We're having a party!

I'm getting together with five friends to host a Facebook party on Monday, June 1! It's going to be tons of fun with games, quizzes, interviews and plenty of prizes. The party runs from 6pm - 9pm MST (7pm - 10pm PST, 5pm - 8pm CST, 4pm -7pm EST) See you there!

Click here to sign up!

Nominated for a Rone Award!

OMG! I just found out my humorous contemporary romance has been nominated for a Rone Award in the Steamy Contemporary category at Ind'Tale Magazine. Total surprise! If you can, please vote for ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID. Voting is open only between May 18 and 22 and you must log in to vote, but it's free. Thank you!

To vote, Please go here:  http://indtale.com/2015-rone-awards-week-six

Wish me luck!

Release Day for CARPE DEMON by J.C. McKenzie!

It's release day! CARPE DEMON, Book 3 in J.C. McKenzie's Carus Series is available today. Check it out! 

Blurb:

As an ambassador with the Supernatural Regulatory Division, Andy McNeilly is responsible for acting as the Liaison for the Vancouver Vampire horde. The problem? She detests the Vampire Master, and the SRD can’t discover the beast she keeps locked inside. 

After a menacing Demon throws an important Vampire event into chaos, Andy finds herself sniffing out crime scenes to identify and locate the mystery fiend from the nether realm. What she learns chills her bones. 

Threatened by the Master Vampire to deal with the Demon, Andy's complicated personal life doesn't make things easier. She's willing to risk her life and pride to keep loved ones safe. But how can she make a choice that will break one heart…and complete another?

Excerpt:

The Demon’s grin widened. Standing a foot away from him with no room to maneuver and nothing to separate us, the serrated details of his shiny enamel glared at me. 

My fingertips tingled as I started to shift.

Not fast enough. 

The Demon lunged. His long nimble fingers closed around my neck as I shot my hands out, inside his arms, and dug my claws into his face. My elbows pushed against the insides of his arms. His hold should’ve weakened, but this Demon possessed uncanny strength. His frame stretched, growing to almost eight feet in height and giving his body an emaciated appearance. He pulled me close, his nose touching mine. I wrenched to the side, but my toes dangled above the floor.

“Bola sends his regards,” he said, his breath hitting my face.

My gums stung as fangs protruded and I hissed at him, ready to make the full change and get my fight on. I yanked on the mountain lion and spurred her into action.

“By all means, little nugget, shift into one of your animals.” He gnashed his sharp teeth together. “I love to rend the flesh of livestock, to mutilate the bodies of creatures, and to smash the bones of beasts.”

 

Buy Links: 

All Romance Ebooks | Amazon | BookStrand | Chapters | iTunes | Kobo | The Wild Rose Press

Contest:

To celebrate her new release, J.C. is having a contest! Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Born and raised on the Haida Gwaii, off the West Coast of Canada, J.C. McKenzie grew up in a pristine wilderness that inspired her to dream. She writes Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.

J.C. McKenzie’s Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | TWRP | Amazon | Newsletter

Paranormal Romance Writer Chrys Feys Visits Today!

Hi, everyone! My name is Chrys Fey and today I am going to tell you about the two main characters from my short story, Ghost of Death. :)

The Ghost:

Name: Jolie Montgomery

Occupation: College Student

Hair/Eye Color: Brown/Blue

Age: Twenty-one

Actress: Vanessa Marano (from Switched at Birth)

Strength: Her journalist skills.

Weakness: Her desire not to be a ghost.

Parents: Bill and Martha Montgomery (Banker and housewife.)

Favorite Color: Pink

Quote: “Being a ghost sucks!”

Vanessa Marano
Image from Wikipedia

The Detective:

Name: Avrianna Heavenborn

Occupation: Detective

Hair/Eye Color: Blonde-White/Green

Age: Twenty-six (Yes, she's young but good.)

Actress: Mila Jovovich (from Ultraviolet and Resident Evil)

Strength: Her detective skills and determination.

Weakness: Her difficult, mysterious past.

Adoptive Parents: Peter and Laurali Zota. (Both deceased.)

Favorite Color: Neon Green

Quote: “I’ve arrested all kinds of murderers, including parents.”

Mila Jovovich
Image from Wikipedia

Title: Ghost of Death

Author: Chrys Fey

Genre: Supernatural/Suspense

Format: eBook Only
Page Count: 41 (short story)

Release Date: April 22nd, 2015

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Blurb:

Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking the lead detective on the case.

Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.

But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.

Book Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK / KOBO

Excerpt:

            With the sound of her mom’s grief wafting up to her, Jolie came to terms with her present state. I’m dead and now my mom knows it. She eyed the door in front of her. She hadn’t yet walked through a door, but if her hand could pass through metal then she knew she could move

through wood.

If I have to be a ghost then I’ll be a damn good one. All across the afterlife I’ll be known as the Ghost of Death! And I’m going to start by walking through this damn door!

            She would’ve taken a deep breath to brace herself if she could have, so she mentally pumped herself up instead. You can do it! Easy-peasy. Nothing to it. And she took a step forward. Solid matter slipped around and through her form. On the other side, a familiar site confronted her: a black and white bed, the bright green shag carpet in the middle of the room, and a white desk.

            Stepping up to her desk, Jolie eyed her ancient desktop computer, the one she used before her dad gifted her with a laptop when she announced she was accepted to the local university. Wanting to send out the first ever tweet from the afterlife, she pushed the button to bring the device to life, but her finger poker straight through it. Resigning to her Twitter-less fate, she moved toward the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. She saw nothing. Not even a shimmer in the air hinted at her presence.

            Being a ghost sucks!

Available for PRE-ORDER:

Blurb:

Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.

Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.

Book Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30 Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.

When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next hurricane to come her way.

You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers! 

Author Links: 

Facebook / Blog / Website / Goodreads 

Thank you all for visiting and hopefully commenting. ;) 

Winner for Best Opening Hook at Maple Leaf Awards!

I don't often blow my own horn, but I just have to in this case. My humorous contemporary romance ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID received a Maple Leaf Award for Best Opening Hook. Yay! AAB also received Honorable Mentions for Favorite Heroine and Favorite Novel, just behind Brenda Novak, no less! I'm totally thrilled!

Here’s what the judges had to say about ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID:

“The characters of Dani and Zach grow so beautifully from beginning to the end. The whole story grows – from the lighter, catchy beginning, to passionate scenes, to heartbreak, to something deeply emotional wherein Zach, especially, comes through. The author dealt with the heroine’s personal choice to have surgery with sensitivity and understanding and good reason – and when the hero acts with compassion – that’s where I started to get tears. The writing is quite lovely… I was not expecting so much depth in the story, especially when the author graced us with such phrases as ‘Chantal entered the dining room on a wave of perfume”. Good work!”

Thanks Trans-Canada Writers!

Maple Leaf Awards 2015
Judges Favorites and Honorable Mentions
Trans Canada Writers:

Favorite Opening Hook – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – A Woman of Honour (Marlow Kelly)

Favorite Hero – Dearest Darling (Andrea Downing)
Honorable Mention – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)

Favorite Heroine – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)
Honorable Mention – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Darling (Andrea Downing)
Honorable Mention – Off the Grid (Karyn Good)

Favorite Misty Moment – New Year’s Promise (Anna Clifton)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)

Favorite Ending – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Honorable Mention – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Heather for a Highlander (Gail MacMillan)

Favorite Cover – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Six Geese for Monica (Brenda Gayle)
Honorable Mention – Christmas Clash (Dana Volney)

Favorite Short Story – A Cowboy’s Fate (Gini Rifkin)
Honorable Mention – Holiday Disaster (Vicki Batman)
Honorable Mention – Unlocked Treasure (Linda Carroll-Bradd)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Darling (Andrea Downing)

Favorite Novel – The Heart of Christmas (Brenda Novak)
Honorable Mention – Always a Bridesmaid (Jana Richards)
Honorable Mention – Something Good (Darlene Deluca)
Honorable Mention – Dearest Darling (Andrea Downing)

Peggy Jaeger and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Peggy Jaeger is here today with a look at her newest novel, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, which releases on May 6, 2015.

Blurb:
Symphony pianist Moira Cleary comes home after four years of touring, exhausted, sick, and spiritually broken. Emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of someone she trusted has left her gaunt, anxious, and at a crossroads both professionally and personally.

Moira’s best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton, wants nothing more than to help Moira get well. Can his natural healing skills make it possible for her to open her heart again? And can he convince her she’s meant to stay home now with the family that loves her - and with him - forever?

Excerpt:
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”

Confused, Moira nodded.

Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”

 “I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”

He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”

Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”

“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”

Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote - felt safe with me – unquote.”

“What was I? Eleven?”

“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”

 “Q—”

“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”

“And conceited.”

“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”

Author bio:

Author Patty Jaeger

Peggy Jaeger’s love of writing began in the third grade when she won her first writing contest with a short story titled THE CLOWN. After that, there was no stopping her. Throughout college and after she became a Registered Nurse, she had several Nursing Journal articles published, in addition to many mystery short stories in Literary Magazines. When her daughter was born, Peggy had an article titled THE VOICES OF ANGELS published and reprinted in several parenting magazines, detailing the birth and the accident that almost turned this wonderful event into a tragedy. She had two children’s books published in 1995 titled THE KINDNESS TALES and EMILY AND THE EASTER EGGS, which were illustrated by her artist mother-in-law. While her daughter grew, Peggy would write age appropriate stories for her to read along with, and finally, to read on her own. Her YA stories are mysteries involving smart and funny 12-13 year old girls and an unusual collection of friends and relatives. They all take place in the 1980’s.

She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration and had several articles published on Alzheimer’s Disease when she ran an Alzheimer’s In Patient care unit during the 1990’s

In 2005 she was thrilled to have an article on motherhood placed in the CHICKEN SOUP FOR EVERY MOTHER’S SOUL edition. She has won several awards in various Writer’s Digest short story and personal article categories over the years. Recently, she has placed first in the Dixie Kane 2013 Memorial Contest in the Short/Long Contemporary romance Category, and in the Single Title Contemporary Category, and third place in the ICO Romance Contest for 2013, and in 2014 she was a finalist in the Put Your heart in a Book contest.

A life-long and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

Peggy has embraced the techno age and writes for three blogs, all detailing events in her life. One titled, 50 pounds for 50 years is a personal blog about weight loss, one about her life as an EMPTY NESTER and her most recent one MOMENTS FROM MENOPAUSE, a humorous and informative guide through this time in a woman’s life.

She also has her own website http://peggyjaeger.com where she writes about everyday life and how it relates to writing. Twitter is her current obsession, but she is never far from her Facebook pages.

In 2015 she will have her first three contemporary romance novels published by The Wild Rose Press: Skater’s Waltz, book 1 in the MaQuire Women Series, and There’s No Place Like Home, book 2. Book 3 is titled First Impression. Three more are in the works for this series, in addition to her Cooking with Kandy series.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Buy Links for THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1J1f3OZ
The Wild Rose Press:  http://bit.ly/1GmM1Je
Barnes and Noble Nook :  http://bit.ly/1JjMUG7

Mary Gillgannon Releases WICKED WAGER May 6!

Fellow Wild Rose Press author Mary Gillgannon is here with me today with a look at her soon to be released Regency romance WICKED WAGER. Take it away, Mary!

Tomboys and Country Misses

Although most people think of me as a real “girly girl”, when I was a kid, I was a tom boy. My days were spent riding bikes, climbing trees and roaming the countryside. Spending so much time outside, animals were big part of life. My sister raised sheep, I used to feed the dairy cows that came right up to the fence in the pasture behind our house, and I fondly recall throwing corncobs to the pigs at the neighbor’s farm and even wading in the creek mud with them. In the summer we went to my grandparents’ ranch in Wyoming where we fed the chickens and turkeys and took turns riding the tame old saddle horse. We didn’t spend enough time there for me to learn to ride very well, but I loved the experience.

My rural background has certainly influenced my books, including inspiring my passion for stories set in eras when everyone lived closer to nature and animals. In several of my books, I’ve contrasted the simple, innocent realm of the countryside with the morally ambiguous world of the city. In The Leopard, my convent-raised heroine must navigate the temptations and complexities of medieval London. In my Regency romance, Earl of Scandal, no-nonsense country miss Marissa beguiles jaded London rake Christian and eventually wins his heart.

But no book so strongly evokes my love of animals and the pleasures of country life as my upcoming release Wicked Wager. My heroine Penny is living what she considers an idyllic life, raising horses and supervising the running of the family estate. Then disaster strikes when her guardian and cousin loses the estate in a card game to Marcus Revington. Marcus quickly learns he can’t take possession of the property without marrying the heiress who comes with it. Defying convention, the hardened gamester decides to do exactly that.

Penny’s whole world is threatened. If she weds, she will completely lose her independence and have to give up her life in the country and her beloved horses. The only way to avoid this disaster is to convince Marcus she would be a total embarrassment as a wife, and far too much trouble as well. Thus begins a battle of wills between desperate Penny and stubborn Marcus.

Although there are some serious issues addressed, for the most part Wicked Wager is a playful, sexy book. It was a lot of fun to write. I loved watching my two characters plot and scheme as they attempt to outwit each other, all the while fighting the overwhelming passion growing between them. I also enjoyed how in the end, things don’t turn out like either of them planned.

Blurb:

When hardened gamester Marcus Revington wins Horngate Manor in a card game, he is delighted to finally own property. Even discovering he must marry the heiress of the estate doesn’t deter him. The heiress, Penny Montgomery, is happy with her life raising horses at Horngate and has no desire to wed anyone. When she learns about her guardian’s Wicked Wager, she schemes to convince Marcus she’s unsuitable as a wife so he’ll forget his plan to marry her.

Excerpt:

As soon as she saw Revington, she felt a kind of breathless panic. She couldn’t forget how angry he’d been when he’d found her talking to the stablemen at the inn in Petersfield. This time it would be even worse. Not only would he be angry about finding her with a group of stablemen, he’d also be upset with the way she was dressed and the fact she’d gone riding by herself. She could easily imagine what he was going to say: What were you thinking? Going riding in a public place… and dressed like that!

As he approached, she braced herself. She didn’t think he’d strike her, not in front of all these men. But she dreaded a tongue-lashing almost as much. These men were treating her as their equal. They respected her skill and her knowledge of horses. It would be humiliating to have Revington deal with her like a recalcitrant child.

He halted a few paces away. After nodding curtly to the men, he spoke. “I was a bit worried when I found you’d gone riding. But I realize now I shouldn’t have been concerned. You obviously know what you’re about.”

Penny felt her mouth drop open. Was it really possible he was praising her?

“But you should come home and have some breakfast now,” he continued. “I did promise to take you around the city. What would you think of a boat ride down the Thames this afternoon and then the theatre tonight?”

“I… that would be lovely,” she mumbled.

One of the horsemen helped her mount Nero and she simply followed after Revington, still struggling with her sense of disbelief. Was it really possible he’d expressed confidence in her ability with horses? That he’d treated her as his equal, someone whose opinion he cared about?

She could tell his reaction had impressed the horsemen. Like her, they’d expected him to be angry, or at least condescending and curt. When he’d seen fit to be polite and gracious, they could hardly believe it. She very much appreciated his courtesy. She valued the opinion of those men. They might be servants and by the standards of society, beneath her, but she’d rather have their regard than that of most gentlemen and ladies.

Just thinking about what he’d done made her feel strange. She’d longed for some hint of warmth or kindness from Revington. For him to react to her with something other than cold politeness or unbridled passion. At last he was finally doing so, and she found herself unnerved. It was as if the ground beneath her feet had shifted. She didn’t know what to think or feel.


Wicked Wager will be released May 6, 2015 by The Wild Rose Press. It is now available for pre-order at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU8L64K

Bio:  

Mary Gillgannon writes romance and fantasy, often with Celtic influences. She’s married and has two grown children. She now indulges her nurturing tendencies on four very spoiled cats and a moderately spoiled dog. When not working or writing, she enjoys gardening, travelling and reading, of course!

Links:

Website:  http://marygillgannon.com

Blog: http://marygillgannon.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mary.gillgannon

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MaryGillgannon