Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Kendra Greenwood and UNBOUND

Writer Caryn McGill writes steamy romantic suspense under her penname Kendra Greenwood. She's my guest today with a look at UNBOUND, Book two in her Steel and Desire series. Kendra tells us about her writing journey and the way she writes. It's always fun to learn a little more about a new-to-me author. Welcome Kendra!


Hi Jana, thanks for having me!

My new book just released and I’ve been reflecting on how I wound up a romance writer. It certainly wasn’t on my bucket list. My background is in science, having taught AP biology and chemistry at a Long Island high school before moving into administration. The only writing I’d done was scientific and professional, the complete opposite of writing fiction. My first published novel was book one in a paranormal trilogy called The Wives of Lucifer, released in 2016. The story is about reincarnation—homage to my little brother who died at three, when I was five—and a result of my years spent as an astrologer. I know, sounds like the complete opposite of being a scientist. Truthfully, scientists are just dreamers who take the next step and transform their dreams into reality. Dreams are also important in my writing and I often dream my endings.

I’m a self-taught writer and spent years in workshops and at conferences to hone my skills and learn the business. It took nine years to secure my first publishing contract, which turned out to be primarily a romance publisher. I’d never considered my story a romance and had actually never even read a romance novel. After Fifty Shades of Grey came out my writer pals teased that someone should jump on that train since it seemed to be a hot trend. Jokingly, everyone decided that I would be the one to write it. I laughed it off but soon a story thread began to unwind and characters starting talking to me. I’m a die-hard pantser. I always start with characters and a nugget of a plot and then let the characters talk to me, mostly when I’m falling asleep or as I wake. When I’m in the heat of it they often wake me in the middle of the night to tell me something important. The result was UNSUB and I quickly found a publisher. To my utter shock it did surprising well and my editor convinced me to turn it into a series: The Steel and Desire Series and book two, UNBOUND, just released. I write this series under a pen name to protect my two sons who are mortified that I write sexy stuff, plus I wouldn’t want someone who reads my paranormal stories to read one of these by mistake.

The third book in the series, UNGUARDED, is percolating, but it’s still in spitball mode while I’m working on the launch of the second book in my paranormal trilogy. I have two other manuscripts under my bed but they’re for another day. I usually have several projects going at once but I invest my efforts totally in one project, then switch to something else for a while. It’s good to take a break then return with fresh eyes.

So, I have a confession to make. I’ve become a terrible reader! I used to love to read but now I’m so critical about technique, story, plot, dialogue that my self-editor can barely get past the first chapter. My mentors trained me that the first page is vital, not only that, the first paragraph, first sentence…first word! Now, if that first page or chapter doesn’t grab me I’m loathe to keep reading. I sound like the younger generation who’s stereotyped as having a poor attention span. Guilty as charged, however I attribute it to my Aquarian nature, I get bored easily. I remember lamenting to my first astrology teacher that I had a terrible habit of immersing myself in something, learning to do it expertly, then walking away: macramé, embroidery, wood sculpture, silver jewelry making, fusing glass. Why couldn’t I stick with something? Her response, “…because for an Aquarian the fun is in the discovery, the learning. Once you master it you move on to a new challenge.” Well, la-de-da…let’s hope this writing gig sticks around for a while!

Blurb, Unbound:

You’re not allowed to be a coward and be in love. You must choose one.

Special Agent Laura Logan had a difficult childhood and that’s putting it mildly. Laura channeled her buried rage into her studies, earned a law degree and joined the FBI. As a member of the new human trafficking task force, Laura wants to impress and she wants to make the perps pay.

Detective Lieutenant Steve Moretti moonlights at a very exclusive adult club, his reward is a free membership along with other perks. His family is pressuring him to find a nice woman and settle down, but that bridge was burned by his ex. His new view: Marriage is betting half your stuff that you’ll love someone forever.

A kidnapping shocks Steve’s town and the FBI is called in. Steve and Laura meet at the crime scene, sparks fly, and they work the case together. As passion ignites, their no-love commandment is tested. Can they overcome the heartbreak of betrayal and learn to love before it’s too late? Are they so afraid they refuse to love at all?

Excerpt:

Detective Steve Moretti was at the end of a twelve-hour shift and wanted nothing more than to go home, take a hot shower, imbibe a few cold ones and watch the NY Rangers hopefully humiliate the Penguins. The black sedan swerved into the driveway too fast, the driver slamming on the brakes. As she approached, he inexplicably held his breath, like she was walking in slow-mo. A movie goddess. She strode toward him— regal—shoulders squared, chin tilted upward. The stridency of flashing police lights lit her up like a dancer onstage, the image surreal, features blinking in and out of clarity, until she stood before him. Although the afternoon was gray and dismal, her strawberry- blonde hair and violet eyes stood out as if she was the only thing of color in a black and white movie.

Her handshake was firm, even with that petite hand, with no gold band on her ring finger. They presented their credentials. He found her prickly, like she wished he wasn’t here and could work the case alone.

He cleared his throat. “Been hearing rumors about a new sex-trafficking ring tied to the Russian mob. I think it’s worth looking into.”

Special Agent Laura Logan shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat, staring at her feet. She hesitated, then said, “How reliable is your intel?”

That didn’t take long. Steve had no intention of confessing that he’d heard these rumors at the exclusive sex club where he moonlighted a couple nights a week. He couldn’t afford the dues so in exchange worked as a dungeon master, bartender and since he carried off-duty, security on occasion. His duties included supervising the training of new submissives, a task he found incredibly satisfying. But this would be revealing way too much about his personal life. And he never talked about his involvement in the lifestyle with a vanilla. Never, ever.

Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/2NYHZ3i


Author Bio:



Kendra Greenwood has always been a storyteller. She often told stories to her kids at bedtime in lieu of reading to them. A serious daydreamer, she used to think it the complete opposite of her education and work in the sciences, but now realizes scientists are the ultimate daydreamers. Fantasy has always been an escape for Kendra…weaving a thrilling romantic tale around TV and film characters, her favorite way to fall asleep at night. Inspired by authors J.R. Ward, Cherise Sinclair and Sylvia Day, she decided to write her own series: Steel and Desire.

Kendra grew up on the beaches of Long Island’s bucolic east end, but recently relocated to Virginia. When she’s not writing you can find her in the kitchen whipping up something scrumptious or in the studio painting, or fusing glass into decorative dishes.

Email
kendra51greenwood@gmail.com

Twitter
Kendra Greenwood
@k51greenwood

https://bit.ly/2toOROM

Facebook
https://bit.ly/2iQNNkl

Friday, July 27, 2018

Barbara Monajem's Blog Tour - REDEMPTION OF THE SHREW



The Redemption of the Shrew Scandalous Kisses Book 4 By Barbara Monajem

Barbara has some wonderful prizes to giveaway during the tour. Please be sure to enter with the Rafflecopter below. There is an opportunity every day to enter for your chance to win one of the fabulous prizes. So join us for a fun blog tour journey and be sure to enter every day for your chance to win. You may find all the blog tour locations here

About The Redemption of the Shrew: Nothing is more painful than rejection—particularly when completely naked!

Gloriana Warren doesn’t want to wait for marriage. Beneath her shrewish exterior is a kindhearted woman who uses her fortune for good. It doesn’t matter that the man she’s set her sights on claims impoverishment. She’s in love and determined to marry him. But her attempt at a moonlight seduction ends in disaster.

French marquis Philippe de Bellechasse has had it up to his gorgeous dark eyes with being pursued by lusty ladies. His escape to England from the violence of the French Revolution took a toll on his finances as well. Gloriana may be gloriously naked, but he’s just not ready to submit to her seduction.

But when a precious family artifact is stolen, Philippe must convince Gloriana he’s not the guilty party. He’ll steal it back for her, but on his terms. Gloriana, believing he despises her, has plans of her own. Working at odds is dangerous, but working together can be more so. Is Philippe willing to risk his heart again for a deliciously tempting shrew?

Amazon Buy Link



Excerpt:

A clandestine meeting, particularly where nakedness is involved, is best arranged for a moonless night.

Or so Gloriana Warren told herself, for her mother would never have uttered such a scandalous dictum. Unfortunately, it was tonight or never. Tomorrow, the man she had sworn to love forever would leave Lancashire and return to London—without her. They wouldn’t be able to marry for years because of his stupid scruples about money. 

Men and their tedious pride! She and the Marquis de Bellechasse loved one another. They shared the same lofty ideals. She had a substantial dowry. Marrying now made sense. Not only that, her mother would die happy. 

So Gloriana was taking matters into her own hands. She had planned the upcoming encounter in glorious detail—every word, every gesture. As she emerged from the summerhouse to greet him, he would stand and stare at her, transfixed by her beauty.

“Darling Philippe,” she would say, reaching for him, offering herself without reserve. “Love is eternal. It cannot, must not be denied!”

“Ah, ma belle,” he would respond, his hand on his heart, his voice throbbing with desire. “I adore you. What a fool I was to think we could wait for years. Even another minute is too long. Tonight, I shall make you mine!”

She would fling herself into his waiting arms, swept away on the tide of his passion. 

She wasn’t sure exactly how it would go after that, apart from plenty of kissing, but judging by her previous experience of Philippe’s kisses, it would be the most thrilling experience of her life. 

She sneaked out the French doors, arms full of blankets, and glanced back up at Garrison House. Not a glimmer of candlelight showed in the windows. She hurried through the rose garden and skirted the lawn, keeping to the bushes and out of the moonlight. In the secret room under the summerhouse, she and her darling Philippe would be safe. Tomorrow they would announce their engagement to Mama. They would send for a special license and be married within a week.

Ten minutes later, she had set up a makeshift bed under the summerhouse and removed all her clothes. Shivering more from excitement than from the chilly night air, she waited for Philippe to arrive. Tonight would be the most perfect night of her life.

~~~

The Marquis de Bellechasse left his horse in a convenient copse and made his careful way forward, pausing at the edge of the trees. Garrison House was reassuringly dark, but moonlight reflected off the ripples on the lake. The summerhouse gleamed white on its little knoll, exposed on all sides. He paused, listening. No sound disturbed the darkness except a nightjar complaining from a nearby oak. He hoped and prayed no one else was up and about tonight. He couldn’t afford to get caught with Gloriana Warren, but nor could he bring himself to ignore her passionate plea to see him once more before they parted.

He loved her—to the point of folly, judging by his current behavior. He had already said farewell, and yet here he was, trespassing on her brother’s estate at midnight to say it again. He dreaded her inevitable tears. 

The door to the summerhouse stood wide open, which meant Gloriana was here already. Fine. Best to get it over with now. He took a deep breath and set out across the lawn. He had almost reached the doorway when she came into view, rising from out of nowhere, her face pale, her hair loose around her bare shoulders. He halted, staring, his heart thundering. She continued to rise, her breasts round and luscious in the light of the moon. His eyes slid helplessly down the curve of her hips to the darker patch at the apex of her thighs . . .

Mordieu. He shook his head and began to back away. “No, chérie. We must not do this.” She set her feet on the floor—she must have emerged from a trapdoor—and beckoned with those sweet arms, smiled with those lush lips. “Philippe, my darling, please come to me. I love you so much.”

“No, ma belle, I cannot.”

“But love—” She faltered, then continued toward him, arms wide. “Love is eternal. It must not be denied.”

Sacrebleu, she was declaiming like a shoddy actress on the stage. The thought revolted him. Surely his idealistic Gloriana could not cheapen herself so. Anguished, he put up his hands to fend her off. “It is not possible, Gloriana. Not yet. It would not be right.”

She hurried forward, her breasts jiggling enticingly. “Truly, we mustn’t delay. My mother may not have long to live, and seeing me married well is her dearest wish.”

He didn’t care in the least about old Lady Garrison, who was the worst sort of snob. He shook his head. “No. To wait is best.” “Philippe, I cannot wait. I need you now.” She reached for him, her nakedness inches away. He gritted his teeth and took another step backwards. His imbecile cock was reacting to her, but he had long ago gained control over its demands. 

“I am sorry, but I must go.” He turned away. She wailed, a sharp, keening sound, and immediately a shout came from nearby. Her brother? No, he was in London. A gamekeeper?

Whoever the man might be, he was lurking here on purpose. So much for love, Philippe thought. Gloriana was just another lust-crazed woman trying to trap him into marriage. He turned and ran. Pursued by shouts and then shots, he reached his horse and galloped away.



About the Author:


Winner of the Holt Medallion, Maggie, Daphne du Maurier, Reviewer’s Choice and Epic awards, Barbara Monajem wrote her first story at eight years old about apple tree gnomes. She published a middle-grade fantasy when her children were young, then moved on to paranormal mysteries and Regency romances with intrepid heroines and long-suffering heroes (or vice versa).

Barbara loves to cook, especially soups. She used to have two items on her bucket list: to make asparagus pudding and succeed at knitting socks. Asparagus pudding proved to be pretty horrible, and she is too fumble-fingered to make socks. Now she just sticks with writing books. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays.

  Social Links: 

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

LIES AND SOLACE #Free!

LIES AND SOLACE, book 1 in the Love at Solace Lake series, will be free July 25 - 29, 2018. Read Harper and Ethan's story, the love story that began the series!


Series Blurb:
Love is worth the risk…

When their grandfather dies, the Lindquist sisters, Harper, Scarlet and Maggie, inherit the northern Minnesota fishing lodge that had been in their family for three generations. The inheritance is bittersweet. They were raised at the lodge by their grandparents. The natural beauty of the place hasn’t changed, but the building itself is crumbling and desperately in need of repair. The lodge also reminds them of what they lost. Twenty-two years previously, their parents died there in what was ruled a murder/suicide.

 As the sisters struggle to breathe new life into the failing lodge, old fears and questions rise to the surface even as new love presents itself. Why did their father murder their mother? What truths did their grandparents keep from them? The sisters must fight to keep the wounds of the past from putting their futures, and their fledgling relationships, in jeopardy. 

Blurb for Lies and Solace:
She can’t live with one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own.


Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

Download your FREE ecopy of LIES AND SOLACE at Amazon!





AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B079TDDSY4


Excerpt:

As she stared into his dark eyes she realized how much she trusted him, and relied on him. That was something rare for her. The only people she trusted as much were her sisters.

I’m in love with him. 

The thought blasted through her brain with the force of a tsunami. The tension of the last few weeks, the insecurity, the mistrust, the fear, slipped easily from her shoulders. For the first time, her mind was clear. She was in love with Ethan and she didn’t want to wait anymore. She wanted him. She wanted him to be her first, her last.

Finding courage she didn’t know she possessed, Harper slid off the stool and walked around the island. She plucked the wine glass from his hand and set it on the counter, then placed his hand on her breast. “Make love with me, Ethan.”

A fire lit in his eyes, telling her he wanted her, too. But there was a question there, a hesitation. “Are you sure?”

She’d never been more sure of anything in her life. “Yes.”

“Harper—”

“Shhh. Let’s not talk anymore.” She placed one finger over his lips, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Ethan’s reaction was lightning swift. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close, his mouth descending on hers in a wild, warm kiss. Their tongues tangled, slid over each other. She’d missed his touch, his taste. She moaned, and in the sound she heard thirty-two years of longing.


For this. For him.






Wednesday, July 18, 2018

The Other (less famous) Stephen King: #NewRelease #WRPbks

I'm happy to host a brand new Wild Rose Press author whose time travel novel THIRTY-THREE DAYS, releases today. Stephen B. King calls himself the other, less famous writer with that name. Not to mention that he's Australian. Stephen's novel tackles a real problem facing the world's food supply today -- genetic modification. He tells us a bit about his research and how the idea of the story came to him. Please welcome Stephen B. King!



Thank you, Jana for letting me chat about writing, time travel, love, and Genetic Modification of major foods. The 18th of July saw the release of my sixth book: Thirty-Three Days. It’s been a long but amazing journey to bring Jenny’s story to life.

All my life I wanted to write, yet for most of it I made excuses not to do so. There are two fabulous things about being an author. Number 1: my inborn need to tell a story, and to be able to entertain a reader for a while; take them out of their day to day lives and transport them to a place inside my imagination, well that’s fantastic. Number 2: When someone does read one of my books, and takes the time to post a review, send me an email, or stop me at a party to talk about the characters I’ve created for their enjoyment…… Well, I tell you, you can’t buy that feeling.

TTD, as I affectionately call it, came to me in a dream. Now that was highly unusual for two reasons. Firstly, I don’t dream, or if I do, I rarely remember them. If I do, they are nonsense. But I woke up in a state of euphoria having dreamt of Jenny, a lonely 68-year-old lecturer in environmental science who is approached by a man who says he is from the future. He is the sixth in a line of people who played leapfrog through time. They all took a leap of faith and injected a drug to send their consciousness back in turn. Why? To meet her and convince her to save the future of mankind from a Blight which is ravaging all plant life two hundred years in the future.

She agrees, and will wake up thirty-three years younger, with the dosage lasting for thirty-three days. She must convince a young micro-biologist not to release his genetically modified strain of wheat, which harbors the deadly blight in its gene structure.

But she faces many problems. In the past, she falls in love for the first time in her sixty-eight years with his father, and she must convince them both of her sincerity before her consciousness departs for the future, leaving her young self with no memory of the preceding month. If she fails, the men in the future will send an assassin and she is torn between saving the planet, or the man she loves who she knows is destined to die.

So, once I had that dream, I knew I had to write it. Time paradoxes have always fascinated me; yes, I admit it, I’m a Doctor Who fan. I also gave Jenny the chance to influence a team of soccer players, who haven’t won a championship in years. But, just maybe with Jenny, they can pull of a miracle win.

In all my books, no matter how deadly, or thrilling the storyline, there is always a love story at its core. I believe love is an intrinsic part of our lives, and further, that love, and family are why we are here in the first place. Anything else you come by is a bonus. The song title sums it up best: Love is all around us (The Troggs). We either want it, have it, or just lost it and want it back. We love our children, good food, a piece of art…. need I go on? For Jenny, her falling in love changes her, and becomes everything to her, but she knows she will not remember it beyond her thirty-three days.

Now its time to talk seriously, about the dreaded subject: Genetic Modification of food. This is the critical core of the TTD plotline. There is a saying Jenny uses to Iaine on their first date: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. How many times have we seen people trying to do good, but inadvertently doing bad and causing a tsunami of destruction.  Does Thalidomide ring any bells? Diet drinks using synthetic ingredients which we are now told causes health problems, including cancers. Trust me, the list is endless. Whenever Man dabbles in Nature it often goes poorly. When I was researching for this book, I found lots, and LOTS of similar cases. Here in Western Australia a while back, one farmer was suing his neighbor because he lost his organic certification.  That was because the genetically modified strain of Canola had spread from one farm to the other and contaminated, not just his crops, but the very ground it grew in.

Jenny also says: “You can start a bushfire with a match, but the fire rages on when you blow the match out.” Some things we do to our planet are irreversible. I read we are losing 200 billion tons of ice a year from the polar regions, due to global warming. Apparently if, or should I say when, they completely melt; the sea level will rise 60 meters. Where will we live then?

So, lonely, mousy, Jenny has a chance so save every living person in the future by going back in time to stop an event before it happens. Can she succeed? And can she somehow find a way to keep the love that took her sixty-eight years to find? Oh, and can she help that soccer team win the championship?

Time for me to go. Thanks, Jana for inviting me on, I’d love any feedback from readers, I always respond to emails.

The other, less famous, (Australian) Stephen King

Blurb, THIRTY-THREE DAYS:

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer who's consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release a genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls. In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days. Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail, plans are made to send another back in time--an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves or saving the future?

Excerpt:

“Oh I think healthy debate is a good thing, don’t you?” She squeezed his thigh again. She did not want to get too heavily involved in discussions of a nature which might affect their relationship. Not too early in the piece anyway. There would be time enough in the weeks to come.

“But Brad wants to be a savior to the worlds' food supply needs, not hurt it further.”

“Very true, and it’s to be commended, Iain. But, history is littered with good intentions having turned bad. There is the age-old debate about progress. ‘Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.’”

“But, who has the right then to make those decisions on behalf of the rest of us?”

“And therein lies the problem, Iain, who indeed should determine it? That’s why some of the things are in the mess they are. As an environmentalist, I just want to make sure there is something left for our kids, and their kids. I’m not necessarily against progress, but some things are best left as they are. Nature is in balance, once it goes out of that state, who can say where it will end?

“Hydro-Fluorocarbons are another good example. In the sixties, they were the propellant used in spray cans; it was a cheap way to be able to spray deodorant. But they were destroying the ozone layer and who would have thought it? They were banned worldwide, thankfully. Today, the layer is slowly recovering, but if we didn’t have the benefit of those studies and act on them back then, the incidence of some types of Cancer, particularly Skin Cancer, would be vastly worse than they are today. Oh, I’m so sorry Iain, I didn’t mean to mention Cancer because of Simone, please forgive me.”

“It’s Okay, it’s no problem, I’m really enjoying this discussion, tell me more.”

“All right, but we warned, once you get me started I find it hard to stop. Let me ask you a question, what do you think about Antibiotics?”

He glanced at her with a strange look on his face. “They have saved numerous lives, what’s wrong with them?”

“Well in some instances, undoubtedly they have saved lives.  But, more realistically, in most cases all they’ve done is hasten a person’s recovery. We get sick, the doctors prescribe them, and we get better. But, we now have people who are developing allergies to them, and the incidence is growing exponentially. Worse we have bugs which have now mutated so much they can defeat the drugs. So, the germs are now not only immune from Antibiotics, but are far more virulent than they would be had they been left alone. If we had evolved a natural defense to some illnesses, they may well have disappeared by now.

“Polio is coming back, having almost been eradicated through a worldwide immunization program. Thanks mainly to Rotary International’s work, and right there is a truly benevolent effort. It was commendable and is a prime example of good intentions. But, the strain of Polio we are now seeing has no cure, and you cannot immunize against it.


“You see Iain, things mutate, it’s the natural order of things. When we look at bugs and parasites, it is the intention of the parasite to live off its host, not kill it. When the parasite kills, it effectively commits suicide itself and therefore does not fulfill its basic quest to live and survive. So, given time, humans can develop immunity, and the parasite gets to live within us, and everyone is happy.”

Buy links:

Ebook -  http://a.co/ae6di0D   Print - http://a.co/cYuoiLH 


Author Bio:

Life is about the journey, and not the destination, and what a journey my life has been. We are the sum total of our experiences, and not what we eat, in my humble opinion, and when I start talking about my life to people – just before their eyes glaze over – they often say: “You should write a book.” So I have, several in fact. I left school at fifteen in a totally different era to today. I got involved with the music business as a long haired rock guitarist, wrote poems and music and gave it all up for love. I've threatened to write a book for so many years my wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a new laptop and said: "No more excuses, do it." And so began this amazing journey.

Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers, and while my beginnings were in the ‘Make love not war’ sentiment, I love a good, unputdownable, thriller. You know, the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning before bed, but you have to be up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place? Boy I hope so. 

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by The Totally Entwined Group's now defunct Evidence Press, and it was followed by a trilogy of Domin8, The Vigilante Taxi and Burial Ground. Repo, my fifth, saw me return to two characters from Forever Night as new private investigators trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit.  The Wild Rose Press were gracious enough to offer to publish Thirty Three Days. They have also contracted another Trilogy called Deadly Glimpses, and book 1 is due for release soon, called, Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.


I hope I have many more books in me, I often say: I work for a living, but write for a passion.

Website: www.stephen-b-king.com
Twitter: @stephenBKing1  http://www.twitter.com/stephenBKing1 

Friday, July 13, 2018

Christmas in July!


Come join the festivities at N.N. Light's Book Heaven and check out another Christmas excerpt!

It's Christmas in July! Or at least it is in my book TRUTH AND SOLACE. We're celebrating books set, or partly set, during Christmas in this fantastic promotion. Like the third, and concluding, novel in my Love at Solace Lake series. The fun part is you can enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $100 US Amazon gift card!

Christmas is a time for food and families. Maggie, the heroine of TRUTH AND SOLACE, is a chef so she's all about food. She volunteers to help cook Christmas dinner for Luke's family; his grandmother Phyllis, stepfather Reese and his mother Abby. This Christmas is bittersweet for all of them because it's likely Abby's last:


Once the toasts were done, Maggie and Phyllis excused themselves to put the final touches on dinner. Phyllis bustled around, checking pots on the stove that didn’t need checking and rearranging table settings that were perfectly fine. Maggie knew keeping busy was her way of coping. She’d give her something to do.

“Phyllis, do you think we should have whipped cream with the pie?”

“Yes, I think that would be lovely. Abby loves whipped cream…”

Her voice trailed off. They both knew Abby was unlikely to eat much of anything. Maggie spoke quickly, not wanting her to dwell on her sadness. “I brought some whipping cream. It’s in the fridge.” Phyllis’ face brightened. “I’ll whip it up. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

She set to work immediately, pulling Abby’s electric mixer from the cupboard. By the time she’d finished, the potatoes were tender and ready to mash. Maggie drained the heavy pot and handed the masher to Phyllis. She pounded away at them as if they were the cancer in her daughter’s body and she could obliterate it by sheer force of will.

If only it were that easy.

Maggie removed the turkey from the oven and set it on a large platter to rest while she made gravy. Once Reese carved the turkey, they’d be ready to eat.

Luke wheeled his mother’s chair to her spot at the end of the table and then poured the wine he’d brought for himself, Maggie and his grandmother. He gave Abby and Reese more sparkling grape. After everyone sat, Abby lifted her glass, her hand trembling slightly.

“I’d like to propose a toast. To us, and the merriest Christmas ever. For this one day, let’s forget about illness and remember how much we love each other and how much we enjoy being together. Reality will come back soon enough, but for today, let’s forget. Merry Christmas.”

The silence was deafening. Maggie should have known Abby would feel the tension all around her and know her family was hurting. Her cancer was the elephant in the room they couldn’t ignore. They needed to address it head on. Maggie touched her wine glass to Abby’s. “I second your toast. Here’s to the merriest Christmas ever, with good food and good friends. Today, let’s only think happy thoughts. On this happiest of days, I say cancer can go f*** itself.”

Reese let out a guffaw and Abby laughed out loud. She covered her mouth with her free hand as it turned into a cough. But she was able to quickly bring the cough under control, for which Maggie was profoundly grateful.

“I’ll drink to that,” Abby said.

Reese lifted his own glass. Maggie hadn’t seen a genuine smile on his face in some time. “I think that’s a toast I can get behind.”

Phyllis shook her head as she touched her glass to Reese’s. “That’s my roommate, potty mouth girl.”
A fresh round of laughter erupted around the table. Sadness dissipated as if a window had been thrown open and a fresh breeze had blown through the house.

From across the table, Luke smiled into her eyes and lifted his glass to her in a silent salute. Maggie raised her glass and saluted back. As Abby said, reality would hit soon enough. For today, she wanted to play a game of pretend where everything was possible, like believing Abby could return to full health.

And Luke would want to stay in Minnewasta with her.

Buy Links:





or FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Make sure to enter our awesome Rafflecopter giveaway. A $100 US Amazon gift card is up for grabs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Andi Ramos and Ten Things you need to know

Mystery writer Andi Ramos is my guest today. We're going to get to know Andi in a new segment I call "Ten Things". Welcome Andi!



Top 10 Things To Know About Andi Ramos:

1. I’m a foodie- to pick a favorite kind of food is hard, but I have to say its a rare occasion when I turn anything chocolate down ;)

2. I’ve been married over 20 years, God bless him!

3. I have four kids- 3 of them teenagers, God bless us both!

4. My Favorite Quote: “The muse works for you. You don’t write at her beck and call—you train her to show up when you’re writing.” JK Rowlings

5. I LOVE old movies, I think Cary Grant is the most charming actor that ever existed!

6. I HATE to cry- I avoid it at all costs- which means any books or movies that might shed a tear, I get very close minded and won’t consider them!

7. I have a unique laugh that is a mix between a wheeze, chortle and a snort!

8. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is my secret boyfriend, only he doesn’t know it- my husband does, so we’re all good!

9. I have a pet goat that thinks he’s a dog.

10. My guilty pleasure:Binge watching TV shows- I don’t watch a lot of TV but, on a rare occasion I will clear a whole weekend just to indulge- Popcorn and Oreos here I come!


Blurb, GUMSHOE GIRL:

Sheagan O’Hare got more than she bargained for when her newly inherited detective agency lands its first case; a missing person, embezzlement, and murder. Sheagan’s out to prove she can hang with the pros, despite the constant reminder of her amateur status from an annoyingly attractive FBI agent, Colin 'Mac' MacEvine, who’s forced himself into her life.

How does she feel when an old high school friend hopes to ignite a new romance?

Will she be able to discover if detective work and love can mingle before someone gets hurt?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gumshoe-Girl-Andi-Ramos-ebook/dp/B07CMZVJ9Zi

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Gumshoe-Girl-Andi-Ramos-ebook/dp/B07CMZVJ9Z

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/gumeshoe-girl/id1376902448

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/820388

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gumeshoe-girl

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gumeshoe-girl-andi-ramos/1128555736


Excerpt:

Sheagan made a split-second decision to head back to Kinney, Kelley, and Wellstood. It was a long shot, but she felt she had to move on it since there was nothing else to go on.

It was past business hours by the time she parked. She tried the door; it was locked. She peered through the window and saw Ernie collecting his things, so she knocked and watched him shuffle to the door.

“Hi Ernie," Sheagan said, as he unlocked the door.

“Little Miss, are you back so soon?”

“I forgot something upstairs this morning.”

“They are just about closed up. Most everybody is gone. I was just leaving myself.”

“I’ll just be a minute,” Sheagan charmed.

“You promise you won’t be long now?”

“I promise.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He stepped aside and let her in. Ernie looked tired.

“Long day?” she asked.

“They get longer every day.” He managed a weary smile.

She nodded sympathetically and made her quickly way to the elevator, dreading what to say to the receptionist. The doors dinged opened, and Sheagan peeked out from inside the elevator. She didn’t see anyone. Perfect!

She slipped out of the elevator and crept around the corner, then eased her way back to Mary’s cubicle and breathed a sigh of relief as she shook the first file cabinet drawer open. It was full. She took a photo so that she could investigate any company names later, and did the same with the second and third drawers. The fourth was full of office supplies – a box of staples, and full boxes of paper clips, pens, Scotch tape, and more sticky notepads.

She turned her attention to the second file cabinet. It was the same arrangement as the first, with files in the first three drawers. She opened the last drawer, thinking it would also house supplies, but was surprised to see a picture of Mary’s husband and a small, fabric printed handbag.
Sheagan heard a loud voice come from the conference room. She felt a knot in her stomach and slipped the purse on her shoulder, concealing it as best she could with the thick strap of her bag.
The voice grew louder, and there was heavy banging, like someone was pounding on a desk. Nerves got the best of her and Sheagan ducked out of the cubicle and crept down the hallway towards the reception area. Just as she rounded the corner, she crashed into the cleaner, Lewis. A hot chill ran up her spine as he grabbed her shoulders.

Author Bio:



Andi Ramos is a debut author from central Massachusetts where she lives with her family, goat, and Boston Terriers. Her love for reading grew into a passion for writing. She dabbled with pen and paper for a long time and eventually stopped pushing her amusements aside and started developing those stories into novels. One of her favorite things to do is to hop into her motorhome with her family and write while traveling down the road as they journey to various destinations.

Website: www.andiramos.com
Blog: www.andiramos.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andiramosauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andiramosauthor

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Seelie Kay and THE PRESIDENT'S WIFE

Happy Tuesday! Today's guest is Seelie Kay with a contemporary romantic suspense with political intrigue and a bit of kink. Seelie is offering some ebook prizes in her giveaway so make sure to enter the Rafflecopter at the end of this blog. Welcome Seelie!



The President’s Wife 
by Seelie Kay


Seelie will be giving away  an ebook of The Garage Dweller to three lucky winners drawn via Rafflecopter. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember there is a chance every day to enter to win. You may find all the tour locations here

Interview with Seelie Kay:

Where did you get the idea for THE PRESIDENT'S WIFE:

When I started thinking about this story, the news was filled with allegations about Russian interference with the presidential elections. Since this book was coming out around July 4, America’s Independence Day, I knew I wanted to do something that emphasized the importance of freedom. All of the uproar about the Russians took me back to a different time—the Cold War—when we lived in fear of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. So, I began musing about what would happen if the Russians actually did co-opt the government of A free nation. Ultimately, The President’s Wife was born.

Why did you choose this genre?

This book actually combines two genres: Romance and thrillers. It is, in effect, about a political conspiracy uncovered by a very hot and sexy couple who are very much in love, involving another couple being blackmailed because of the love they have for each other.  Those genres just seemed to naturally lend themselves to this story.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book you’d like to share?

My grandparents immigrated to this country in the early 1900s from Czechoslovakia. When I was in my teens, that country was still under Soviet control. However, my grandmother wanted to see her family again. So, my father brought her back for a month-long visit. Throughout their trip, they were closely watched by communist officials and some of their relatives were afraid to receive them in their homes out of fear of retribution. At one point, my father was detained for taking a photo of a church that turned out to be a military installation and would have been jailed if not for a second cousin, who was a higher up in the Communist Party. (They did confiscate the film, however.) And when they got back to the U.S., my grandmother told me she had been afraid every single day. That experience had a significant impact on me. It taught me that we must value freedom, because not everyone has the privilege of being free.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read THE PRESIDENT'S WIFE?

That we should not take freedom for granted. It is our responsibility to respect and protect it, because once it is lost, it may be hard to win back. Even in the U.S., a country that has been free for 242 years, we must be vigilant. Our freedoms are threatened every single day.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a pantser, I am afraid. When I am inspired, I just let the story flow. And I don’t stop until I am done. I never know where an idea will take me but I always wind up somewhere!

What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to learn about you? 

That I am an MS Warrior. I was diagnosed in 2002, and although I am somewhat mobility impaired, I continue to write.

Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?

I am Wisconsin born and bred. Although I have lived in other parts of the country, I returned to WI about 30 years ago and now live outside Milwaukee. I can’t imagine living in a place without the four seasons, no matter how much I complain about the winters and the summers. (I am definitely a spring/fall girl.)  As I said earlier, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. In fact, my mother saved my four-year-old missives in which I complain about what I considered an unfair punishment. My parents were teachers. We had to apologize, in writing.

If writing is your first passion, what is your second?

Food. I am a true foodie. I love to cook and bake or try out new restaurants. In fact, it’s how I relieve stress or work through plot problems when writing. A nice glass of wine is sometimes the perfect end to a busy day.

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it? Does it help you with your writing?

I am an attorney and journalist, but these days if I am not writing my own books, I am ghostwriting books for others.

Name two authors we might find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) and Lisa Scottoline.

What do you like best about your heroine in THE PRESIDENT'S WIFE?

She’s smart and determined, and most importantly, committed to justice.

How can readers reach you or find you online?

www.seeliekay.com
www.seeliekay.blogspot.com
Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Tell us a little about your current work in progress.

It’s a story about four former law school classmates who get shafted by their mates and seek revenge.

What’s your tagline? Why did you choose it?

Sizzling short stories about lawyers in love, with a dash of kink!  That is what I write about…

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

The Garage Dweller. I think it provides a good sense of how I write and what I write about. 

Tell us about your current release.

The President’s Wife is a novella about a criminal defense attorney who uncovers a conspiracy to destroy the government of a newly free nation. Here’s the blurb:


When criminal defense attorney Julianna Constant travels to Washington, D.C. to join her former college roommate, Marella de la Aerelli, in celebrating her husband’s election as the first president of the newly democratic Republic of Lodatia, she is met with an unpleasant surprise. Her friend of almost 30 years not only looks unwell, she is cold and distant. After Julianna becomes convinced the woman is really an imposter, she attempts to expose the faux Marella by using a secret only she, Marella, and the sitting U.S. President share. In the process, Julianna helps to uncover an international conspiracy to seize control of the new country, using the president’s wife as a pawn in a dangerous and potentially deadly game. Will Marella be rescued before a coup takes place? Or will she become collateral damage in one tiny nation’s fight to be free?

Thanks for speaking to me, Seelie!


About The President’s Wife: 

What happens when one of your best friends, the First Lady of the newly democratic Republic of Lodatia, appears to be an imposter? If you’re criminal defense attorney Julianna Constant, you pursue the truth like a rabid dog, then wage a battle to save your friend’s life. When criminal defense attorney Julianna Constant travels to Washington, D.C. to join her former college roommate, Marella de la Aerelli, in celebrating her husband’s election as the first president of the newly democratic Republic of Lodatia, she is met with an unpleasant surprise. Her friend of almost 30 years not only looks unwell, she is cold and distant. After Julianna becomes convinced the woman is really an imposter, she attempts to expose the faux Marella by using a secret only she, Marella, and the sitting U.S. President share. In the process, Julianna helps to uncover an international conspiracy to seize control of the new country, using the president’s wife as a pawn in a dangerous and potentially deadly game. Will Marella be rescued before a coup takes place? Or will she become collateral damage in one tiny nation’s fight to be free?

BUY LINKS: Publisher Amazon: coming soon Barnes and Noble: coming soon



Excerpt:

The state dinner at the White House was in full swing. Waiters were busy delivering food and pouring wine, as guests ate and chatted with others seated at their tables.

Julianna picked at her dinner, some sort of beef dish with quirky vegetables, and continued to study Lodatian President Georges and Mrs. Marella de la Aerelli, as they chatted quietly with the U.S. president and his wife. Marella barely looked up from her plate, and conversation with her hosts appeared to be minimal. God, that is so not the Marella I know. She hasn’t even acknowledged me and I sent her an email informing her that I would be here. 

Julianna set her fork down on her plate and nudged her husband, Little River, Wisconsin Police Chief David Manders. “Something’s wrong.” Julianna whispered. “Marella looks wrong. Maybe she’s just tired after the campaign, but she looks sick. Too thin and too pale. And she isn’t smiling. Marella is always smiling, even when she feels like shit. And she hasn’t even looked at me. Why is she ignoring me? Something is not right. I can feel it.”

David looked at his wife and tried to hide his smile. “Jules, you find a conspiracy behind every door these days,” he said quietly. He looked around to ensure that the other four couples seated at their table were otherwise engaged. “I vote for tired, no, make that exhausted. My God, five months ago, she was a farm wife in Lodatia, now she’s been thrust into the international spotlight as the wife of the President. That would exhaust anyone. I know if you ran for president, it would have a negative impact on me.”

Julianna smirked. “If I became President, sir, it would have a negative impact on both of us.”

David sighed and ran a hand through his short, silver hair. His piercing blue eyes gazed at his wife, his fondness apparent. “Well, instead of jumping to conclusions, let’s wait until the reception at the Lodatian Embassy. There are a lot of rules and protocols for visiting dignitaries. Maybe it just isn’t appropriate to buddy up to an old friend at a state dinner. Once you get up close and personal with Marella, you can get a better fix on things. That woman has been through the wringer, what with that opposition group trying to assassinate her husband not once, but twice. I imagine the stress of clinging to Lodatia’s newly formed democratic government is a kind of like hanging on to a cliff, knowing that if you fall, there will be no net to catch you. Cut her some slack and do not tell her she looks awful.”



About Seelie Kay:

Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love, with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in nine works of fiction, including the Kinky Briefs series, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, and The President’s Wife, as well as the romance anthology, Pieces of Us.

When not spinning her kinky tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she shares a home with her son and enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at www.seeliekay.com, www.seeliekay.blogspot.com,  Twitter or Facebook.

Author links:

www.seeliekay.RAfcom

www.seeliekay.blogspot.com

Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1517848564&sr=1-2-ent


a Rafflecopter giveaway