizes getting to know Carole means competing with her two children for her attention, he’s ready to give up on furthering their relationship. What he doesn’t count on is the power of family, and the magic of the wish stick.
Downtown Dickens
November 24th
“Momma, are we there yet? Will Millie be there? Are we going to have Thanksgiving at their house?” Lila’s questions came in rapid-fire succession. “Will I get to sleep in the tent in her room like last time?”
Carole Kelley shifted in the front seat of her minivan and glanced in her rearview mirror. Her daughter was fighting sleep with the stubbornness of a seven-year-old diva.
Her four-year-old son Jake, on the other hand, was sound asleep in his car seat, not a care in the world.
“Yes, sweetie, we’re finally here. At least in Dickens proper. It’ll take a few more minutes before we reach Barrett House. As for where you’ll sleep, that will be up to Rick and Cassidy.”
“And Uncle William?”
“Yes, dear, him too.”
“Are we going to live at Barrett House? I want to ride the horses like last time.”
Carole released a long, weary sigh, then pulled in a much-needed breath. “No, dear, we won’t be living at Barrett House, as much as I’m sure you’d love to.”
“They have lotsa bedrooms,” Lila pointed out.
“Yes, they do. However, we don’t want to impose any longer than necessary. We have a nice apartment waiting for us in the same building where Cassidy and Millie used to live.”
“Is that where the lady lives who’s going to watch me and Jake when you’re at work?”
Gripping the steering wheel, Carole stretched her back and craned her neck, working out the kinks from the eight-hour drive, before responding. “Yes. Miss Frances comes highly recommended. Millie says she’s the bestest babysitter ever.”
“Are you excited about your new job? Will it be like the job you had back in Chester?”
“It’s not exactly the same as my last job, but I’m sure I’ll love it. Who wouldn’t love working in toy factory, even if it is in the office?”
“Will Jake and me get to see where the toys are made?”
Where was that blasted Sandman when you needed him?
“I suppose, but not right away. They’re way too busy to host tours, even for family.”
“Do you think Uncle William will give me another Princess doll for Christmas?”
“I guess it will depend on how good you’ve been this year.”
“I’ve been really good,” Lila insisted. “Really, really, good.”
“Yes, Lila dear, you have been very good, and very helpful with your little brother.”
Carole negotiated the last of the three turns in the road leading from town to the outskirts, finally pulling into the driveway at Barrett House.
Once she’d parked at the front door to unload her children and their overnight bags, she pushed the button to slide the rear door open only to find her daughter had finally fallen asleep. Just when she didn’t want her to be.
Nancy published her first book in 1996 and hasn’t stopped since. Her 100th book will be released on her birthday in April of 2022.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
I love sharing my short stories with you all and Kindle Vella has made it so easy. My newest series, DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES is all about retribution, revenge, and taking back your life after a tragic incident.
The newest story, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN, was released today. You can read it for free on the Kindle Vella app.
Here’s a little snipper to whet your mystery reading appetite:
An early evening Mass was in session when Halley entered the church and found an empty pew halfway up to the altar.
She heard his voice before she saw him. She’d never forgotten that voice. It had a rugged, robust timbre that resonated throughout the church, bouncing off the stone pillars and sailing to every parishioner’s soul. It commanded, demanded, rapt attention. Halley knew the strength behind the voice; the seduction of words meeting air, splicing together to make heads and hearts swim. She remembered how that voice had affected her.
And she remembered what the person behind the voice had done to her.
Then she saw him. He was much the same as her memory allowed. Older, of course, but with age, more appealing physically than before. Gray streaks shot out from
his temples, worming their way behind his ears. His eyes hadn’t changed at all. Ice blue orbs shaded by the blackest of lashes. Eyes that saw into your very core. Eyes that could twinkle with the merriment one moment and ignite with the flames of desire the next.
Halley had been witness to both extremes.
As she knelt and made the sign of the cross, a sudden qualm of doubt at her mission and its ultimate goal fired through her. Just as quickly, reason overtook doubt. She had to do what had been planned; complete what had been started. Hers wasn’t the only life in the balance here. There were the others to consider. They had put their faith, their trust, and their hopes in her. She would not let them down.
Last weekend I had a ball at the FILNE held in Boxoborough, MA. I wasn’t able to attend last year because….Covid. But this year? Yeah, I went with bells on and pulled out all the bells and whistles for my missed year.
Recently. the conference made the news and spotlighted myself and author Linda Kepner. We are both NHRWA chaptermates and live near/adjacent to Peterborough.
Many of you may know that before I wrote full length novel fiction, I dabbled in literary short stories. I did well, too. Had over 30 published. A goodly amount of thosse stories were murder mysteries – at the time, my favorite form of reading material.
Weeeeeellllllll……
Recently, I transposed my favorites of those spooky tales and am now releasing one story a week on my Vella account.
The title of the series is called DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES ( get it??!! LOL) and here’s the blurb and cover:
A cheating husband. A group of widows. A hospital bed. A priest. What do they all have in common?
Death.
I plan on releasing one new story a week until they run out – or I write some new ones.
If you’re looking for some thriller/suspense/spooky tales this Halloween season, check the series out. The first episode is free.
Happy reading, kids. And don’t forget to keep the lights on while you are. Hee Hee ~ Peg
My Wild Rose Press sistah, Julie Howard, is part of the new WYLDER WEST series from the publisher and today her addition, THE THREE WIDOWS OF WYLDER releases. Julie sat down with me recently for an interview, so sit back and learn more about this talented writer. Then stick around for a glimpse into the Wylder West territory!
Julie, The Writer
1. What drives you to write?
It’s always about the story for me. I love to read compelling stories and getting swept up in a different world. I’ve always wanted to do the same for others. Plus, it’s tremendous fun to create characters and an intriguing plot – I live in a bit of make-believe nearly every day.
2. What genre(s) of Romance do you write, and why?
I always have a touch of romance in the books I write. I’ve written mysteries, paranormal mysteries and historical fiction. My books are mainly about the women who are the main characters and their personal journey – and there always seems to be a man in the picture.
3. What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why?
I enjoy a variety of genres, from historical fiction to mysteries to science fiction. I’m a sucker for a good story and good storytelling whatever the genre may be.
4. What’s your writing schedule? Do you write every day?
I write nearly every day, primarily in the mornings but sometimes I end up at my computer for most of the day and into the night.
5. Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table?
I set up an office upstairs but that felt too secluded. Now I work at my dining room table, which works very well since it’s big and I have room to spread out. I also can see out the front window and can watch the world go by. I love seeing neighbors out and about with their children and dogs. Of course, I’m closer to the kitchen downstairs so that’s handy if I want that third cup of coffee.
6. Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnel-vision?
I like a bit of bustle around me while I write, and can tune it in or out pretty well. I don’t mean noise or loud music – but I like hearing other people around.
7. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not?
I generally don’t listen to music since it tends to influence my mood and that, in turn, impacts what I’m writing in a scene.
8. How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP?
When I heard my publisher was launching a new series set in the old American West, my story came almost immediately. I already had an idea about three widows with secrets, but wasn’t entirely sure what their plot would be. When I thought about them being in the Old West, I knew immediately what my story was. I wrote the synopsis within 24 hours of hearing about the series.
9. Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?
That’s a great question. They tend to arrive together, but perhaps the character has a slight edge. For this current story, the three main characters were there first for me and I had to figure out: What would these three women do?
10. What 3 words describe you, the writer?
Creative, obsessed, prolific
Julie, the Gal
Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing!
I started kindergarten when I was three.
Who was your first love and what age were you?
I was in third grade and there was the cutest boy! Of course, he wasn’t enamored of girls then, but when we were in high school, he asked me out. It was a bit of a letdown, though he was still very cute.
If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and….
Nearly any day when my kids were preschool age. I’d love to relive a moment in time again when they were little. I know it could get old if that’s all I had forever, but they were so darn cute!
If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it item, what would it be? Hmmm, I can’t live without coffee so I’d give up a coffee maker. That would leave me with three others. Seriously. I have a coffee maker that uses ground beans, one that has an internal grinder, an espresso maker, and a French press.
What three words describe you, the person?
Kind, determined, loyal.
If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together? Emma by Jane Austen. I’d love to have tea and a bit of gossip about the neighborhood.
Bonus round
I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:
Favorite sound: Children laughing
Least favorite sound: Power tools
Best song every written: Imagine
Favorite actor and actress: Jude Law and Judy Dench
What turns you on? Kindness
What turns you off? Meanness
Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date ( here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”) “It’s bigger than you think.”
What’s your version of a perfect day?
Such a tough question since there are so many things I’d want to do! I suppose I’d start off rising very early and enjoying the quiet with a cup of coffee while the sun came up. Then a few hours of writing, a long cycle by the river, a short walk in the nearby mountains, and then a big family dinner on the patio.
And now… THE THREE WIDOWS OF WYLDER
Three women on the run.
After the death of her husband, Clara flees a hanging judge and seeks refuge with her brother in Wylder, Wyoming.
With secrets of her own and good reasons to flee, spoiled and vain Mary Rose joins Clara on the trek to Wyoming. Surely a suitable man exists somewhere.
Emma is a mystery. A crack shot and expert horsewoman, her harrowing past seeps out in a steady drip. She’s on the run from something, but what?
After the three women descend on Wylder, a budding romance leads to exposure of their pasts. As disaster looms, will any of them escape?
Emma stood, legs apart, one hand on the pistol at her hip. The covered wagon was the type used years ago by pioneers, before trains tamed the prairie, and they still lumbered across areas where tracks hadn’t been laid. Two women sat side-by-side, too focused on their argument to yet notice the camp they entered. Their one horse, overmatched by the heavy wagon, was damp with sweat, its mouth flecked with froth.
“We should have stayed on the main road.” The peevish one appeared much younger, curly gold hair topped by a large straw hat. She wore a light-yellow dress with lace at her wrists and throat, a perfectly inadequate outfit for travel. “Someone could have provided directions.”
The older woman had finely-drawn features, a few strands of gray threaded through her dark, uncovered hair. Dressed in sensible blue calico, she gripped the reins too tight and the poor horse gave a pathetic shake of its head. “The whole point was to avoid people,” she sniped.
Emma strode forward and seized the reins. “For God’s sake, you’re killing him.”
The two women gaped as though at an apparition. The horse, released from harsh hands, lowered its head and halted. Its sides heaved as flies drank at its sweaty flanks.
“Whomever let you two fools handle a horse should be whipped.” Tempted to dispatch the women to hell for their cruelty, Emma rested her hand on the pistol’s handle.
They two travelers spoke in tandem. “Who are you?” and “How dare you call me a fool.”
As Emma crooned into in the horse’s ear, her expert fingers undid the buckles at its shoulders and haunches. By the time the older of the two women climbed to the ground, the horse was unhitched and Emma led it to the creek.
“That’s our horse,” cried the one in yellow. “Clara, what is that insane girl doing? She’s stealing him.”
Emma halted, shoulders stiff. She turned and pointed the pistol at the one with lace at her throat. “I’m no horse thief.” She cocked the hammer. “Apologize.”
Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime mystery series and Spirited Quest paranormal mystery series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and editor of the Potato Soup Journal. Learn more at juliemhoward.com.
Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well. Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods. Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt, can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at despite being a little neurotic and a whole lot of snarky. Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?
GOOD LUCK!
Don’t forget to add FIXING CHRISTMAS to your GOODREADS WANT TO READ LIST!
I missed last years FILNE 2020 because of Covid issues.
Not this year!! My bags are packed and I can’t wait to get to Boxboro!
FILNE 2021 is a romance reader and author event like none other. 2 days of interactive, reader-centric workshops and panels, a Halloween costume contest, adult trick or treating, and it all culminates in an author book signing featuring over 50 romance authors.
You don’t have to attend the entire conference if you can’t. There are 1 day tickets available for Saturday only. Click on the above link to discover all about the conference.
This book is from Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, the authors of The Emotion Thesaurus. I’m such a fan of their writing guides I joined their Street Team. Every time they release a book they do something epic and fun to celebrate, and I get to tell you all about it!
But first, you’re probably curious about this book, so let me break it down. The Conflict Thesaurus is set up like the other books in their series: part how-to, part thesaurus. This guide shows writers how to maximize conflict and use it to build tension, drive the plot, reveal your character’s inner layers, and most importantly, keep readers glued to the page.
It’s packed with conflict scenarios like Moral Dilemmas, Ticking Clocks, Obstacles, No-Win Scenarios, Temptations and more. It can help you nail down your plot and character arc, so check it out!
Now, speaking of conflict, I have a BIG question for you.
Can You Survive Danger as Well as Your Favorite Protagonist?
You’re probably pretty good at throwing problems at your characters and making life difficult for them. After all, that’s part of being a writer. But do you ever think about how you’d do if you had to face the same situations? If you were the protagonist, would you hold up to the pressure? Would you make good decisions and succeed, or screw up and fail?
Let’s find out.
Introducing… The Conflict Challenge
Become the protagonist in a story Angela & Becca created using scenarios found in the Conflict Thesaurus to see if you’ve got what it takes to win.
While you’re checking out the Conflict Challenge at Writers Helping Writers, make sure to also enter theirConflict Thesaurus release day giveaway, too. But hurry – it ends October 15th.
It’s not often I’m on the ground floor when a new author that I adore drops on the scene. Today, uber-talented Louise Stevens ( the pen name of an author who’s a one-click author for me!) releases her first cozy mystery, PENTHOUSE, POOLS, & POISON. You’re going to love this delightful story and I bet you won’t guess whodunnit!
I’m Millie Wentworth, Assistant General Manager of the swanky Gulf Palms Resort and Spa, and sleuthing is not part of my job description. But when the obnoxious guest in the penthouse is poisoned beside his private pool, my daily planner is turned upside down.
Solving the murder shouldn’t be my job, but the only food found near the body is a charcuterie board sent to the victim by yours truly. The Port Sunset Police are looking my way until a shocking revelation shifts their attention to a friend. Suddenly, cracking the case moves to the top of my to-do list.
It’s up to me to find the real killer and clear my friend’s name. Uncovering the truth should be a breeze with me, my pink-haired grandmother, her rescue corgi, and her crew of fun-loving septuagenarian beach bunnies on the case. What could possibly go wrong?
Louise Stevens is the pen name of contemporary romance author Donna Simonetta.
A lover of mysteries since her discovery of Nancy Drew many years ago, she is thrilled to be writing cozy mysteries now. Being the author of the Port Sunset Mysteries series is the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
Grab a copy of this fun-filled, charming cozy today!! You won’t be disappointed.
Honestly, this year can end right now and I’d be happy! Oh…wait! The year can’t end until Sunday, October 10th because on the 9th, the RONE AWARDS are being broadcast!!! And I’ve got 2 books up for awards: BAKED WITH LOVE ( A Match Made in Heaven, book 3) and A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK. Yup, Aiden’s bro!
The blessings keep coming, kids!!!
Keep your fingers crossed for me. I know it makes me a shameful person to want to win, but…. I WANT TO WIN!!
Here’s the blurb to the soon-to-be-released MERRY’S GHOST – my first dive into the Paranormal Romance:
When writer and paranormal investigator Chase Seacort comes to spend a few weeks at a friend’s Hampton getaway, all he wants is to be alone, finish his current book about East Coast hauntings, and try to put the horrid events of his past year behind him.
All thoughts about a quiet respite alone vanish when he meets his quirky, gorgeous neighbor. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty captivates him with her perpetual smile and free and easy personality.
Merry June lives a quiet life in her beach house, devoting herself to her two loves – art and photography. Once she discovers Chase’s identity, she can’t wait to introduce him to her great-grandaunt Davinia. But Davinia rarely shows herself to others.
You wouldn’t either if you were a ghost trapped between this world and the next.
With Chase’s help, he and Merry investigate the mystery that’s kept Davinia’s spirit prisoner in the house for over 100 years, and in so doing discover a history of infidelity, heartache, and murder.
When a face from Chase’s recent past puts Merry’s life in danger, he must fight two battles for the woman he’s come to love – one on the spiritual plane and one in the physical world.
So, of course as I always do, when I have a cover and some preorder links, I’ll post them here ( and everywhere else, LOL!)
Honestly, September has been a great month for me! New publisher. New grandson. New weight loss.
One of my favorite authors ( and people!) has a new book out I’d like to share today. Kathryn Hills is part of the LAST CHANCE BEACH group and the newest addition, her SAND, SALT, and SPIRITS hit the charts recently. Here’s a little about the book.
Can a weekend visit to Last Chance Beach undo decades of brokenhearted memories? Conjuring up some island magic might just be their trick. Or treat!
Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B.
The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane.
Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!”
Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?
“I just want a chance,” he urged, meeting her intense stare.
“You move around a lot. From place to place, woman to woman. Heck, you even trade in cars faster than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m just me. Same old Cassie. I don’t want to live life on the edge like you do. I did that growing up, and it doesn’t work for me anymore. Granted, I wouldn’t mind moving back to New England. I even asked to be put on a list for transfer if any opportunities opened in the Boston area.”
A lead weight dropped into his gut. “Wait, you want to leave?”
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. Last week, I was sure. This week…today…I… Maybe things have changed,” she revealed. “Honestly, I’m torn, because I know you’re a dedicated company man. You’ll go wherever they send you and be fine with it. I’m looking for a place to call home. So…despite our wicked chemistry, I think it’s best we remain just friends.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Cass,” he promised. “Same job, same location. Right here with you. And you’re hardly the ‘same old Cassie.’ Seriously, woman, I’ve never been so surprised by someone. Can we just give it a try? See where this thing takes us?”
She stared out to sea for a long time before saying, “Maybe?”
“I can work with maybe.” He gave her a dazzling smile. “I have the rest of today and all of tonight to convince you. Let’s see if we can conjure up some of Gran’s island magic.” He twined his fingers with hers and tugged her to her feet. Walking backwards, he drew her out onto the hot sand. “Gran believes Last Chance Beach has a certain love magic. She told you…it brings people together.
“Love magic? Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe your lobster roll was bad, or you’re getting sunstroke? Did you drink enough water today?” Cassie tugged off her sandals to walk barefoot in the water when they reached the shoreline.
“I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.” Kyle followed her lead, leaving his sneakers and socks in a hastily made pile.
“And you’re saying you believe in this ‘island love magic?’” she asked in a sexy little voice, speaking over her shoulder as she strolled away from him.
“Hell, yeah. I believe it now. Certainly after you said, ‘maybe.’”
Cassie began walking faster. Soon, she was running and laughing.
Kyle gave chase. “Just so you know, I played quarterback in high school.”
“Of course you did, hot shot.” She squealed and giggled when he swept her off her feet and up onto his shoulder. “No, no, no,” she cried when he headed for the water as if to throw her in. “This dress will turn completely transparent if it gets wet.”
“You do not understand even the basic rules when dealing with men, do you, Cassie Corwin?” Kyle stopped just short of the water. He let her body slide down his slowly until her toes touched the wet sand. Waves lapped at their legs. Hers were bare, so she didn’t care. He wore pants, yet he cared even less.
“You’re right,” she murmured when he continued to hold her. “I don’t understand men. You’re an enigma to me, Kyle Worthington.”
He gently cupped her face in his hands, holding her to him, as he nuzzled her silky hair. “I don’t want to be a mystery. I want only you.”
She released a long, shaky sigh a split second before his lips brushed hers.
The rich history and many mysteries of New England are the perfect backdrop for many of KATHRYN’s books. Winding roads lined by old stone walls, forgotten cemeteries, grand homes with shadowy pasts…all sparks for her imagination. Whether it’s a quaint seaside town or the vibrant city of Boston, it’s easy for this “hauntingly romantic” author to envision the past mingling with the present. No surprise, some of Kathryn’s favorite stories include ghosts! Sprinkle in some magic, and you’re off on a great adventure.
When not writing, this best-selling author is reading, researching, gardening, or cooking up something special in her chaotic kitchen. She shares her colonial home in the north woods with those she loves most – her wonderful husband, daughter, and three crazy dogs.
In a month that brought several events – both good and bad – one of the best was my signing a contract with a new-to-me-publisher for 5 books due out between 2022 and 2023!
I’ve joined the growing ranks of Magnolia Blossom Publishing and am deep diving into the world of the paranormal romance. My first book, Merry’s Ghost, is already in edits in the new house and I can’t wait to share the details with you.
2021 didn’t start out great, but with a brand new grandson that I’m head over Manolos in love with, and this new bump in my traditional publishing career, it’s looking like it’s gonna end with a bang!
Tagline: A marriage of convenience. An unexpected love.
Single dad Ben Greyson wants only to retain custody of his two stepdaughters. A dysfunctional childhood has made family the most important thing in his life. When his late wife’s parents sue for custody, a desperate Ben is left with two choices – run away with his girls or marry his next-door neighbor.
Jamie Garven wants to be a mother. She’s intrigued by her handsome new neighbor and falls in love with his little girls. Then Ben is faced with losing his children, and Jamie agrees to marry him for a chance at motherhood. They’re determined to show the world, and the girls’ grandparents, two loving parents. Their marriage of convenience turns into unexpected love. But Ben interprets Jamie’s efforts to save their family as betrayal—they could lose everything, including each other.
“Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind about running away?”
“Say you’ll marry me.”
The words were out of his mouth before he knew he was going to say them. Jamie stared at him, eyes wide.
“What?”
“Marry me. You’re the only woman I’d trust with my girls.”
It suddenly made sense. If Jamie married him he could keep his kids.
She jumped to her feet, waking one of the dogs who’d been sleeping on the couch next to her. “What kind of marriage do you want, Ben? Are you proposing something for show?”
“No! I don’t know!” He stood and grasped her arms. “If you’re asking me if we’ll sleep together as man and wife, I don’t know.”
Her mouth twisted as if she was holding back tears. “You know I love the girls, but please don’t ask me to pretend. The last few months of my marriage, all I did was pretend. I pretended I had a husband who loved me. I swore I’d never do that again.”
Ben wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. He hated doing this to her, hated making her relive unhappy memories. He was asking too much of her and he didn’t blame her for saying no.
“Please, forget I said anything.”
He’d stick to his original plan. He and the girls would disappear. He’d change their names, go someplace where no one knew them. A life on the run wasn’t what he wanted for his children, but he’d do whatever he needed to do to keep them.
“Ben—”
“I’m sorry, Jamie.”
Ben was out the door before he could hear anymore of her objections.
When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.
In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com
I say this a lot, but it’s always true: I love introducing you all to my Wild Rose Press Sistahs. Today, I’ve got sistah CJBahr visiting and she’s telling us all about herself and her newest release, REDEEMED BY FIRE which dropped on 9.20.2021. Take a few minutes and read about this talented author then read about the book – it’s sure to whet your reading appetite!
CJ -theAuthor
1. What drives you to write?
My love or reading and my imagination. So many ideas and characters bouncing around inside my head.
2. What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why?
I write paranormal romance, supernatural suspense and urban fantasy. I guess I like a little danger and darkness with my magic. I want to write a story that drags my reader inside and give them some thrills and chills while getting to the HEA.
3. What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why?
Ha, all of them! I definitely read what I write, to stay in top form for myself. But I primarily read to escape reality. I do love a good historical or regency romance along with my paranormal reads. Lately, and I’m not quite sure why, I’ve been reading a lot of Billionaire and Hockey romances.
4. What’s your writing schedule? Do you write everyday?
I try to write everyday, but it depends on my day job if it interferes. I don’t have a schedule, I write when convenient and when inspiration strikes.
5. Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table?
I write where my laptop travels. Lately I’ve been writing while on the couch with my ever ready, cuddling assistant, Liam, my tuxedo cat. Though lately he hasn’t been so helpful since he starts out next to me and then slowly over time, oozes onto my keyboard!
6. Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnel-vision?
I prefer quiet (people wise) while listening to instrumental movie/tv soundtracks. If loud talking people, like in a coffee shop, surround me I’ll put on headphones and turn the music up so I can concentrate.
7. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not?
As mentioned above, yes I definitely listen to music when I write. No lyrics. Singing distracts me. Listening to movie/tv instrumental soundtracks, I “score” my scenes I’m writing. For instance, if I’m writing an action sequence I might listen to “The Italian Job” or “Transformers”.
8. How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP?
My Fire Chronicles series are standalones though they have an interconnecting link of seven Archangels. In book 3, Redeemed By Fire, the Archangel Gabriel presides. His horn has gone missing. Knowing that music plays an important part to the plot, there really was only one place to set it—New Orleans. From there, I came up with the supernatural serial killer who stole the horn, came up with a heroine who is set up to be the next victim. After that, it was obvious my hero would be a homicide Detective in the NOPD.
9. Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?
Usual a character comes first. In fact, in book 1, Walking Through Fire, came to me in a dream. There was a Scottish highlander chained to a cave wall as the tide swept in. I have no idea why I dreamt it, but I decided I wanted to know who the man was and why he’d drown in the cave.
10. What 3 words describe you, the writer?
Tenacious, Cinematic, Romantic.
CJ- the Gal
1. Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing!
I love single malt scotch. I learned to admire it while traveling in Scotland. I’ve amused several men, while ordering it at a bar.
2. Who was your first love and what age were you?
My first love was more of a crush. Joe, my cute, surfer, next door, neighbor. I believe I was 14 or 15 at the time.
3. If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and….
The day I rode a Welsh Cob across the “Roof of Wales”. A truly amazing day.
4. What’s one thing you love about your significant other?
Sadly, I’ve never married and currently aren’t seeing anyone.
5. If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it item, what would it be?
Chocolate cake.
6. What three words describe you, the person?
Loyal, Supportive, Perfectionist.
7. If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be?
“Paperback Writer” by the Beatles. Peggy here – OMG that’s one of my fav songs of all time!!!!
8. If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together?
Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s series, The Dresden Files. Harry has an amazing sense of humor and is listed as a wizard for hire in the Chicago phone book. I’d take him out for drinks and have him tell me about his adventures. Normally I’d love to tag along to solve a case with him, but things get pretty dicey around him, so just hanging with him would probably be the safest.
I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:
Favorite sound — a cat purring
Least favorite sound — finger nails on a chalk board
Best song every written — “Imagine” by John Lennon
Worst song ever written — “1 800 Cars For Kids”
Favorite actor — Iaon Gruffudd
Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead) — Sherlock Holmes. I’d love to be that smart and clever.
What turns you on? — A man who can make me laugh.
What turns you off? — Selfishness
Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date ( here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”) — Do you have a sister?
What’s your version of a perfect day? — Waking up late, staying in pj’s, then inviting friends over in their pj’s to play “Cards Against Humanity” and laughing our asses off.
New Orleans, hot sultry nights, and an ancient evil who makes the French Quarter home.
Blurb:
Cassanne Thomas returns to New Orleans to start her life over and becomes the target of a supernatural serial killer. Escaping her close call with death, Casi is the only witness to the crime and finds herself placed in protected custody by a handsome Cajun detective. But with her dark, troubled past, trusting the police is the last thing she wants to do.
Detective Lucas Avery, the top homicide detective in NOLA, is unaware of the supernatural world surrounding him. With the killer stalking the streets, he vows to shield the beautiful, enigmatic, Casi with his life while fighting his growing attraction to her. He’s been burned before.
Danger chases Lucas and Casi from the streets of the French Quarter to the wilds of the bayou. Will they be able to stop a monster, straight out of a nightmare or become victims themselves?
Casi screamed and covered her ears, though too late. The loud boom made her ears ring. Who was shooting at them? She tried to see, but Luc’s weight had her effectively pinned. Squealing tires along with a string of Cajun curses from Luc, had Casi guessing the shooter had fled.
Luc holstered his weapon when Casi spotted the blood dripping off his arm.
“Oh my God!” She pushed at him. “Let me up. You’re hurt. You’re bleeding!”
Luc rolled off her and did as she asked, while gripping his thigh with both hands. Her gaze left his arm drawn to the blood oozing out between his fingers. The thigh wound appeared much more serious. She tugged her phone out and quickly dialed 911. But before it connected, Luc’s bloody fingers grabbed her phone and disconnected the call.
“We can’t call this in.” Luc exhaled harshly and gritted his teeth as once again, he applied pressure to his leg.
“You’re shot. You’re bleeding from multiple places. We need an ambulance!”
He shook his head. “Can’t. We need to leave. Now.”
First published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Sword & Sorceress” anthology, C J was bitten by the writer’s bug and hasn’t stopped since. The Wild Rose Press published her award-winning first novel, “Walking Through Fire”— a Scottish ghost romance. She is currently working on the fourth book in the interconnected standalone series, The Fire Chronicles, as well as a new Urban Fantasy starring a kick-ass Time Enforcer.
When her pen isn’t scribing, you can find her busily cutting and tracking music for film and television. With over thirty years of music editing experience, her credits range from “Northern Exposure” and “The Muppets Christmas Carol”, to “The Kill Point”, “The Following”, and ABC’s hit comedy, “The Middle”.
In her downtime, you’ll find her curled up with a cup of tea, her cats and a great book in Tarzana, California.
My Wild Rose Press sistah, C.B. Clark is visiting me today and we’re talking about her new release, TWISTED LIES and the new addition to her family! Check this out!!! Leave her some love after you read the post.
Thank you for hosting me on your Blog, Peggy. I’m thrilled to be here.
Twisted Lies is my seventh romantic suspense, and my first book with a dog as a central character. When we lost our beloved, fifteen-year-old pooch, the house felt empty, so my husband and I decided we needed another dog.
I thought I remembered what a puppy was like, but I was wrong…so wrong. Penny’s a Brittany, a sporting dog, bred to run and point at game birds. She’s high energy and requires LOTS of exercise.
The first months were challenging. We had to house train her, stop her incessant mouthing and chewing, and teach her to come on command. It was exhausting. I hadn’t counted on how much attention she’d need and how little writing was possible during those first months. It’s a miracle I completed Twisted Lies.
Time moves on, and Penny’s settled down. She still needs a good run every day and lots of ball throwing, but she’s made our lives so much better. Her joy of life helped eased the stress of these past challenging months and forced me to focus on things other than the state of the world. That may be why the heroine in Twisted Lies has a beloved pet to help her though the difficult times.
Athena Cooper’s tragic past drives her to seek solace in a bottle. The addiction threatens her legal career, and she risks spiraling out of control. When her dog engineers a meeting with an all-too-handsome hunk, it’s lust at first sight…until she discovers his identity.
Businessman Russell Crawford is desperate to find the woman who cheated him out of his inheritance. His shock when she turns out to be the gorgeous red head he had a brief encounter with is only surpassed when she claims his father was a murderer.
Athena and Russ declare a truce and join forces to investigate the mystery of her parents’ disappearance from an isolated island off the rugged Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Russ promises to be her safe harbor as they uncover long-buried secrets that rock her very foundation. Can she overcome a lifelong distrust and open her heart to love?
How was it possible? After all these years? The past she’d been running from had found her. The nightmare was back. The envelope fell from her shaking hands. Her legs wobbled as she rose and stumbled out of the living room and down the short hall to the kitchen.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window above the sink. The cozy kitchen, with its walls painted a cheerful butter yellow, and the well-scrubbed laminate countertops, gleamed. The steady hum of the refrigerator and ticking of the antique clock on the wall were the only sounds in the silent house. The pungent smell of fried onions and roasted garlic from last night’s homemade spaghetti sauce hung in the air.
The efficient kitchen, with its breakfast nook and view of the tidy, fenced backyard and the rolling, grassy foothills and snow-crested Rocky Mountains beyond, was the reason she’d bought the small rancher. This was her favorite room—the place she sought refuge when life overwhelmed her. How many times had she sat there in the evenings after work, sipping a glass of chilled white wine, watching the birds at the feeder on the back porch, breathing in the sweet smells of flowering Saskatoon bushes, regrouping until she was ready to face the world?
These days, her drink of choice was a cup of herbal tea or unsweetened apple juice. Alcohol was off the table…had been for twenty-one unendurable days.
Twisted Lies is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s seventh novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting the next story.
Peggy here: Penny is such a cutie – and hubby and I also adopted a Covid-times puppy!!! I haven’t had a dog in over 21 years so I feel you when you say you thought you remembered what a puppy was like, but NOT!! Hee Hee
One of my favorite things as a blogger is introducing you, lovely reader, to a new-author-to-you. If you’ve followed this blog you know one of my favorite authors is Wild Rose Press sistah, Charlotte O’Shay. She writes great female leads, swoony heroes, and fabulous stories. She’s got her first indie book, MY ONLY ONE, out today and I am honored she’s visiting me on release day.
Hi Peggy,
Thanks you for hosting me! I’m over the moon today because it’s release day for My Only One. To be 100% truthful there’s a queasy edge to my excitement because this romance is my first indie as well as the start of a new series. So…anyway… here goes.
Five fun facts about the story & world of the Fortunato family. And a Newsletter Sign-up Giveaway.
1-My Only One, a short-ish friends to lovers, romantic suspense introduces the seven Fortunato siblings: Shane, Leo, Finn, Holly, Christopher, Ivy and Delaney and the Fortunato Family series. All of the stories are set in and around New York City.
2-I also come from a family of seven siblings. Are there any autobiographical elements in this series? Hmm…
3- The first book, My Only One features the eldest Fortunato brother, Shane, an NYPD detective and the girl next door, Esme, a cancer cure researcher. An early reviewer said, “I couldn’t put this book down as it was so addictive and a real page turner that kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what the outcome would be for Esme and Shane and would they have a future together.”
4-The upcoming romances in this series are packed with family antics, steam and some my favorite romance tropes; like enemies to lovers, slow burn, opposites attract, best friend’s younger sister, fake relationship.
5-If this intrigues you and you want some more of the Fortunato saga, sign up to my newsletter here because I will be sharing the prologue to My Only Oneonly with subscribers .
My Only One, Book One of the Fortunato Family series, is a friends to lovers, romantic suspense that’s chock full of feels.
Esme: We grew up in side-by-side New York City tenements. Shane was my first friend, my first crush, and when he enlisted, my unforgettable heartbreak. When fate brings us back together after ten years, I’m in a world of danger. But I’m not a kid anymore and I know what I want. Shane and I have a second chance at forever and there’s no way I’ll lose him again.
Shane: Brilliant, beautiful, bound for success, Esme was the girl next door and a temptation I had to resist. I was too old for her, but I couldn’t forget her. When we meet again after ten long years, she’s caught in the crosshairs of a deadly drug kingpin. But I wear a badge now. Nothing will stop me from protecting the woman who claimed me—heart and soul—so long ago. I’ll keep Esme safe or die trying.
Time’s running out for Esme to pay her father’s debt to the cartel.
Purchase from your favorite bookseller via Books2ReadHERE
Author Charlotte O’Shay was born in New York City into big family and then married into another big family.
Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in the law.
But after four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters in the City of Dreams.
Charlotte loves to challenge her heroines and heroes with a crisis and watch them figure out who they are while they fall in love.
Peggy here; to say I love Charlotte’s writing wouldn’t be a strong enough descriptive phrase. She is one of my one-click authors – the ones I preorder without even knowing what the book is about because she never NEVER disappoints. MY ONLY ONE is no exception to that. I was honored to read an ARC of this book and I’m sharing my review with you, here: My Only One Here’s a hint: LOVED IT!
Two of my favorite human beings on the planet are the husband and wife team who comprise N.N. Bookheaven. Mrs. N ( one of the best people I know!) is a fashionista. She was watching the news coverage of the Met Gala recently and…oh, well… I just let her tell it….
Mrs. N?…
The Met Gala was a couple of days ago and while I oohed and ahhhed over the gorgeous gowns, I wondered if we could do something similar for books. What would a bookish Met Gala look like? The first thing that came to my mind was book cover runway. Book covers are just like couture fashion, especially the ones that evoke emotion. I asked for nominations and below are what the readers chose. Aren’t they gorgeous?
So, Welcome to the 2021 Book Heaven Bookish Gala.
Dearly Beloved by Peggy Jaeger
Today, Tomorrow, Always by Peggy Jaeger
Baked with Love by Peggy Jaeger
A Breath of Sunlight by Sydney Winward
A Shiver of Shadows by Hunter J. Skye
Forever Winter by Amber Daulton
Hometown by Wendy Rich Stetson
Bear with Me by Marilyn Barr
Undying Embrace: A Dracula Novella by K.L. Bone
Of Snow and Scarlet: A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling by Katherine MacDonald
Just in Time: An Out of Time Story by Pauline Baird Jones
Hotel King: An Enemies to Lovers Romance by Claire Marti
Villa del Sol by Martha Reynolds
Which one is your favorite?
I personally cannot decide. Submit your winner here and next Monday, September 27, I’ll let the winner know. They’ll get a special prize from us at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven. Choose your winner: VOTE
I love this contest so much and this year WOKE, my Sleeping Beauty Redux is up in 2 categories: best cover for a contemporary and Overall best cover!!!
You all know by now I Iove my Wild Rose Press sistahs and I love introducing you all to new writers I think you’ll enjoy. Today is no exception to that premise.
Meet Susie Black. Susie is new to the Rose Garden and her debut cozy humorous mystery, DEATH BY SAMPLE SIZE is out now and getting fab reviews. Susie was kind enough to stop by recently, answer my grilling questions, and then we discussed her beloved grandmother and a forgotten art: letter writing. She also gave me a little excerpt to share from her book and I think you’ll agree that once you read it, you’ll want to get this book!
First, here’s our interview:
Susie Black: The Writer Questions
What drives you to write?
Coming from a sales background, I am a student of human nature, a people watcher, and a born storyteller. During the course of my ladies’ apparel sales career, I have kept a daily journal that chronicles the quirky, interesting, and sometimes challenging characters I come in contact with, as well as the crazy situations I’ve gotten myself into and out of. My journal is the foundation of all I write.
What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why?
I actually write in the humorous cozy mystery genre, but unrequited or ill-fated romance is usually one of the motives for the murder in my plots.
What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why?
I read romantic mysteries. I lean towards whodunits, but like them spiced up with some romance that usually drives the plot.
What’s your writing schedule? Do you write every day?
Honestly, I do not have a writing schedule. If I had only specific days and hours when I could write, then I would. I set my own schedules and find that writing when the urge to write hits instead of checking the calendar or clock to see if it is writing time, makes for a writing atmosphere that is much more creativefor me.
Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table?
Most of the time I write in my office at my computer adjacent to a window that overlooks a golf course. I have also been known to write on my laptop while sitting on the deck of my houseboat.
6. Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnel-vision?
I am used to white noise around the house, so I am able to filter out the typical sounds of the day. Also, I have a hearing problem, so in this case, it is a benefit as I simply do not hear a lot of noise.
Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not?
It depends. If I am working on a chapter that I have a good idea of how to write, then I listen to either cool jazz or oldies in the background. If I am working on a new section or one that is challenging, then no, I prefer as few distractions as possible, so no music for me to sing along to.
How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP?
The plotline/idea for my current WIP came from an incident I had with an unscrupulous buyer that I used poetic license to take to a much more dramatic level.
Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?
I am a people person, so for me, the characters always come first. My characters always drive the plot, never the reverse.
What 3 words describe you, the writer?
Funny. Honest. Passionate.
Susie, the Gal…
Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing!
I eat each item on the plate separately and completely before I go to the next item and I eat my least favorite item on the plate first.
Who was your first love and what age were you?
My first love was Dean Schneider. We were five years old.
If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and….
My Wedding Day
What’s one thing you love about your significant other?
He makes me laugh every, single day.
If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it item, what would it be?
My car
What three words describe you, the person? Honorable, Trustworthy, Sassy
If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be?
“I won’t grow up” from Peter Pan
If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together?
Nancy Drew because she got me interested in mysteries. We would solve a mystery together.
Bonus round
I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:
Favorite sound: Waves breaking on the seashore
Least favorite sound: Fingernail scratches across a chalkboard
Best song every written: People, by Barbra Streisand
Worst song ever written: Woolly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
Favorite actor and actress: Favorite actor: Jack Lemon Favorite Actress: Meryl Streep
Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead): Fearless Golda Meir because she was one of the first female heads of state in a major country and did what was necessary to defend Israel.
What turns you on? Love
What turns you off? Narrow minds
Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date ( here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”): “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to be at work really early tomorrow.”
What’s your version of a perfect day? My husband, son, and I are together enjoying one another’s company.
And now, A little on that forgotten letter-writing art form:
In this modern time of smart phones that do almost everything including talking for you, it is hard to believe, but back in the early days, telephones were difficult to use, often unreliable, and expensive to own. Not every family, including mine, could afford the luxury of having one.
Like many families, once my Nana’s siblings grew up and left home, they scattered across the country. Nana knew the importance of keeping her family together no matter how many miles separated them. Since a phone was not an option, as the oldest child, Nana was chosen to write letters to family members living far from home. With the same level of dedication as the postman; come rain, sleet, or snow, war or peace, prosperous times or the depths of a national depression, my blind-as-a bat without her coke bottle-thick glasses Nana sat every Monday night at her dining room table and wrote a letter to each of her siblings. Her letters sewed the thread that kept our close-knit tribe connected.
When I was in my sophomore year of college my family moved from Los Angeles to Miami. Despite their valiant attempts to persuade me to join them, I wasn’t interested in relocating to “God’s waiting room,” and remained out west. The good news was that Nana added me to her list of weekly letter-writing recipients. Lonesome for my family, Nana’s weekly letter was an eagerly-anticipated lifeline to my family’s heart and soul. For all of us, that letter was the glue that kept our family bound together no matter how far from home one of us wandered.
The designated town crier, Nana’s letters were more like a newsletter. A date with her friends at the movies? After reading her letter, I was in the seat next to her. She reported who went, what they wore, if they were late or early; where they sat, if they had a snack, what the snack was, editorials on how much the snacks and the movie tickets cost, and every detail of the movie that was so complete, the recipient of her letter could write a decent review based on Nana’s commentary. If she described what an attendee was wearing, I could close my eyes and picture the outfit perfectly. Her descriptions were so detailed and rich, that if she was describing a meal, I could smell the wafting aroma and taste the food.
Out of sentimentality or maybe a sixth sense that someday I’d need them, I kept every one of those letters. Like Nana, they were strong-willed and hearty; surviving dogs, a child, countless moves, several major earthquakes and a devastating house fire. I had no formal creative writing training when I decided to write my first manuscript. I had a story to tell, but no clue how to tell it. I instinctively pulled the carefully wrapped packets of letters out of the storage box and re-read every one of them. I could picture Nana at the dining room table writing the letters. I heard her voice inside my head speaking to me. My long-gone, full-service Nana had given me all the tools I needed. I re-packed the letters, started to write, and thanks to Nana, I never stopped.
In a detached society that values cheaper and faster, we are insulated from direct contact with one another more each day. E-mail and texting replaced a phone call, and Zoom is the new version of a face to face meeting. We don’t need brick and mortar to build walls anymore. Modern technology has certainly had an impact on society mores and improved many aspects of our lives. Regrettably, technology was also a death knell for several means of personalized communication. Nana would have been horrified that a quaint, old fashioned skill like letter-writing disappeared. My debut humorous cozy mystery Death by Sample Size is out now. Thanks to Nana, my story has been told in a distinctive voice that comes through loud and clear.
Peggy here: I lovelovelove writing letters – and receiving them!!
Everyone wanted her dead…but who actually killed her?
The last thing swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected was to discover ruthless buying office big wig Bunny Frank’s corpse trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a bikini stuffed down her throat. When Holly’s colleague is arrested for Bunny’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to find the real killer. Nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she matches wits with a wily killer hellbent on revenge.
When the elevator doors opened, I had to stop myself short not to step on her. There was Bunny Frank-the buying office big shot-lying diagonally across the car. Her legs were splayed out and her back was propped against the corner. Her sightless eyes were wide open and her arms reached out in a come-to-me baby pose. She was trussed up with shipping tape like a dressed Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven with a bikini stuffed in her mouth. A Gotham Swimwear hangtag drooped off her lower lip like a toe tag gone lost. Naturally, I burst out laughing.
Before you label me incredibly weird or stone-cold, let me say genetics aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. If you’re lucky you inherit your Aunt Bertha’s sexy long legs or your father’s ability to add a bazillion dollar order in his head and get the total correct to the last penny. Without even breaking into a sweat, it’s easy to spout at least a million fabulous traits inheritable by the luck of the draw. Did I get those sexy long legs or the ability to add more than two plus two without a calculator? Noooooooooo. Lucky me. I inherited my Nana’s fear of death we overcompensated for with the nervous habit of laughing. A hysterical reaction? Think Bozo the clown eulogizing your favorite aunt.
I craned my neck like a tortoise and checked around. Then I clamped a fist over my mouth. Cripes, how could I possibly explain my guffaws with Bunny lying there? The disappointment was simultaneously mixed with relief when there was no one else in the parking lot. Where was security when you needed them?
I toed the elevator door open and bent over Bunny. I’d seen enough CSI episodes to know not to touch her. She was stiff as a board and I attributed the bluish tinge of her skin to the bikini crammed down her throat. I was no doctor, but I didn’t need an MD after my name to make this diagnosis. Bunny Frank was dead as the proverbial doorknob.
It was no surprise Bunny Frank had finally pushed someone beyond their limits. The only surprise was it had taken so long. The question wasn’t who wanted Bunny Frank dead. The question was who didn’t?
Born in the Big Apple, Susie Black now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Just behind my college graduation, wedding day, and the birth of my son, June 9th was truly one of the most amazing days of my entire life. My debut cozy mystery Death by Sample Size was released for publication. I am humbled, honored, and proud to be able to say that now I am officially a published author! A life-long dream has come true, a hard-fought-for goal has been accomplished.
Do you love to read romance books? Ever wanted to meet any of the authors you love? Looking for a girls’ getaway weekend that doesn’t involve plane travel or passports?? This is the conference for you, then.
Over 4o Bestselling and Award winning romance authors will be spending the weekend with readers, doing workshops, having a Halloween party, and generally just enjoying post-quarantine revelry – with Covid restrictions in place!! There’s even a book signing -open to the public- where you can get your favorite author’s newest release, autographed and personalized! Christmas will be here before you know it and books always make great gifts.
Please come join me – and all the other wonderful authors who’ll be there.
Click on the above highlighted link to get you tot he FILNE website, where all the details are listed.
Happy Days, kids ~ Peg
Oh, and one more thing: Several authors have pre-order forms available for you so if you are coming tot he conference and want to make sure you get the one book you want, you can order them ahead of time and they’ll be available for pick up at the signing. Here’s the form for my books: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/183tu6eAShLdMiKjqPTRqRbs5r4d9MXn1EKP7dFyvhSQ
I’ve joined with 11 other VELLA writers to give you a chance to win a $170 Amazon giftcard in this amazing giveway.
Just click on the following link to enter: VELLA Scroll down.Follow the instructions and enter to win! Easy Peasy.
If you are new to VELLA, here’s a little about VINDICATION, my current episodic story ( new episodes are listed every monday-wednesday)
Someone is murdering teenage girls in Washington, DC. The FBI’s special division, the SPCD – the Sexual Predators of Children – has been working the case for the past 6 months. When a Senator’s daughter goes missing, the team, lead by Tucker Petrie, has to call on retired profiler – and his past partner – Kella O’Brian. Reluctantly, she rejoins the team and they search for a link to the girls who have been abducted, then killed.
ONE FINAL NOTE: you DO NOT have to sign up for my newsletter like the promo says because my newsletter is now defunct. You can enter and just like the read pages listed. Mailchimp corrupted my recent newsletter and it was just easier to delete the account.
I’m not a grandma yet – still have about 3 weeks to go before the blessed event – and it is a blessed event! There’s something so magical about your baby having a baby. I simply can’t wait to be a grandmother – much like I couldn’t wait to be a mom.
Back then, when I was 29, having a baby was an exciting, and in some instances, fearful time.
Becoming a grandmother at 61, I find I am experiencing the same emotions of excitement and fear. The fear is founded. Anything can go wrong during a birth, even if the woman is healthy and hale, as my daughter is. But I don’t want to dwell on the fear today. I want to express the excitement – and if I’m being honest with myself – a little self indulgence as well.
When my daughter told us she was pregnant I screamed, fell to my knees, and started sobbing, uncontrollably. Why? At the time I hadn’t a clue in a cardboard box, but it was such an emotional release I don’t think I stopped smiling for a week afterward.
Now, with the arrival date imminent, I think I can understand why I reacted the way I did.
First, I was so happy for my daughter and her husband. They were supposed to get married in a huge to-do in May of 2020 and had to -of course – postpone the wedding because of Covid. The huge reception ( 400 people) is still on tap for May 2022 now, but they wanted to be married, so in a small church ceremony with only a few family members, they wed a year ago, today, so Happy Anniversary to them.
Both of them are over the age of 30 and I knew they both wanted children. I thought they were going to wait until after the reception, but they figured, “why not now? We’re married, legally, so…”
I truly can not wait to be a grandmother. I’m thrilled I’m still young and healthy enough to experience having a baby that isn’t mine but that is related to me and be able to hold it in my arms, play, feed, and cuddle it whenever I want.
I truly can not wait to see how my daughter is going to be as a mother. We all think we will never say/do the things our own mothers did – that classic mother/daughter angst dynamic — but in the long run, we find ourselves doing and saying if not all the same things, many of them. It will be interesting in coming years to possibly hear things come out of her mouth she swore she’d never say as a mother because I said them, or do things she vowed never to do, again for the same reason.
Since I didn’t have a great role model for a grandmother – too strict, too mean, alcoholic – I intend to be the antithesis of that for my grandchild. I won’t say I’ll be indulgent because I respect my daughter’s rules and requests on things ( like no sugar, junk food, etc) but I will be loving, caring, strict with a smile, and of course, present. My grandmother never was present even when she and I were the only people in a room. In truth, she didn’t like my mother much so that trickled down to me since I was her child.
Family dynamics will kill you every time, kids.
But…
Not me. I WANT to be in the child’s life. I WANT to experience the things my grandmother never wanted to because she couldn’t be bothered. I ALREADY love this child and I haven’t even met it yet. I WANT to do all the things I loved doing with my own daughter and which I know she loved as well. I want to be a positive influence on the child, impart whatever wisdom I can ( and have) and I want the child to know and experience love. Complete, all encompassing love.
So.
Happy Grandparents Day to all the GP’s out there already, and those like me, the soon-to-bes.
I love this entire series from the Wild Rose Press. Darlene Fredette is the latest author to pen one of these scrumptious stories in CHERRY RED, available now!
She creates ice cream. He radiates heat. Cherry Red (One Scoop or Two)
This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd’s only focus is expanding her business—until she’s coerced into attending her ex’s engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.
The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding’s interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.
Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.
“This might seem like a strange question, especially since we’ve just met, but would you be interested in going out for a coffee? Or an ice cream?” Noah rested an arm on the bar.
Carly glanced down at her jeans and black T-shirt embroidered with the company name and logo…a cluster of red cherries. In a room full of women all dolled up in fancy—and some a bit scanty—dresses, why would this incredibly handsome man ask her on a date? “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested…”
Noah raised a brow. “I know you like ice cream, so is it the coffee, or me?”
“What? No. I mean, yes.” She took a second to collect her scrambled thoughts. “I like coffee. I just don’t hang out with firefighters.” Not that he was a real firefighter. Did impersonators count in her rules of men to avoid? She never dated a stripper, but she wasn’t sure she could have a relationship with a guy who was paid to take off his clothes and have other women fawn over him. Not that the guy asked her on a date…just a simple coffee. His frown made her feel badly. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”
“Burnt in the past? No pun intended.” He smiled.
She couldn’t help but smile back. “Something like that.”
Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. An avid reader since childhood, Darlene loved to develop the many stories coming to life in her head. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador. Darlene’s favourite pastime is taking summer daytrips to the Valley to soak in the small-town feel.
I lovelovelove when my Wild Rose Press sistah’s come for a visit – especially when they have a new book releasing soon! D.K. Deters has a new Western Historical Romance coming on 10.6.21 titled THE TEXAN’S FAVOR. Here’s a little about it:
A stranger’s path, a broken promise, and a second chance…
Ambushed, Texas Ranger Jake Fontaine’s a dead man until a Kansas spinster raises her shotgun in his defense. Despite the rogue lawman’s obsession to bring in his brother’s killer, duty demands he escort her to the next town.
Kat Collins is a thief, though an honorable one. She’s on the run from controlling kin and aims to escape her past. Traveling with Jake offers the perfect cover—until her uncle finds them sharing a campfire and imposes his own kind of justice—a wedding.
Marriage will cost Jake his freedom but refusing may cost him his life. Kat figures he’s bound to recognize her on a wanted poster. Would sharing passionate nights in his arms be worth the peril?
“Not that it’s any of your affair, Ranger, but I’m goin’ to St. Louis. I didn’t plan for any delays. You were in trouble, and I tried to help.” She lifted her chin. “Although you bein’ a Texas Ranger and all, I’d think you would’ve had the upper hand.”
He stuffed his hat back on. Contrary to his usual confidence around women, she baffled him. “Lady, you’re riding a horse to St. Louis, alone?” Stubborn woman, someone should be responsible for her welfare. Was Emmett involved with her decision?
She slammed the coffeepot to the smoking fire and a moment later stomped across the ground separating them. At over five-and-a-half feet tall and her boot heels adding an extra inch, she dug her forefinger into his chest. “Ranger, you question where I’m going? Don’t forget you’re in Kansas. Don’t Texas Rangers ride in—Texas?” She stretched the word Texas and placed her hands on her hips. “Did you lose your way?”
Her words strained his good intentions. He leaned forward, wrapped his hands around her thin wrists, and murmured, “Honey, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever lose my way to Texas.”
D. K. Deters is a fantasy and historical romance author. She was a communications consultant before turning to a writing career. Like many historical romance authors, she’s always had a deep interest in history, and the nineteenth century is her favorite. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. Her hobbies include restoring old dollhouses and secondhand furniture. Christmas is her favorite time of the year. Her debut eBook, Christmas Once Again, was also published by The Wild Rose Press.
I am so tickled pink this morning because the latest addition to the PRIDE OF BROTHERS series – AIDEN – dropped at midnight. This story just wrung me dry when I was writing it and I am so in love with the three main characters – yes 3! The hero Aiden, a cancer surviving Private Investigator with a naughty side and a twinkle in his eyes; Lexi, the trivia-Tourettes’ spewing Ph.D who doesn’t know her own worth; and Bronte, the chocolate lab who makes Aiden’s life run smoothly from a medical standpoint and who is more human than most, well…humans! Bronte even made it on the cover!
I hope you enjoy their story. If you’ve read any of my WILL COOK FOR LOVE series, or the first book in this one, Rick, you will recognize many of the characters that help Lexi and Aiden discover the truth behind her (Lexi’s) sister’s death.
Protecting her is his job. Loving her was never part of the bargain.
Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.
Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.
When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.
“Lexi?”
“You are, without a doubt, the most attuned and insightful man I have ever met.”
He cocked his head, a ghost of that sexy grin lifting one corner of his mouth. “I think that’s a compliment.”
“It is. Believe me, it is.” She clasped her hands in front of her, her own smile finally making an entrance. “You just put into words what I’ve been thinking but felt if I said it out loud I’d come off like a total bitch.”
He took a step closer, bringing them almost into contact. Lexi willed herself to stay put and not dissolve against him like she so ardently wanted to.
“I don’t think that word can ever apply to you.” He lowered his voice and dipped his head a bit, giving her the impression his words were only meant for her to hear. Fixated now on her and not the man—and woman—up ahead of them, his pupils grew in size, shoving the riot of blues to the edges, as he gazed at her face. The opposite corner of his mouth lifted, mimicking its twin, to create the most charming and seductive of grins. “In fact”—he was so close his body heat warmed her from head to toes like a blanket fresh from a hot dryer—“I don’t think you’ve ever had a bitchy thought or moment in your life.”
“You’d be surprised,” she mumbled. Of its own free will, her gaze dipped down to his mouth. She licked her lips at the thought of how they would feel against her own, and the rush of air he sucked in pulled her along with it.
Without warning, Aiden lifted a hand, caressed her cheek with the back of it, as he sighed her name.
The notion he was going to kiss her barreled through her, and she couldn’t think of one reason why she shouldn’t kiss him right back.
He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip, his lids dropping half closed as he continued to concentrate solely on her. It didn’t matter a whit they were standing in the aisle of a crowded bookstore surrounded by books and people and waiting to speak to a man who may be able to answer some questions about her sister’s death. All that did matter was the attraction crackling in the air between them—an attraction growing hourly since he’d sat himself down next to her on that first flight.
Just as he bent a bit more toward her, and she responded by lifting up on the balls of her feet, the moment shattered.
“Excuse me, but can you move up?” An irritated voice from behind yanked them out of the sexual fugue they’d both drifted into. Aiden’s eyes opened wide again, his lashes beating a rapid tattoo against the top of his cheeks. He shook his head like a dog shucking water from its back, turned to the woman with the annoyed voice and said, “Please. Go ahead of us.”
Without waiting for a response, he wrapped a hand around Lexi’s arm and gently tugged her off the line. Silently, he propelled her to the back of the store, down a secluded hallway near the restrooms. With a furtive glance to the right, then the left, assuring they were alone, he spun her so she faced him.
Brows pinched together and looking at her through inquiring eyes, Aiden took a breath, let it out slowly, then said, “I have to ask. I’m pretty sure of the answer, but I have to hear it from you first, Lexi.”
She stopped him before he could give a voice to his question by rising up on her toes and fusing her lips to his.
For the second time in the span of a few minutes, her never-resting mind went completely still. No data spewed forth about how humans were the only species who kiss, or the crazy laws about kissing still on the books and punishable by fines or imprisonment in some states, or even that, on average, each person spends about 330 hours of their life engaged in the art of kissing.
Intrigued? I hope so.
You can get your copy here if you are (hee hee): APOBA
Happy reading, peeps. For me, I’m off to eat cake to celebrate!
Over 225 (!) authors will be participating in a giveaway event that lasts the entire day – 9.24.2021~
Just click on over to the Facebook group any time during the day, scroll through the posts, comment on them and you’ll be entered to win whatever prize the author is giving away!
I’ll be giving away Amazon gift cards and ecopies of my newest books!
What have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing, right?
This new addition to the wonderful Thesaurus series drops on 10.12.2021 and it couldn’t come sooner for this writer!!! Jam filled with all kinds of conflicts your characters can get into plus the resolutions to solve them, this book is a game changer for writers.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 
