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.
Autumn is here and readers are gearing up for some serious tackling of their to-be-read list.
September is Read a Book a Month and N. N. Light’s Book Heaven is your guru to unleashing your inner reader. They have teamed up with over forty-five authors to offer loads of books plus gift cards. Readers can win free books including hardcover, e-copy and audiobooks plus Amazon gift cards. 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!
I’m so thrilled my new women’s fiction, NYC romance, BALANCEreleased into the book reading world today. Every book release day fills me with a sense of euphoria mixed with dread!
The euphoria is because I am so proud and excited to have a new book – one of my babies – out in the world.
The dread because I know not everyone will like it and the reviews may be mixed.
But I’ve developed a thick skin over these past few years, so that helps some with the negativity!
Phillip and Decker’s road to an HEA is winding and at times tortuous. As one of the book’s reviewers put it: “She( Peggy Jaeger) had me laughing, crying, angry, and hopeful, all between the first and last pages of this book.”
Love that!
I hope if you read the book, you’ll agree with that sentiment.
She’s a wealthy socialite who survived an abusive marriage. He’s a hardworking guy raising his son and caring for his widowed father. They come from different worlds, but it’s said…opposites attract. Can they find the balance between their two lifestyles to make their love work? Or will their differences tear them apart?
It’s so exciting to think that in one week my newest NYCromance releases into the book reading world! This absolutely never gets old!
When I wrote WOKElast year, I just knew when it was finished I needed to give Aurora’s BFF, Phillipa, her own HEA. She’d survived an emotionally abusive marriage and was just too young to give up on love. Finding her a man who could love her and see beyond her wealth was, I’ll admit, a struggle. But in Decker Madina I found a hero any woman – wealthy or not – would want in their life.
I’m so happy to be sharing their story with you IN JUST 7 DAYS!!! Hee hee
Have you pre-odered your copy yet so you’ll have it on 9.1? No? Well, here, let me help you do that:
She’s a wealthy socialite who survived an abusive marriage. He’s a hardworking guy raising his son and caring for his widowed father. They come from different worlds, but it’s said…opposites attract. Can they find the balance between their two lifestyles to make their love work? Or will their differences tear them apart?
I’m always excited when a new book is about to be released. They really are like a writer’s babies – hard work goes into birthing them and then we want everyone to love them as much as we do, LOL.
I have to admit, I lovelovelove the story of Phillipa Doubletree and Decker Madina and I sincerely hope you do, too!
Divorced socialite Phillipa Doubletree is forging a life of her own for the first time at the age of 37. With her abusive marriage behind her, she’s learning how to trust again, is managing her own life and finances, and reconnecting with her oldest friend. Phil’s not ready to jump into the dating world yet, and the thought of being in a relationship gives her hives. Her marriage left too many emotional scars and she’s liking this free and easy single girl life.
But it would be nice to know she’s still desirable to a man.
Physician’s Assistant and widower Decker Madina is single-parenting his son and caring for his aged and sick father. With a mountain of work and family obligations, skyrocketing medical bills, and a job that’s taking an emotional toll, Decker wishes he could carve out a little time for himself, enjoy the company of a woman, and maybe even get married again.
These two come from different worlds and want different things. But it’s said opposites attract. Can they find the balance between their lifestyles to make a relationship work? Or are their differences too much for an everlasting love?
My wonderful writing friend, multipublished and uber-talented CHARLOTTE O’SHAY is releasing her first indie book – MY ONLY ONE – on September 21, but you get to see the fabulous cover today!
BLURB
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.
I’ve joined forces with Romance Devoured and 18 other Bestselling Contemporary Romance Authors to bring you an amazingly HOT giveaway! The best part? EVERYONE WINS!
My book WOKE is featured as part of the giveaway and you’ll get it for FREE just for entering!
Everyone who enters will receive all 19 books free! And one lucky winner will also get a brand new Kindle Paperwhite. How awesome is that? Almost like a gift from your own romantic hero!
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.
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.
He wrapped his arms around both girls. Jamie watched, uncomfortable to be intruding on such a private moment. Something about the tender way this big man held these two tiny girls hit her square in the solar plexus.
Not every man behaved like her ex.
She cleared her throat. “I should get Rex and Sammy home. It was nice meeting you, Bella and Sophie. I’ll see you around.”
Her neighbor rose quickly and extended his hand. “Thank you for helping me find the girls. I’m Ben Greyson, by the way.”
“Jamie Garven.” She accepted his handshake. Again, she had the sensation she’d seen him before. In the lights illuminating the playground she could see his eyes were a mixture of green and brown and were framed by long, thick lashes. This close to him, she noticed the dimple in his cheek for the first time and caught the scent of a delectable men’s cologne. For a moment, Jamie’s heart wobbled like a washing machine with an uneven load.
Or a hormonal teenager with her first crush.
The embarrassing thought made Jamie tug on her hand. He released it immediately and she forced herself to smile politely.
“It was nice meeting all of you. Goodnight.”
Once she and the dogs rounded the school and were out of sight, Jamie urged them into a run. They raced all the way home. As if the hounds of Hell were on their tails.
Or perhaps her own unsettling thoughts were chasing her. Jamie stifled a groan. She was being ridiculous. She’d been momentarily dazzled by a pretty face. Any red-blooded woman with a pulse would have reacted the same way.
Anyway, there was likely a Mrs. Ben Greyson somewhere in the picture. Men who looked like him generally weren’t single.
And men who looked like her hot new neighbor didn’t give plain women like her a second glance.
**Pre-order Now – Sep 17th to get the special discount price of $2.99!**
Garrett Saunders’ world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.
Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett’s rescue horse and he’ll help with repairs around her farm.
Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she’s hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett’s love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?
**On Sale for Only .99 cents Aug 20th – Sep 3rd!!**
Is Lauren’s love for Cole stronger than her fear of scandal in her hometown?
Lauren didn’t intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband’s funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she’s not sorry. Cole’s given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He’s been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she’s afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn’t his.
Cole’s been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother’s. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren’s heart ever be his?
Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?
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
This weekend, my WIld Rose Press sistah Marilyn Barr is celebrating the SPUMONI FESTIVAL with a post and the release of her One Scoop or Two novella from WRP SMOOTHER THAN SPUMONI
Do you like your ice cream by the slice? If so, this weekend is the Spumoni Festival across the globe. From its home in Naples, Italy to its commercial center in New York City, USA, the tri-colored ice cream is celebrated. Flavor combination taste testing, largest cube contests, and fastest scooping races are just some of the fun activities at Spumoni Festivals. Even my small town in Kentucky is celebrating with an ice cream toss for prizes. How many times could you volley a scoop of ice cream from cone-to-cone in the late August heat? I know my number…it’s 5.
The festival ends on 8/23/2021 which is the release date for Smoother Than Spumoni. Allow me to introduce you to Susie Larkin, the dolphin shifter in the Strawberry Shifters spin-off novella. Dolphins can’t eat ice cream so what is the connection? Susie is the heiress to Larkin’s Dairy Dip on Seagrass Island and our main character in Smoother Than Spumoni, part of the One Scoop Or Two series. Susie may be pedaling ice carts on the beach this summer, but once she has her MBA – she is building a frozen confection empire.
Susie has her eyes on the prize and it is in the opposite direction of the fated-mate meat market. While her friends are batting their eyelashes at every shifter of age, Susie is studying dairy prices and flavor trends. She is laser-focused until she meets Frank Paulino, an intern from the Strawberry pack. Here’s a snippet from Smoother Than Spumoni that will melt your heart:
“You put your sign away before I could read your flavor choices. Do you have spumoni by chance?”
“I-I,” I stammer. A decade of childhood speech therapy is reversed in milliseconds. With each syllable, my face boils from heat not related to the sun. Where is confident, professional Susie? I need my educated side to wake up and say something intelligent. Like…like…
“What’s a spumoni?” Oh, my goodness gracious, say anything but that. Of course, I know spumoni is an ice cream flavor, I have been making ice cream since childhood.
“Spumoni is an Italian flavor combo of ice cream. My mom makes it all the time and I thought I could ward off homesickness with it,” he says with a shy smile. Awww, he misses home. Could he be any cuter?
Okay, my turn to talk but my mouth fails to work. Scoop something, scoop something. “Here is Neapolitan,” I say, pointing the scoop into the case. “It is almost spumoni.”
He crinkles his nose at me, and I swoon like a doofus. “Neapolitan isn’t spumoni. Where are the dried fruit, the nuts, the Italian flag?”
“Of course, the Italian Americans ditched the patriotism for marketability when they substituted chocolate for the vanilla portion of the flag.” Phew, now I sound more like myself.
“Exactly, you can’t begrudge an American their chocolate. It is an instant moneymaker. A chocolate dessert boosts our profits by five percent at the restaurant back home.”
“Our chocolate ice cream flies out of the case during the busy season. If I were in charge, we would be packaging it to sell in grocery stores. A safe flavor would be a soft launch though,” I say, waving the scoop at him.
Is spumoni related to Neapolitan? The answer can be found in 1870s Americana when spumoni was first brought from Naples, Italy. Spuma is Italian for foams and Spumoni is its plural form. The original recipe had three ice creams of cherry, vanilla, and pistachio, all topped with whipped cream (foam) mixed with dried fruit and nuts. The dessert was sliced like ice cream cake (still is in Italy and Argentina). (from National Spumoni Day Facts).
As you can guess, America went wild for sliced spumoni even after the foam was removed for ease of eating. Imagine walking down a New York street with your slice of pizza in one hand and your slice of spumoni in the other. Having the foam would be a messy affair! The greater the popularity, the more the spumoni makers experimented. Chocolate was swapped out for vanilla to capitalize on America’s favorite flavor by 1880.
Spumoni is the grandfather to all tri-flavored ice cream, including Neapolitan. In 1885, you could purchase a slice of a Neapolitan Box which was three flavors of the day frozen side-by-side. They started with the traditional spumoni flavors but later added coffee, strawberry, and orange. With success came wild flavors like pineapple, black current, brandy brown butter, and tea. No matter what combinations were created, the classic strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate Neapolitan was the best seller. As the ice cream industry changed from slices to scoops around 1900, the Neapolitan box became the tri-flavored scoops we know today. (from Good Eats Ice Cream)
Today, spumoni festivals have taste testing of the wildest new flavors. How about Dragon’s Breath (cayenne chocolate), Unicorn (cotton candy), and Elf Ears (egg nog)? When my family visited a spumoni festival in Little Italy, my favorite was a floral combination of lemon thyme, strawberry rose, and orange blossom. My son surprised me by picking lavender, blueberry lemon, and orange crème as his favorite combination. I thought the Dragon’s Breath would have been a winner.
My mother and grandmother still serve their spumoni sliced with foam filled with pistachios, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. I’m the rebel who scoops hers. I also make mine with bourbon-soaked cherries. I do live near Louisville, Kentucky after all. While I have inspired you to drive to your local ice cream parlor, I need to get back to Smoother Than Spumoni. Here’s another snippet from Susie and Frank:
“Listen to me babble on about pasta and cheese prices while the rain has started falling,” he says, raking his fingers through his hair leaving a curl standing up. I must resist making a fool out of myself by smoothing it down. My hands twitch as I watch it wave at me from his head.
“No, the price of dairy is the driving force, beyond petroleum pricing, behind our price points in the ice cream world too,” I say to reassure him. I love studying commodities but somehow the subject becomes captivating when delivered in his soft, velvet voice.
“To take on the dairy industry for price points, you must really believe in your chocolate ice cream. I believe I’m sold,” he says. I’m too busy mooning over him to realize I’m supposed to be selling. We stand there for a moment with my scoop in midair. I am releasing the dry ice at the bottom of the case. Soon I will be the only frozen part of this operation.
Aww, nerd love. Will Susie and Frank put their ambitions aside long enough to give their relationship a chance? Once you finish that slice of ice cream, check out Smoother Than Spumoni, a sweet, new adult shifter romance with the summer lovin’ of Grease and the environmental conspiracy of the Pelican Brief.
Susie Larkin is a dolphin shifter and heir to the humble Larkin’s Dairy Dip on Seagrass Island, FL. Pedaling ice cream from bicycle carts on the beach is just a stepping-stone for this future CEO of a frozen confection empire—or so she hopes.
Frank Paulino Jr. receives his first taste of freedom from Strawberry, KY in a summer internship at Bart’s Oyster bar. His pasta creations save the restaurant when red tide poisons the fresh fish of the bay, making him the most popular werewolf on Seagrass island.
Frank and Susie uncover a conspiracy that threatens not only the wildlife of the area but also their lives. Can these two shifters put their ambitions aside long enough to give their relationship a chance, or will Frank pay the ultimate price to protect Susie and the island she loves?
They move quickly, efficiently, and silently, only stopping to check over their shoulders every few minutes. When the exchange is complete, the truck starts again. Even though it is dark, without headlights they navigate unerringly through the native swamp.
“That was weird. You thought it was weird right?”
“Yeah, I want to know what is in those barrels.”
“Let’s leave it alone. We have been gone for months and have no idea how this area has changed. Let’s go home and ask our parents or Wilson.”
“Why? When one look at the label will answer all our questions? Besides, the truck has already left.”
“They could return.”
“As shady as they were acting, they aren’t coming back. Come on—”
“No way, Susie Q. We are going home.” Her voice shakes as she lays down her ultimatum. She can’t abandon me here in case I succumb to Red Tide on the swim home. However, tears have already started rolling down her cheeks. My bestie is terrified.
“You are right. Let’s go ask,” I say calmly. Why upset her more when I can bring a braver companion tomorrow? Surely a demon-slaying werewolf won’t be scared of a few barrels?
Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, certified spiritual/energy healer, and advocate for the autistic community. This puts her in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.
When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.
Indie bookstores across the USA are celebrating the romance genre, the authors who write the stories and the readers who love them.
I happened to drop in to the Toadstool this morning and this was on the counter and on the front door:
So, if you are free this Saturday, pleasepleaseplease come out and meet me, hear a reading from one of my newest books, and enjoy a few hours celebrating love.
My lovely writing friend, Lucinda Race, has just published ( TODAY!) the third installment in her Crescent Lake Winery series, BLUSH.
Friends to lovers to friends…to lovers?
For Peyton Brien, working as the manager of the tasting room at Crescent Lake Winery is more than a job. It’s her passion. The single mother’s other passion is her seven-year-old son. Years before, she’d had those same feelings for the winery owner’s son, Jack. She’d thought they had a forever kind of love—until he moved away and broke her heart. But now he’s back. Friends to lovers to friends again. They’ve agreed the past is the past. But is it?
Jack Price ran to California to escape from the future his father saw for him. His passion isn’t business; it’s working about the grape vines. The years away didn’t change that, and they didn’t change Jack’s love for Peyton. And now her hero-worshipping son is wrapping himself around Jack’s heart as well. But just as Peyton and Jack’s relationship begins to sprout new tendrils of hope, a secret from Jack’s past threatens to destroy his dreams.
They’re long past the sweet blush of first love. But just as red and white wines blend to form a blush wine, can Peyton and Jack find a way to blend their pasts and their present to create a rosy new future?
And if you haven’t read books 1 and 2, don’t worry. Here they are:
Her family’s successful winery business in the Finger Lakes region of New York should have gone to Tessa Price. She’d always dreamed of running the winery, but when her brother, the prodigal son returns to take up the reins, she boldly strikes out on her own, purchasing Sand Creek Winery—a cash-strapped competitor—right out from under her family. She can forge her own destiny, using her marketing skills and big plans to bring new life to the small winery. But first she has a proposition for the sexy previous owner. And he’s likely to hate it.
Kevin “Max” Maxwell would never have willingly sold his winery to anyone named Price. Family always comes first, and if paying for his sister’s cancer treatment cost him his business, it was worth it. But when the new owner offers him a one-year contract to stay on as general manager, with a possible bonus, he really can’t afford to turn it down. He can ignore the effect her deep brown eyes and heart-shaped face have on his senses for a year, can’t he?
Relationships, like slowly ripening vineyards, take time. But Max has been keeping a secret from Tessa, one that could destroy her hopes for their future. Will a terrible accident force Tessa and Max to face how much they have to lose, or tear apart their budding relationship forever? Sometimes a romance is like a fine wine. To be its best, it just needs time to breathe.
Anna Price is an enologist, a world-renowned expert in anything having to do with wine. Her work at her family’s Crescent Lake Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York has her feeling as if she’s treading water. There has to be more to life than just wine. Has she lost her spark? She’s jolted when her father suffers a heart attack, then gets a jolt of a different kind from the man taking care of him.
Colin Grant is a nurse practitioner specializing in the care of cardiac patients. He’d met Anna once before, but had just ended a long-distance relationship and wasn’t ready for someone new. But this time, it’s different. There’s no denying his attraction to the curvy girl who has no idea how beautiful she is.
When Anna is offered a job in France, they may find their growing relationship crushed. How can she say no to the offer of a lifetime? Colin’s job is caring for other people’s hearts; he’s determined not to have his own broken again. Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. But is it worth the risk for a lifetime of love?
ABout Lucinda Race:
Award winning author Lucinda Race writes about family, love and happily ever afters.
Award-winning 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 long hair 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.
Please visit her website lucindarace.com and sign up for her newsletter and don’t forget to follow her on social media.
One of my favorite Romance Gems sistahs, Bonnie Edwards, has an addition to the great LAST CHANCE BEACH series, out now. FAKE ME.
Here’s a little about it and a few words from Bonnie, herself:
Is the setting for Fake Me real or fictitious?
Last Chance Beach is only real in the mind of our readers. I say “our” because several authors have got together to create wonderful romances set on this island. Our stories are eclectic, and there’s something for everyone’s preference. Fake Me is fun and light and starts a trilogy I have planned for Last Chance Beach firmly rooted in Farren’s “Singles Fest.” If you read these Last Chance Beach romances, you’ll see cameos from other characters, familiar locations and all the charm of a small beach town.
Blurb:
International real estate broker Grady O’Hara, unkempt, miserable, and nursing his battered heart, is holed up in the Landseer Motel in Last Chance Beach. A first-class grump, Grady’s appalled that enthusiastic sprite, Farren Parks wants him to open his motel to single parents looking for love. He suspects his sister has sent Farren to lure him into a romance. Again. The last one ended in disaster.
Farren expects him to tolerate children laughing. No! Crowds of happy families? No!
He does not want a second chance at life. Or love.
Unless Farren agrees to fake date him to fake out his matchmaking sister…
Grady soon plays handyman, painter, and business advisor to Farren’s fledgling business, Singles Fest. The happy squeals of children in the pool doesn’t grate on his nerves as he expected. He sees parents making romantic connections that stir his heart.
But an old flame of Farren’s has arrived and Grady wakes up to another looming loss if Farren gives her first love a second chance. The rival has brought his adorable kids to the motel. A rival who’s clearly looking for a new wife…
Excerpt:
“So long for now. Farren, call me later, okay?”
“Okay,” she promised with a roll of her eyes. She went pink in the cheeks as if there were a hidden female message in the simple request.
As Eva picked her way through the tables away from them, Grady pounced. “Why the eye-roll?”
“She assumes we’re here on a date.” She lifted one smooth shoulder and dropped it.
“That’s a good thing. It’s what we want.”
She brightened. “That’s right. It’s exactly what we want. Except Eva doesn’t gossip.”
“When you talk to her later, confirm that we’re seeing each other.” He reconsidered. “Or, that lunch was more than work. That might be the better way to go.”
“So, you’re giving me lessons in fake dating now?”
“Fake me, baby,” he blurted, to get a laugh.
The server set their frosted glasses of beer on the table and raised her eyebrows at his comment. He glared at her. “I said ‘fake me,’ not the word you think you heard.”
Farren burst out laughing.
The server grinned. “Whatever. It’s pretty clear what you meant.” She pivoted and tossed Farren a saucy smile before stepping away.
“Now, that, will get us noticed,” Farren said as her shoulders rolled through her full-throated bout of laughter. “Good job, Grady.” She leaned low across the table toward him deepening the shadow between her breasts. “For sure Delphine will hear about this. ‘Fake me, baby.’ Too funny.”
He frowned. It was the wrong impression for his sister. He wanted to show her that he’d woken from his recent stasis, not that he was ready to ravish unsuspecting innocents, like Farren.
He took a sip of beer to wet his dry throat and tried not to think about that other F word.
Bonnie Edwards 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
I’m so excited to announce that BALANCE, my 9.1.2021 release, has been approved for a GOODREADS GIVEAWAY starting today. Click on tha link and it will take you to the ENTER THE GIVEAWAY widget.
I’ll be giving away 4 print copies of the book when it releases and one of those winners could be you!!
Here’s a little about the book:
Divorced socialite Phillipa Doubletree is forging a life of her own for the first time at the age of 37. With her abusive marriage behind her, she’s learning how to trust again, is managing her own life and finances, and reconnecting with her oldest friend. Phil’s not ready to jump into the dating world yet, and the thought of being in a relationship gives her hives. Her marriage left too many emotional scars and she’s liking this free and easy single girl life.
But it would be nice to know she’s still desirable to a man.
Physician’s Assistant and widower Decker Madina is single-parenting his son and caring for his aged and sick father. With a mountain of work and family obligations, skyrocketing medical bills, and a job that’s taking an emotional toll, Decker wishes he could carve out a little time for himself, enjoy the company of a woman, and maybe even get married again.
These two come from different worlds and want different things. But it’s said opposites attract. Can they find the balance between their lifestyles to make a relationship work? Or are their differences too much for an everlasting love?
So, if you read this blog with any frequency, you know I devote a lot of the posts to fellow writer friends, mostly Wild Rose Press and Romance gems chicks. Well, today I’ve got something – or should I say someone – new. A Wild Rose brotha. Steven J. Kolbe is just about to have his debut WRP novel published in 2 days and he very graciously sat down with me recently so I could get to know him better. But first, here’s a little about the book,releasing on 8.18.2021.
How Everything Turns Away
a contemporary mystery by Steven J. Kolbe
Blurb:
Ezra James used to be a big deal: Harvard graduate, FBI agent, beautiful wife. After being accused of fabricating evidence in a serial killer trial, he finds himself suspended, on the verge of a divorce, and working security at a posh Catholic school in Chicago. Then something out-of-the-ordinary happens: a young student-teacher is attacked during a Christmas pageant and left for dead in the snow with a noose around her neck and an electrical burn. Plus, she’s pregnant. Ezra, along with up-and-coming police detective, Lucia Vargas, and school chaplain, Fr. Remy Mbombo, must work fast before the culprit returns to finish the job.
Excerpt:
Gorecki raised a hand. “I’m sure you’ve seen a lot, Mr. James, underage drinking, monitoring in-school detention duty and such, but this here’s serious.”
“You’re a cop, you said?” Vargas said. “Not in Evanston PD. What precinct?”
“I’m a special agent, actually.”
Both detectives raised their eyebrows.
“DEA?” Gorecki guessed.
Now he did produce his badge. “FBI, Chicago field office.”
Gorecki inspected it. “Special Agent James,” he said mostly to himself. Then a glimmer of understanding came over his face. “I—” he started to say but stopped abruptly.
This happened sometimes. Ezra would be having a perfectly normal conversation with somebody, but then a headline would flash through their mind, and their whole demeanor changed. For an entire year, Ezra’s name appeared in the Chicago Tribune, sometimes making the front page. Eventually people remembered seeing one of those headlines.
His jaw clenched as he waited for Gorecki to continue.
“You’ve helped a lot,” the detective said, biting his lip. “You can rejoin your friends inside.”
Peggy here – sounds good,doesn’t it? Okay, here’s a little more in-depth stuff into Steven the Writer, and the Guy:
Steven,The Writer Questions
What drives you to write? As long as I’ve been able to write, I’ve gotten a thrill from writing down stories and sharing them with others.
2. What genre(s) of mystery do you write, and why?
So far I have only written one. It is mostly a traditional mystery (detective solves a crime in a normally non-criminal environment), but there are some procedural and thriller aspects to it.
3. What genre(s) of mystery do you read, and why?
I try to read it all. I have a few series I like, one is a cozy mystery, another is somewhat more procedural and definitely crime rather than cozy. Thrillers can be real fun, but I can’t read them one after another. I’ve also liked the noir I’ve read. My favorite subgenre might be postmodern mysteries: Pynchon, Lethean, and Horowitz are authors who spring to mind. I just read an excerpt of Paul Sister’s New York Trilogy and am eager to read more.
4. What’s your writing schedule? Do you write everyday?
Ideally. I’d love a solid block every morning, but with three kids and a full-time teaching job, I sneak the pages in where I can.
5. Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table?
In the middle of whatever chaos I find myself in. I have a study in the basement, it’s open, so I frequently have tiny visitors. I write just as often at the kitchen table or in the backyard.
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 get pretty focused. My wife often has to take my pen away because one of the children has climbed onto the fan. (Not really, but almost.)
7. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not?
I like jazz, classical, and foreign language music best because it doesn’t interfere with my thoughts.
8. How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP?
So my debut came entirely from the victim. I saw her attack in my mind and I wanted it to be nearly impossible to figure out. Then the characters came along and gave it life. With my WIP, I had the characters already and decided to give them an even more bizarre crime to solve.
9. Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?
I believe in that magic that happens in the hour or two hours when you are totally immersed in a scene and literally anything can happen. I plot out ahead of time, which is great fun, but I live for that magic.
10. What 3 words describe you, the writer?
Spontaneous, meticulous, dictionary-aholic (Peggy here – I’m stealing that last word for my own!)
Steven, the GuyQuestions:
Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing! By the time I graduated high school, I’d attended ten different schools.
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…. I had an amazing day a few weeks ago. We were just home on summer vacation. Took the kids to the library, the pool, and grilled in the backyard. I wrote some, I read some, and I drank coffee all day. I don’t think it could get much better than that.
What’s one thing you love about your significant other? She makes me laugh more than anyone I know.
If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it item, what would it be? The internet.
What three words describe you, the person? Optimistic, ridiculous, and sorry what was the question again?
If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be? Something I can’t possibly mess up.
If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it be, why, and what would you do together? I know that I don’t write fantasy, but if there’s a world to visit, I have to think it’s Hogwarts. Only if I wasn’t a muggle, of course.
Bonus round
I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:
Favorite sound – a babbling brook
Least favorite sound – alarm clock (Peggy here – I second that!)
Best song every written – “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy or “81” by Joanna Newsom
Worst song ever written – mmbop
Favorite actor and actress – Steve Carrel and Emma Stone. (If you haven’t watched Crazy Stupid Love, go do that now)
Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead) Einstein. There is so very much I simply do not understand. I’d like to understand some of it for a day.
What’s your version of a perfect day? Productive morning–totally free afternoon.
Author Bio:
Steven earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from Kansas State University. He started his writing career as a lowly student worker for the prestigious literary journal The Southern Review. (If you received a formal rejection letter from the mid-2000s, he probably sealed the envelope.) He has published fiction, poetry, and nonfiction in various newspapers, magazines, and journals since that time. He lives in Southwest Kansas with his wife and three children. http://www.stevenjkolbe.com
Hey kids, if you are a reader/reviewer, A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN is up on Booksprout, available for request, read, and review. The date for the review is set at September 9 – the book releases into the world on 9.8.
For those of you not familiar with Booksprout.co it is a reading/review service authors can use to find new readers for their work. You will need to set up an account ( it’s free to readers -always) and then you can troll through the genres to fins books that appeal to you. You just may find a new favorite author, too!
Here’s a bit about the book:
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.
If you decide to request it, I hope you enjoy it and that you post your review when it’s due. Amazon is a must for the review to go to. Goodreads as well.
In a week of exciting things happening, I am attending the ROMANCE CHICKS SUMMER BEACH BASH tomorrow, August 5 on their facebook page.
All day long, all genres of romance authors will be posting on the page, introducing themselves, and sponsoring individual giveaways, in addition to prizes from the CHICKS, themselves, of a basket of signed paperbacks and beachy swag, a $50 gift card, and individual prizes.
The rules are easy
join the FB page at the above link
Scroll thru the authors represented, find one (or a doze!) you like, and then comment on their post, PLUS do the request they ask for. For me, it’s to sign up for my newsletter and let me know you have by emailing me. I will send you a code to get a free copy of one of my selected books.
all the request/contests will end within 24 hours.
I’m pretty stoked about this, kids! My first in person, livelivelive author event in almost 2 years. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I was at a book signing, or reading.
This coming Saturday, August 7, 2021, at the Goffstown Public Library, I have the thrill and honor of being one of 8 authors who will be meeting the public, doing a reading from one of our books, and selling print copies of our books.
Like I said, I am stoked.
Here’s the official blurb/newspaper story from the LIbrary:
Author Fair🖋
Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 9am – 1pm
Join us for the inaugural Goffstown Public Library Author’s Fair; meet and greet artists who use words to fashion action, emotion, and inspiration. Stop by the Speaker’s Corner to hear selections read out loud, chat with the writers, purchase personally inscribed books.
No registration required for attendees. Questions? Please email Elizabeth Weilbacher at elizabethw@Goffstownlibrary.com or ask for her at 603-497-2102.
‣ This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the New Hampshire State Library. Learn more about summer programming at the Library at http://www.goffstownlibrary.com/calendar.
I hope any of you who are near Goffstown, or the surrounding areas, can come out and say hi! It’s been too long since we all connected on a personal, livelivelive level!
I’m having a few #99cent sales right now that I want to let you in on. It’s so much easier to have a sale when you’re indie published, but I’ve even got one of my Wild Rose Press books at that bargain price too. AND…. I’ve got a preorder on a 9.1. release for the same darn price!
It’s a Trust Thing is also 99 cents across all digital media.
A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK, book 1 in the Brothers, Inc series is 99 cents as a prelude to book 2’s release on 9.8. This sale is limited to Amazon, Nook and Apple readers.
BALANCE is on preorder for it’s 9.1 release for 99 cents as well.
So you’ve got a bunch of choice for me to continue your summer reading, all at reduced prices.
Books sales – they’re a good thing!
And think of it this way: If you purchase all 4 books, it’s less than a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ and much more satisfying, IMHO, LOL!!!
“Hot time, summer in the city. Back of my neck getting burnt and pretty.“
Any body else remember that old Lovin’ Spoonful song?? Hee hee. I’m showing my age, I know.
When I was younger and a sun worshiper, I lived for the summer days I could take a few hours at my local beach, soak up some rays, and read without any interruptions or worries. Back then, my beach reads were mostly comprised of the newest Jackie Collins, Kathleen Woodiwiss, or Nora Roberts book that happened to release in the summer season.
The hours of escapism while sitting in the sun were marvelous and made me truly know the definition of BEACH READ; fabulous heroines meeting hunky heroes and engaging in adult behavior ( read :SEX) while escaping from danger, or trying to solve the world’s problems.
Hey, it’s not called escapist fiction for nothing.😉
Nowadays I shun the sun like Lestat because…wrinkles.
But I still enjoy a great book that can be classified as a beach read. And hey – I even write them now. LOL.
One of my favorites that I’ve penned has just gone on sale for only 99cents.
IT’S A TRUST THING tells the tale of Nell Newbury, one time Park Avenue darling, whose father – a Madoff devotee – bilked people out of billions. The notoriety almost killed Nell’s mother and made the young girl grow up fast. Nell runs her own company now, keeps out of the public eye, and isn’t looking for love.
And then she meets a handsome economics professor who knows nothing about her and who makes her toes go numb with just a glance.
Do you like to read at the beach? Or on a boat? Or sitting in the park on a lovely summer day?
Take IT’S A TRUST THING with you the next time you go. You’ll have a fun time reading it. One of my reviewers called it a “RomCom with angst, a klutzy heroine you can’t help rooting for, and redemption.”
A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK is on sale this month for just 99cents in anticipation of A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN releasing on 9.8.2021.
If you haven’t read the first in this series, now is the perfect time to catch up, hee hee.
Elite bodyguard and P.I. Rick Bannerman’s job is to protect. He doesn’t get emotional with his clients, but when a woman from his past is threatened, his next job becomes personal.
Family lawyer Abigail Laine is the target of a client’s vengeful husband, but refuses Rick’s offer of protection. He walked away from her four years ago, and she swore to forget him.
Now her reluctance to accept his help could cost Abby her life.
And don’t forget to preorder your copy of book 2, AIDEN
As if I didn’t have enough on my professional plate, I recently took on another project: I signed up as a Kindle Vella author.
I know….
But…in this ever changing and growing world of book publishing, authors need to try different venues to get their work seen by readers and Kindle Vella is the newest way to do that.
In the Victorian age in England, episodic series stories would appear weekly in the newspapers. Charles Dickens was a big proponent of his stories being seen by the masses this way, people who couldn’t afford a real book, but would read the chapters of the book weekly for a penny.
Since newspapers seem to be a dying breed these days with digital reading the easiest way to get your daily info, podcasts and ebooks and reading on your phones is becoming more and more popular each day. Kindle Vella was made for people who like to read this way.
Here’s a very thorough description of how Vella works for readers: Kindle Vella Reader experience. Just clink on the individual links to see how to load the app, read stories, etc.
The coo thing to me as a reader is that if you don’t like the story, you don’t have to worry you’ve paid for a book you don’t want, because you pay as you go, separately fo reach episode. Cool beans, that!
So, a little backstory. 175 years ago, when I was a fledgling writer, I was obsessed with serial killers. I wrote several books that are stuffed in a drawer and will never see the light of day, but the one I submitted to Vella – VINDICATION – was one I lovedlovedloved writing. And I hope you like reading it.
The first 3 chapters you can read for free. I plan on putting up three chapters/episodes per week until it’s done and then start a new one.
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 Tucker’s past partner – Kella O’Brian. Reluctantly, she rejoins the team as they search for a link to the girls who have been abducted, then killed. When the killer strikes close to Kella’s home, the case turns to a decidedly different path.
