tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42099340417227589582024-03-17T22:02:09.918-05:00Journeys with JanaA romance writer balances her fictional world with real life.Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.comBlogger1034125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-38888019060276659862024-02-07T00:30:00.068-06:002024-02-07T00:30:00.136-06:00#MFRWhooks #ValentinesDay Recipe and Excerpt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobDCUBjFUwaZfDuQ6HznvLEZy4yN9VyR9FV-WCR5dQNPx-l6X-R04oSKQwNlrHt54Iw5_9Wewj6pFh8SIqPS4FUw1seLj5c_30dofwar_uYnvyMmbwhv4WMFOs-oiVTHNF59R4oL8GbySxRCSUPgFjqgQ_NDPTJSXezWgOUQpnBFA2vwDBc-dx_NRH6fl/s400/mfrw-roses-pearls-sq400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobDCUBjFUwaZfDuQ6HznvLEZy4yN9VyR9FV-WCR5dQNPx-l6X-R04oSKQwNlrHt54Iw5_9Wewj6pFh8SIqPS4FUw1seLj5c_30dofwar_uYnvyMmbwhv4WMFOs-oiVTHNF59R4oL8GbySxRCSUPgFjqgQ_NDPTJSXezWgOUQpnBFA2vwDBc-dx_NRH6fl/w200-h200/mfrw-roses-pearls-sq400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Valentine's Day is one week away! And since it's traditionally a day for giving sweets to your sweetheart, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes. Not only are these brownies fudgy and delicious, they're so easy to make and have minimal cleanup because you're only using one pot. Here's the recipe!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong style="direction: ltr;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One Pot Fudgy Brownies</span></strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3 oz. (84 g) unsweetened chocolate</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder (the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but I used regular no-name and it was just fine)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2 1/2 cups (500 g) granulated sugar</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1/2 tsp. (3g) kosher or coarse salt</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1 tbsp. (15 ml) pure vanilla extract</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3 large eggs</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1 1/2 cups (192 g) all-purpose flour</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 13 by 9 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Place the butter and the chocolate in a medium to large-size saucepan over low heat and let melt together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove the saucepan the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, sugar and salt, then blend in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring to mix quickly so they don't have a chance to cook at all before they are blended in. Blend in the flour.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Scrape the thick batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25 or 30 minutes. They may seem slightly underbaked in the middle, but trust me, that's what gives them a moist and fudgy texture. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If you like, you can serve these with ice cream or whipped cream and fruit, like blueberries or sliced strawberries. Personally, I enjoy them just as they are. No embellishments required!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And speaking of Valentine's Day, here's a blurb and excerpt from my Valentine's Day story, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chill-Out-Candy-Hearts-Romance-ebook/dp/B018L29ZUY" target="_blank">CHILL OUT</a>!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6f6f6f; direction: ltr; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pT24mADVrpYGypmFufO0SJJOgvRokpcf2JsKu_Uhh5IPytqHmCyC9iNK_zNR-o2f0MKUhRqheisfcfgdKkxfO-HAXY70F9D6doOyX0TbpsletQm28RzAXO7eTI1NMezacroN2YbbGBH6k6gZ_uYjGyVRd0yLVXUXj_WPVhXXrIGKWfMZN2Zln0-jkaYP/s300/ChillOut_w9949_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pT24mADVrpYGypmFufO0SJJOgvRokpcf2JsKu_Uhh5IPytqHmCyC9iNK_zNR-o2f0MKUhRqheisfcfgdKkxfO-HAXY70F9D6doOyX0TbpsletQm28RzAXO7eTI1NMezacroN2YbbGBH6k6gZ_uYjGyVRd0yLVXUXj_WPVhXXrIGKWfMZN2Zln0-jkaYP/s1600/ChillOut_w9949_300.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Renata Cabral needs to hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?” Since the breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Noah Brownlee has been hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff, only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As the blizzard rages, the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Excerpt:</b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“Dylan wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend, and in some ways, he was like a father. When our mother died, he petitioned the court to make him my legal guardian so I wouldn’t have to go into care. He made sure I studied, pushed me to apply to med school, helped me with expenses.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“He sounds like a wonderful big brother.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">His lips curved in a sad smile and Renata’s heart ached for him. “He was, and I know he’s going to be an amazing father. I want this animosity between us to end. I want my brother back.” His voice cracked. “But I’m not sure he feels the same way. I said some ugly things…”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“Perhaps, with the baby coming, he wants to mend the rift between you as much as you do.” She hoped she was right.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“Maybe. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m going to phone Dylan and try to arrange a meeting.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“It’ll work out. You’ll see.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">He leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “I appreciate the pep rally.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">“Well, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah, Rah.”</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">He laughed softly, then cupped her face with his hand, his thumb idly stroking her cheek. Her breath hitched at his tender touch. “Thank you for making this easier for me, Renata.”</span><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He leaned in and her heart pounded in anticipation of his kiss. When his lips touched hers, a firestorm of longing ignited inside her. She strained toward him, needing his kiss, needing to heal his pain. His lips parted against hers, and she opened her mouth eagerly, reveling in his taste as his tongue danced with hers. The world faded away, and nothing existed for her except this man and all the tenderness she felt for him. It felt so right to kiss him, so perfectly, completely right.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Universal Buy Link:</b> <a href="https://books2read.com/Chill-Out">https://books2read.com/Chill-Out</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Check out other posts in this week's blog hop: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
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Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-37412811508584473152024-01-17T00:30:00.051-06:002024-01-17T00:30:00.142-06:00A Snippet from RESCUE ME #sweetromance #MFRWhooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-3d9Fx1zUy-9UHdO4JnriS-JhVmbPfHX7hPtBC7X7ZG0autNZ5lD1SiS7MLpQ11eI1EgcCEu5DI7KY5hKWyaAsbHjX3-cGe8bfLyre8sThcSTchpJU8bKqRG7uJb7igcPW1wNXm2Txi7AAdkpVU6pjjF5JT9upXItqKT62yXB4HztEuQnVVZBtl4cITm/s400/mfrw-roses-pearls-sq400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-3d9Fx1zUy-9UHdO4JnriS-JhVmbPfHX7hPtBC7X7ZG0autNZ5lD1SiS7MLpQ11eI1EgcCEu5DI7KY5hKWyaAsbHjX3-cGe8bfLyre8sThcSTchpJU8bKqRG7uJb7igcPW1wNXm2Txi7AAdkpVU6pjjF5JT9upXItqKT62yXB4HztEuQnVVZBtl4cITm/w200-h200/mfrw-roses-pearls-sq400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hello! Welcome to my blog. Today I've got a snippet from my sweet romance RESCUE ME. In this scene, Matt Malone has recently moved into the apartment across the hall from Chelsea Andrews in a century old Victorian mansion in Toronto. When he brings home food from the restaurant where he works, he invites Chelsea to share it with him, but since she doesn't know him very well, she's not ready to spend time alone with him in his apartment. So he proposes a picnic on the floor of the hallway between their two apartments:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxX7O0bhkfwAMRsNqP_WNu10z8Db_R__Vz6HY7fT5jSnGYSz_HCU6EtmHW4MIQIRBDmIEG5UEJzOpVl-AVcTIPsxgfE75OQUujOa9rjrFWKQA4euvqzB_FHdxPgNmxevClY3uGEKqEH-hOOOFK0WmYGoF0hDxx2mfnmK9sddw4VP1xeFncACJc5PPZGfO/s1275/RescueMe_850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxX7O0bhkfwAMRsNqP_WNu10z8Db_R__Vz6HY7fT5jSnGYSz_HCU6EtmHW4MIQIRBDmIEG5UEJzOpVl-AVcTIPsxgfE75OQUujOa9rjrFWKQA4euvqzB_FHdxPgNmxevClY3uGEKqEH-hOOOFK0WmYGoF0hDxx2mfnmK9sddw4VP1xeFncACJc5PPZGfO/s320/RescueMe_850.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You mean, you want me to come over for dinner? In your apartment?”</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt felt her reluctance, as well as an undercurrent of fear. She still didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t say he blamed her, considering the way they’d met. “Unless you want to meet out in the hall. I could bring my picnic basket.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She blinked at him. Then she grinned, her smile transforming her face. The cool, solemn-faced young woman was replaced by a vivacious, charming girl. Matt nearly dropped his bags in surprise. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Actually, a picnic in the hallway sounds like fun. At least we won’t have to worry about ants.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It was Matt’s turn to blink. The Ice Princess had a sense of humor. There was a real human being under all that frost.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Okay, a picnic it is. I’ll heat up the food and get some dishes.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He opened the door to his apartment and went inside.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea peeked through the door, her eyebrows raised. “Maid’s year off?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt followed her gaze over half emptied moving boxes, a sink piled high with dirty dishes, and a basket of dirty laundry by the door. Some days, he regretted being a slob.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“So, it’s a bit of a mess. Give me a break. I only moved in a week ago.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I know. I can’t believe you’ve made this much mess in only a week.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“It’s a gift.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt pushed aside dirty dishes on the counter to set down his bags of food. He rummaged through the cupboards for the few remaining clean dishes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Can I help? Do you need anything peeled or washed? Or fumigated?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt turned sharply to look at her. Chelsea shrugged out of her coat, folded it neatly and placed it on the floor of the hallway. Not so much as the toe of her shoe stepped over the threshold of Matt’s apartment. A smart-ass reply was ready on his lips. But then he saw the sparkle of humor in her eyes and the laughter trembling on her lip. Chelsea the cool Ice Princess might have intrigued him, but this Chelsea, with the laughing eyes and the snappy come backs, was someone he could really like. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Don’t just stand there, make yourself useful. Here,” he said, walking over to her and depositing mismatched plates and cups in her hands. “Set the table, or the floor as the case may be.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt warmed the leftovers in the microwave and brought everything to the hallway, Styrofoam containers and all. Chelsea had retrieved a blanket from her place and spread it on the floor of the hallway between the two open doors of their apartments. A vase of silk flowers sat in the middle of the blanket, giving their picnic an elegant air. Her satisfied smile nearly knocked him on his butt. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Universal Buy Link:</b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY</a></span></p><p><b>Blurb, RESCUE ME:</b></p><p>Chelsea Andrews can’t decide who’s more dangerous—the creep on the Toronto city bus, or the handsome stranger who rescues her. Was he acting as he claimed, or is he that weird in real life? She doesn’t stick around to find out. Fate intervenes when her rescuer, out of work actor Matt Malone, sublets the apartment next door. Chelsea soon discovers the most dangerous thing about her charming new neighbor is the damage he’s inflicting on her heart.</p><p>Or is it? Soon after Matt moves in, strange unsigned notes begin showing up at the art gallery where Chelsea works. Then she’s followed home from the bus stop late one night, and her apartment is broken into. Despite her growing feelings for Matt, all the evidence points to him as the culprit. </p><p>Matt is at a crossroads. His acting career is stalled and his love life is non-existent. Things begin to look up when he moves in next door to Chelsea. He’s totally captivated by the beautiful blonde and wants to take their relationship to the next level. Though he’s disappointed when he discovers what Chelsea suspects about him, he’s determined to protect her from the real stalker. </p><p>Is Matt the kind, funny, sincere man Chelsea is falling in love with, or some kind of letter-writing stalker? She must decide whether he is a dream come true or her worst nightmare.</p><p><b style="font-size: large;">Universal Buy Link:</b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY" style="font-size: large;">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY</a></p><p><br /></p>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=312947" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-64690190433006619422024-01-09T00:30:00.019-06:002024-01-09T00:30:00.132-06:00#Erotic #NewRelease from Lisabet Sarai: WILD ABOUT THAT THING<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm thrilled to have Lisabet Sarai visit today with her new novella WILD ABOUT THAT THING. This erotic ménage story is pretty hot, but I'm giving you a (mostly) PG excerpt! Please welcome Lisabet as she tells us one of the inspirations for her story. Take it away, Lisabet! </i> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwGhr0O7e3W-V5heTUNkhQxLz_hc3MPHUZuNwy_5Bkavum9-RA0jKbuLbVSk7uo8ThHXxJ0qrT5iikeNOA8wLHXETkPlX-r28LiRiHFcal46H_gl3IV0ddnNgGMXYKosBknnRUa6EGDv4UTXcu068CTlpkouyxUiMJFPu1mroNBzSC3rl5Kt1IX58g5Tq/s600/WildAboutThatThingCover_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwGhr0O7e3W-V5heTUNkhQxLz_hc3MPHUZuNwy_5Bkavum9-RA0jKbuLbVSk7uo8ThHXxJ0qrT5iikeNOA8wLHXETkPlX-r28LiRiHFcal46H_gl3IV0ddnNgGMXYKosBknnRUa6EGDv4UTXcu068CTlpkouyxUiMJFPu1mroNBzSC3rl5Kt1IX58g5Tq/w266-h400/WildAboutThatThingCover_400.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><b><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Moment in Time</span></b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Unlike many authors, I rarely base my characters on real people. I might borrow a trait here and there from individuals I’ve known, but for the most part both my protagonists and my villains are fictional inventions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Wild About That Thing</i> is an exception. The character of Remy Saint-Michel grew out of an actual experience I had, a number of years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I should say, by the way, that I love the blues. Listening to almost any music is an emotional experience, but blues music touches me in a way that few other genres can. I love its passion, its honesty and its recognition of our precious, broken humanity. I feel it in my body as well as my soul; when I am listening to the blues, I can’t sit still.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Anyway, one Saturday night my husband and I went to a nearby pub to hear a local blues band we’d read about. They were fantastic. I sat there, entranced, swaying to the beat. Most of the audience were doing the same. Though the place was crowed, some people were even dancing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then I noticed a man sitting on a tall stool, not far from our seats, an incredibly handsome black man with a shaved head, high cheekbones and full lips. He wore slim jeans and a white business shirt with rolled up sleeves. One leg was outstretched; the other rested on a rung of his seat. For some reason I noticed his shoes, expensive, highly polished leather that seemed out of place in the casual venue.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He was gorgeous, but he never glanced in my direction. Indeed, what fascinated me about this guy was his utter stillness. Unlike the rest of us, he didn’t tap his toes, nod his head or drum his fingers on this thigh. Totally focused on the stage, he didn’t move a muscle. The intensity with which he regarded the band sent a little chill down my spine. I couldn’t help wondering who this gentleman was, how he happened to be there, and what was going through his mind.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Years later, I can still summon my odd reaction to this guy. He became the model for Remy in <i>Wild About That Thing</i>. Indeed, I borrowed some of that real world scene for the novella. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Of course, I’ll never know what was actually going through that stunning black man’s mind as he stared at the band. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For that, I had to use my imagination.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTV-t09OSMnMbfPJlJ71M9Ia9cgOARhAF2Ia0gzqSp8yV52jZztg8q_vlKGm1Gvv7Li_pyoQc9JvdodEOfMH-R5j37V6YH_zUj-R-_qw0xjk1xavM0T5a1rRUbaxpXhV0aN2r3U64eL3UgM6g7cHo-XJnfEOvgZdA2X57fxCQ_qTSDgm_sBA_swddIxX0/s1173/WATT_Teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTV-t09OSMnMbfPJlJ71M9Ia9cgOARhAF2Ia0gzqSp8yV52jZztg8q_vlKGm1Gvv7Li_pyoQc9JvdodEOfMH-R5j37V6YH_zUj-R-_qw0xjk1xavM0T5a1rRUbaxpXhV0aN2r3U64eL3UgM6g7cHo-XJnfEOvgZdA2X57fxCQ_qTSDgm_sBA_swddIxX0/w369-h400/WATT_Teaser.jpg" width="369" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ruby Jones has clear priorities. Her teenage son comes first, then her struggling blues club. Her love life ranks as a distant third. Deserted by her cheating ex-husband, Ruby's determined she's going to make it on her own. She's not about to let any man into her heart. Now her hot blood seems to have landed her in an impossible situation. Two lovers…and she wants them both.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Excerpt:</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I thought maybe I could join you two for dinner,” he continued. “Then maybe after, we can all watch a video or something.”</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He didn’t say anything more, but she knew what he was thinking. After Isaiah was safe in his bed, maybe Zeke could spend some time in hers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ruby remembered her assignation with Remy—remembered the insane lust he’d inspired. It had been intoxicating, but scary too. For a moment, all she wanted was to say yes to Zeke’s unspoken question, to trade the risky promise of a stranger for more familiar pleasures. But she’d given her word to Remy. Anyway, what gave Zeke the right to barge in to her life, assuming she’d be available?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“We’d love for you eat with us,” she began, trying to be gentle. “But afterward, I’ve got a date.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Zeke’s forehead knitted into a frown. “A date?” His voice was dark as gathering thunderclouds. “Who with?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ruby laid her hand on his arm. That was a mistake. The feel of his warm, firm flesh under the fine cotton made her want to take it all back—to swear that she wanted only him, to beg him to fuck her. “I don’t think you need to know,” she said, her eyes cast downward. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She felt like such a traitor. Of course, they’d agreed when they began that their relationship should be non-exclusive. Still, she hadn’t been with anyone else, not for two years. Why should she, when she had a strong, sexy, generous man like Ezekiel Chambers? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But Remy…she’d never experienced anything like the magnetic pull she’d felt in his presence. She had to find out what it would be like to fuck him. To get him out of her system.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Thanks for being honest,” Zeke said softly. “That’s something at least.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’d never lie to you, baby. That’s just plain wrong. Otis taught me that. It’s just this one time, anyway.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You do what you need to do, Ruby. It won’t change how I feel about you.” He blinked once or twice, then stood up. “Guess I should go.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No, please—stay for dinner. Just pizza and salad, but we’d love to have you. I’m sure that Isaiah will want to tell you the big news about his band.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You sure?” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Positive.” Ruby gave him a hug, fighting the urge to rub herself against the still-obvious lump in his groin. “Let’s go call Antonio’s.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You got someone to stay with the kid while you’re out?” Zeke asked, as Ruby retrieved the pizza menu stuck onto the refrigerator door.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Um—no… He’ll be okay. It’s just a couple hours.” Ruby’s doubts resurfaced. Maybe she really should call Remy and cancel. Things were just too complicated…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’ll hang out here until you get back, then.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“What?” Ruby stared at him, astonished and grateful. “You’re gonna babysit, while I go meet another man? What are you, some kind of saint?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Nah, I’m just a guy who loves you and wants you to be happy. I know you won’t be able to relax if Isaiah’s home alone.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ruby rewarded him with a kiss. What had she done to deserve him? “You know me too well, baby.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I do, darlin’. You’re like Skynard’s free bird. Ain’t nobody can put you in a cage.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Links:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kinky Literature – <a href="https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1342-wild-about-that-thing-/">https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1342-wild-about-that-thing-/</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon US – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPDD3JR9">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPDD3JR9</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon UK – <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPDD3JR9">https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPDD3JR9</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Smashwords – <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485627">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485627</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barnes and Noble – <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-about-that-thing-lisabet-sarai/1110738210?ean=2940167659858">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-about-that-thing-lisabet-sarai/1110738210?ean=2940167659858</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kobo - <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-about-that-thing-4">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-about-that-thing-4</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Apple Books – <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6474285642">https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6474285642</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Add on Goodreads - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203152943-wild-about-that-thing">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203152943-wild-about-that-thing</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.8pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Add on BookBub - <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-about-that-thing-by-lisabet-sarai-2023-12-10">https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-about-that-thing-by-lisabet-sarai-2023-12-10</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">About Lisabet:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (<a href="http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html">http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html</a>), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (<a href="http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com">http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com</a>), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisabet-sarai" target="_blank">BookBub</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LisabetSarai" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Join her VIP email list here: <a href="https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh">https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-27740329277052473392023-12-08T00:30:00.005-06:002023-12-08T00:30:00.151-06:00#NewRelease from Mike Torreano: FIREFLIES AT DUSK<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> <i>I am happy to welcome fellow Wild Rose Press writer Mike Torreano to Journeys with Jana. Mike is an award winning author who writes books about American history and the old west. His newest book, FIREFLIES AT DUSK, released November 2023. It's a story of a young man coming of age on the brink of the civil war. Thanks for being here today, Mike!</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuVKRamJINB85f2XzlTNGk0HHbRP9fhKfw3AvuFBV9_po_mTYi_q9kiq_Sk-i8YJhpmsKSpt_H3UR9FXY8BQKb2Kz9OahFoSB0QVHQaMIdo953gtP5AewNPrCPhry7djLrTLrvFxrDbRSXmtWmluohydFnErCmoDWND8_YPlXDQyx4xMRqNH5shyphenhyphen0X8Tj/s320/FirefliesatDusk%20750.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuVKRamJINB85f2XzlTNGk0HHbRP9fhKfw3AvuFBV9_po_mTYi_q9kiq_Sk-i8YJhpmsKSpt_H3UR9FXY8BQKb2Kz9OahFoSB0QVHQaMIdo953gtP5AewNPrCPhry7djLrTLrvFxrDbRSXmtWmluohydFnErCmoDWND8_YPlXDQyx4xMRqNH5shyphenhyphen0X8Tj/w266-h400/FirefliesatDusk%20750.jpeg" width="266" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hi Jana. For this guest post, I decided to write about some of the research I did for <i>Fireflies at Dusk</i>, particularly around pacifism and slavery. The story is set prior to and during the Civil War, but is really a coming-of-age story of a young man, Jonathan. Major story elements include pacifism as represented by Quakers, slavery and the Underground Railroad, the fury of war, period medicine, and Andersonville prison camp. But I want to focus on the Underground Railroad here—how it worked and what it did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For a start, I visited the National Underground Railroad Museum in downtown Cincinnati. It captures the shameful history of slavery in America, but also honors the brave people who risked their lives to help runaway slaves. The Underground Railroad was a way northern abolitionists helped runaway families to safety in the North. Quakers would hide slaves in their meeting houses and if they couldn’t do that, women wove quilts that hung outside with hidden messages telling runaways whether it was safe to go north, and what direction to take. The Fugitive Slave Law worked directly against this though, declaring that runaways still belonged to their owners who were then allowed to seize them and return them south. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In <i>Fireflies</i>, Jonathan is distraught when the slave family they are hiding is taken from his meeting house and no one moves to stop the bounty hunters. He directs most of his anger at his father, who stood passively while the slavers seized the family. This anger causes Jonathan to reject his family’s pacifism and join the Union Army when the war breaks out, completing his break with his family, his sweetheart, and his faith. Now, amid the fiery combat of war he leads men who would just as soon see him dead. Can he ever reclaim his self-respect and reconcile with all those he’s pushed away, or has he drifted so far away that he’ll never find his way back?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As the Civil War looms, a young Ohio farm boy comes face to face with the injustice of slavery—an evil that tears at his very soul. In his callow youth, he rejects his family’s pacifism when runaways are cruelly seized from his Quaker meeting house. His anger causes him to turn his back on everyone who ever loved him. When the War breaks out, Jonathan joins the Union Army, making this rift complete. Will he ever turn back to his family, his sweetheart and his faith? Or has Jonathan fallen so far away that he can’t find his way back?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Southwestern Ohio, Winter 1848</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Jonathan ducked when the front doors of the little country meeting house burst inward. Windows rattled as the crash of splintering wood echoed throughout the church. Four rough-looking men cradling long rifles stepped over the debris. Jonathan stared wide-eyed at men the likes of which he’d never seen before. Wild eyebrows, dirt in the creases of their weathered faces. Dusty, dirty brown overcoats. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His mother’s trembling hand wrapped around his small one. She held the baby close and corralled her other son behind her skirts. When the intruders raised their guns, Jonathan cringed. His bundle of biscuits spilled onto the earthen floor. The bearded hunters looked around warily. Muddy boots thumped on loose planks as three of them strode up the middle of the circled benches. The stench of hard riding swept along behind them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The man with the big black hat said, “Go on up behind that raised platform like I tol’ you and start lookin’. That’s where some of these churches hide runaways, they dig cellars for ’em.” Big Hat turned to the leader. “I know you’re hidin’ slaves here and we mean to find ’em. They’re ours, right and proper, so stay out of our way.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“This is a place of worship! You can’t just break in here and—” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Big Hat leveled his shotgun at the man. He said through a scarred mouth, “I just did. You Quakers ain’t about to do nothin’ to stop us, anyway. Now back up or get shot.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He retreated, clasping his Bible to his chest, lips moving soundlessly. Pieces of broken door lay scattered at Big Hat’s feet as he filled the doorway. A younger tough stood next to a small wooden table, waving his rifle at the congregation and laughing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Father, stop them!” Jonathan implored, as they stood together in front of a worn oak bench. His shrill voice echoed in the still, small building. His father drew his arm tighter around his eight-year-old son’s shaking shoulders. Jonathan’s stomach jumped. He spun toward his mother, tears winding down his face, sandy brown hair all askew. She stared at Big Hat as if frozen solid, Sunday bonnet framing a pale face. Jonathan flashed back to what his father said slave catchers do with runaways. They drag them away. Sometimes they find who they’re looking for, and sometimes they don’t, but they always bring Negroes back south. A murmur ran through the congregation. Jonathan thought of the little boy hiding in the cellar. He’d given him one of his best cats eyes after they’d shot marbles in the frozen dirt outside this morning. He couldn’t make sense of men coming to take his friend away. Stop!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Jonathan trembled in the simple meeting house. He reached down to retrieve his precious bundle. Pressed it tight against his chest. Biscuits his mother made just that morning for the runaway family. They were no longer warm against his overalls, but still smelled of fresh honey. The only sound was the congregation’s low whispers, as wives and husbands spoke in hushed tones. When his father moved to shield him, Jonathan peered around to watch two intruders hard at work behind the platform.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Big Hat raised his shotgun and pointed it at Tom Gray. “Better stay right there, mister. And the rest of you, don’t you move neither. Didn’t come here to shoot no white folk, but I will if I have to. Just come to get them runaways. Once we find ’em, we’ll be on our way. Then you can keep on praying to a God who ain’t gonna save nobody here today.”</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buy Links:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fireflies-at-Dusk-Mike-Torreano/dp/1509251464">https://www.amazon.com/Fireflies-at-Dusk-Mike-Torreano/dp/1509251464</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barnes and Noble: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Mike%20torreaono">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Mike%20torreaono</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Author Bio:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteZb3zSF_7EFJHz9PXMBWDgcwefVq9jLbUKHhbPsTfoPZcYssHzETnHJN7g6vAOvl-sdPgWuDI0-S_FyFD_2yvo2O9B8kpasJvlN0Yy3YWx2KfxhNJ2sCRDAgOQNQC3heOhJtNC2Yk3gg9-nkTVaie4oYNqCaFIIVEfcrhRm8WR4ATvL5kVKB10L__0pz/s320/Torreano%20(6)%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteZb3zSF_7EFJHz9PXMBWDgcwefVq9jLbUKHhbPsTfoPZcYssHzETnHJN7g6vAOvl-sdPgWuDI0-S_FyFD_2yvo2O9B8kpasJvlN0Yy3YWx2KfxhNJ2sCRDAgOQNQC3heOhJtNC2Yk3gg9-nkTVaie4oYNqCaFIIVEfcrhRm8WR4ATvL5kVKB10L__0pz/s1600/Torreano%20(6)%20(1).jpeg" width="213" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mike Torreano is an award-winning author with a military background and a particular interest in American history and the Old West.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His debut western mystery, <i>The Reckoning</i>, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, <i>The Renewal</i>, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018, with a third western mystery, <i>A Score To Settle</i>, set in New Mexico Territory in 1870 released October 2020. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, also set in New Mexico Territory, 1890 and released by Wild Rose in September 2022. He has a coming-of-age novel releasing November 2023, <i>Fireflies At Dusk</i>, set during the Civil War era. His short story, <i>The Trade</i>, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught English and Journalism at both the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other national writing groups. Recently, he appeared on LA Talk Radio’s <i>Rendezvous With A Writer</i>, and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ podcast. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His novels have received the Firebird Book Award for western fiction, American Writing Award finalist for mystery/suspense, a gold award for fiction from Literary Titan and a finalist award from the New Mexico Book Co-Op.</span></p><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Contact Information:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Website: <a href="http://www.miketorreano.com">www.miketorreano.com</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon Author Page: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Torreano/author/B00QQC5CCW">https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Torreano/author/B00QQC5CCW</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Facebook author page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/westernwriter/">https://www.facebook.com/westernwriter/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/miketorreano/">https://www.facebook.com/miketorreano/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Mike+Torreano&qid=Ns9e3mFKDC">https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Mike+Torreano&qid=Ns9e3mFKDC</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Wild Rose Press: <a href="https://catalog.wildrosepress.com/searchresults.php?searchtext=Mike+Torreano&Submit2=Search+Titles%2C+Authors%2C+ISBNs">https://catalog.wildrosepress.com/searchresults.php?searchtext=Mike+Torreano&Submit2=Search+Titles%2C+Authors%2C+ISBNs</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-torreano-0a407929/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-torreano-0a407929/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">X (Twitter): <a href="https://twitter.com/miketorreano">https://twitter.com/miketorreano</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/miketorreano/">https://www.instagram.com/miketorreano/</a></span></div></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-44473600304727449542023-11-28T00:30:00.001-06:002023-11-28T00:30:00.136-06:00#NewRelease from Iris Blobel: Alinta Bay Series<p> <i>Australian romance author Iris Blobel has a new release in her Alinta Bay series. Check out BUT THE HEART DOES. This contemporary romance is currently available for pre-order and releases on December 6, 2023.</i></p><!--wp:image {"id":16391,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom"}-->
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49oXSdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="wp-image-16392 alignright" height="300" src="https://irisblobel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/But-the-Heart-Ebook-small-195x300.png" width="195" /></a></p><p>In an unexpected encounter, the lives of Jonah, a rescue diver from New Zealand, and Maddie, a spirited local, collide, forever altering their future.</p>
<p>Trapped together in a hotel lift, sparks fly between them, but Jonah's past looms, casting a shadow over their fragile connection. Maddie, captivated by Jonah's charisma, is determined to find him when he mysteriously misses their planned dinner. With a friend's assistance, her search unveils a chilling discovery – Jonah unconscious on a cliff.</p>
<p>Navigating a sea of emotions, in order to find a future together, will Maddie and Jonah manage the challenges posed by their past secrets and present obstacles?</p>
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<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;">* <a href="https://amzn.to/47jCy70" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon </a>* <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201874319-but-the-heart-does---an-australian-coastal-town-romance" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Goodreads </a>* <a href="https://linktr.ee/irisblobel" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Iris' Websites ♥</a></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-da693772-7fff-42eb-47bf-0036c58073b2"><a href="http://eepurl.com/b-U0G5" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "EB Garamond", serif; font-size: 17pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sign up to Iris’ Newsletter and get a free book ♥</span></a></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwyoF4mWON8?si=2rwqvGH3TN8KLcmV" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>
Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-49573779575574040682023-11-24T00:30:00.120-06:002023-11-24T00:30:00.134-06:00Interview with #TimeTravel and #HistoricalRomance Author Fil Reid<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I sat down with time travel and historical romance author Fil Reid for an interview. B</i><i>ook 6 in her Guinevere series, </i><i>THE ROAD TO AVALON, which is inspired by the Arthurian legend, released November 23, 2023. Fil tells us about her life, her writing and her series in our interview. We hope you enjoy it!</i></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhomiITskftgRVE1k7I3hVO9S0BBjZ9LtS8JM-EkSR6057KdRDQTZK5ehf92uBQS-9rGQF_FTArHkTt6sSFBvk3BQ98udYTKAryu0kQfNNxqRNEh7wky7vZc7RlvgupS-gWAMYiUX09eVw9P7CxKuiCoBYaXhPUam6xpNd3Q9L1mWteyFlVsx0rvP1-1r/s2700/The%20Road%20to%20Avalon%20high%20res%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhomiITskftgRVE1k7I3hVO9S0BBjZ9LtS8JM-EkSR6057KdRDQTZK5ehf92uBQS-9rGQF_FTArHkTt6sSFBvk3BQ98udYTKAryu0kQfNNxqRNEh7wky7vZc7RlvgupS-gWAMYiUX09eVw9P7CxKuiCoBYaXhPUam6xpNd3Q9L1mWteyFlVsx0rvP1-1r/w266-h400/The%20Road%20to%20Avalon%20high%20res%20(1).jpg" width="266" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What do you want readers to come away with after they read THE ROAD TO AVALON?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Two main things. Because my books are set in a real historical time period, I’ve used real historical places as much as possible, such as Tintagel (books 2 and 6), Avebury Stone Circle (book 5), Vindolanda (book 3), York (book 4), all of which I’ve visited. I’d love it if readers became interested enough in the legends and my books that they decide to visit these places themselves and stand in the footprints of my characters. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’d also like them to come away with a better understanding of Arthurian legend, as I stick to it as much as possible in my books. While I was writing the books, I discovered that the one thing most people know about is Lancelot! And he’s a much later French addition so is never in my books. At the start of books 1 to 3 I put in a precis of the legend itself, just to get people on the right track. A lot of the more obscure side stories you won’t have heard before are from little known legends – eg Amhar’s storyline.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When were you first published and how did that happen? Was it a long or short journey?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I entered the Dragonblade competition when I spotted it online quite by chance. I never thought I’d win, but I did, and the prize was some cash (always nice) and a three book deal. Those three books came out in 2022, and then books 4 to 6 have been coming out this year. Book six is the one that’s just come out on the 23rd. Next year I have a four book series coming out – The Cornish Ladies series. Kathryn le Veque suggested I try my hand at Regency romance and it’s been fun. The only duke in my books is old and grouchy though.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Are you a plotter or a pantser?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">An out and out pantser for sure. When I began book one in the Guinevere series the only thing I knew was how the series would end, but not how I’d get there, or how many books it would entail. Someone said to call it ‘being a discovery writer’ and I like that better. I discover my story as I go along.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What I did do, though, was write myself a fairly comprehensive history of the end of Roman rule in Britain (up to AD410) and what happened afterwards prior to Gwen’s arrival in the Dark Ages in about AD490. That was great fun. So I had my world already in my head when I began writing and it felt very real to me. A lot of that was history, but some of it I had to create for myself, which was just as much fun.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">None of them were hard to write but the one I’ve most enjoyed writing was book six, (THE ROAD TO AVALON) although it was also the saddest for me as it was the last one in the series. I felt quite down after I’d finished it. I absolutely love writing and it’s never a chore. I love every aspect of it – the research beforehand or along the way, the writing, revising, checking the edits. But book six was such fun as it contained all the tying up of storylines, the closure for the characters and for me, and the ending I’d known I was heading towards during the other books. It might surprise readers a bit.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to learn about you? </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I have both Asperger’s Syndrome and Menière’s Disease. I was late diagnosed with the Asperger’s after two of my sons were and it answered a lot of questions for me, not least why I’m so obsessive. The MD I’ve had since about 2007, and it’s incurable. I get severe vertigo with it that totally incapacitates me, so I have to write in between bouts. But I manage. You just have to when you’ve got something like that. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This is a hard one to answer because I love everything about being a writer. I guess the bit I’m least happy with is the publicity. Being ASD I’m not keen on big crowds or people I don’t know, but I do it anyway. Plus I’m always a bit scared I might have a sudden MD attack which makes you look as though you’re drunk – and I don’t even drink! You’ve got to force yourself to put yourself out there so people get to know you and your books. I guess, though, if I had to pick one thing I love above everything else it’s got to be creating a new book out of my imaginings.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I live on a canal boat in the South of England and have a neat little computer corner where I slip on my noise cancelling headphones and slide into my world of imagination. I’ve been writing since I was five years old and my parents bought me a Petite Children’s Typewriter. Firstly pony stories and then moving on to adventure/romance tales as I grew older.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A genie grants you one wish. What is it?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’d like to be able to sing. I’m just dreadful at it, but I quite like doing it – in private. When I was a child my sister would suggest we sang, then she’d suddenly stop so I kept going on my own and she could laugh at me. I’d like to be able to sing well enough that people would go ‘she’s got a lovely voice’. My youngest son has perfect pitch – goodness knows where he got that from! His father I should think.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What genre is your favorite to read?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My favourite genre is not romance, as you’d imagine, but thrillers. I love a taut, on the edge-of-your-seat thriller more than anything. I tend to buy my ebooks from Bookbub though, so never get to read a series in the right order. Living on a boat, my kindle is a godsend and I only have solid copies of my Arthurian research books.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What are your hobbies away from the computer?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I sew. My late mother was a needlework teacher so she’d be impressed how much I sew nowadays. She always used to laugh when I said it was ‘just commonsense’ as her girls at school did not find it so. However, if you can read and follow instructions, it is. I make clothes for my granddaughters, toys, dolls, shirts for my sons and I embroider, and design my own patterns. I’ve been so busy lately, though, I haven’t done any sewing for a while.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Share a photo of your writing space.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3v4TWHf8l0BdLzo8g88SZRSCFECCGjhvpTWRG5CYkcl2wCH-lkIM5HRu9nlkdG0fbJEFfZxZsMdQMo3i7ImaZKDRdq9BEsZTXCWDQMEFP3YtlEidKne4MlAqcfZzvsbRu5jnnNSwTn_WZOdEFSD9OuW2gabZ2k8SaTvpFPLswzhg0Hgw9WJD4UPMJxBC/s2048/Fil%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3v4TWHf8l0BdLzo8g88SZRSCFECCGjhvpTWRG5CYkcl2wCH-lkIM5HRu9nlkdG0fbJEFfZxZsMdQMo3i7ImaZKDRdq9BEsZTXCWDQMEFP3YtlEidKne4MlAqcfZzvsbRu5jnnNSwTn_WZOdEFSD9OuW2gabZ2k8SaTvpFPLswzhg0Hgw9WJD4UPMJxBC/s320/Fil%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What do you like best about your hero in THE ROAD TO AVALON?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I have to admit to being more than a little bit in love with Arthur, the hero of my six book series, although in this book, the final one, he doesn’t exactly cover himself in glory. He’s handsome, of course, and quite ‘unreconstructed’ which basically means he’s a bit of a chauvinist. He’s rugged and can do anything he tries, he has what people nowadays would call ‘the common touch’ in that he knows the names and problems of all his subjects, he’s hot between the sheets (of course), and an excellent rider and warrior. And he’s deeply in love with my heroine.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What do you like best about your heroine in THE ROAD TO AVALON?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What made Gwen such fun to write was that she sees the whole world I’ve created through the eye of the reader. She turns her nose up about things the reader would find abhorrent, knows the modern names of places she visits, knows a lot about the legends. It made her easy for me to use to get over information I wanted the reader to know, without having to lay it on with a trowel. She’s feisty and doesn’t take being bossed around lying down – as you’ll find out if you read this book. And although she begins as a somewhat passive character in book one, she matures throughout the series into fulfilling what she arrived in the Dark Ages to do. She has a big hand in the creation of the legends.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">How do you choose the names and physical characteristics of your characters? Do you base them on real people?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Well, a large number of the characters in all six books are ‘real’ in that they occur in the legends of King Arthur, or in king lists and genealogies from the time. So I stuck with their real names. For minor characters I had a list of Celtic names I could draw on for people like Cottia, Maia, Breanna etc. It does make working out pronunciation a bit hard for the reader, but if you use modern Welsh as a basis, that’s much as they should be pronounced. Eg Llawfrodedd (found him in a tiny legend) should be pronounced ‘Llawvrodeth’ – although that double L should be kind of doubly pronounced. And Llacheu is Llachy as in sky. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As for their physical characteristics – they just leap into my head fully formed and all I have to do is describe them.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">How can readers reach you or find you online?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My social media:</span></p><p><a href="http://www.filreid.com"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">www.filreid.com</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/filreidauthor">https://www.facebook.com/filreidauthor</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fjrflicka/"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://www.instagram.com/fjrflicka/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Filreidauthor"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://twitter.com/Filreidauthor</span></a></p><p><a href="mailto:filreid@outlook.com"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">filreid@outlook.com</span></a></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell us a little about your current work in progress.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’ve just finished writing book four in The Cornish Ladies so I’m kind of in between books at the moment. I have some ideas for my next series but so far nothing written down apart from some research.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So I’ll tell you about the book I just finished. It’s called <i>The Cornish Widow</i> and is about a penniless young widow who returns, with her two children, to the county of her birth thanks to the charity of her late husband’s manipulative great aunt. And of course, she meets her rather attractive neighbour who turns out to be a gentleman smuggler. I shan’t say more or I’d risk giving away the plot.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You’d need to start with book one – <i>The Dragon Ring</i>. The whole six book series tells the story of Arthur and Guinevere and covers twenty years. Far too much happens to have squeezed it into one book. It is possible to read the later books alone, but you’d miss too much I think. The whole story runs coherently together as one long tale – about 650,000 words in total.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell us about your current release.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The book that has just come out – <i>The Road to Avalon</i> – is the final book in the series, and my favourite of all of them. The one I most enjoyed writing and also the longest and the one with the most action. It’s pretty much nonstop. Like book one, it only covers a short time span, but a lot happens.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twenty years have passed since Gwen fell back in time. She’s got two children and a stepson, but they’re all grown up now, as is Medraut, who gets nastier and sneakier now he’s an adult. If you know the legend, as she does, you know what’s coming – Camlann. The battle in which Arthur faced his rebellious nephew and ended up carted off to Avalon by three queens to sleep until Britain’s hour of need. That’s the legend – prepare to discover the truth behind it.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BLURB for <i>The Road to Avalon</i>:</span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twenty years have passed since Gwen fell back in time to become King Arthur’s Queen Guinevere. Eight years of comparative peace since the triumph at Badon. All seems quiet and, with Medraut long gone and possibly dead, the prospect of Camlann seems far away and perhaps just a part of the legend that’s not true.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Until Arthur and Gwen go to Viroconium for the Council of Kings and take Amhar, now eighteen, with them. And he meets up with the very much alive-and-kicking Medraut again. Unable to prevent Amhar inviting Medraut back to Din Cadan with them, Gwen can only watch in fear as events begin to unroll that will lead to the one thing she’s been fearing throughout her time in the Dark Ages – the fateful battle of Camlann.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But before Camlann can rear its ugly head, news comes of the death of King March of Caer Dore in Cornwall. Arthur and Gwen travel west for his funeral rites, taking with them his son, Drustans. His one aim is to reclaim the love of his life, Essylt, who was forced to marry his father instead of him nineteen years ago. But Gwen has seen his tombstone in the far off twenty-first century, and she’s afraid this will not end well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Gwen and Arthur’s love is about to be tested to its absolute limit as Medraut takes on the mantle of chief villain in the story, and all seems lost. But when the odds are stacked against her, Gwen is at her strongest, and she’s armed with a foreknowledge no one else possesses.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Can she prevent the tragedies that threaten to unfold in this the final book in the Guinevere series, or is the history of this time written in stone and unchangeable?</span></b></p></blockquote><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I unfastened my hair tie
and loosened my hair, sending it cascading down my back in a heavy veil of
chestnut. Where was my comb?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Arthur pushed himself
upright. “Come and sit here, and I’ll do your hair for you.” He had my comb in
his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I sat on the bed beside
him and for a few minutes let him comb my hair, enjoying a sensation I’d loved
since childhood and that still reminded me of my long dead mother. However,
Arthur’s version of hair combing involved a fair bit of him running his fingers
through it as well, and those fingers were wont to stray elsewhere. “Is that a
gray hair I see before me?” he asked at last, with a chuckle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“What?” I pulled as much
of my hair as I could round to get a look, and he burst out laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Fooled you. Not a gray
hair on your head. Yet…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I gave him a playful
slap. “Let me look at <i>your</i> hair then. Hmmm. I swear I see a hint of gray
appearing in your beard.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He dropped my comb and
rubbed his stubbly chin. “Damn it. I’ll have to shave more often.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I pulled his hands down
and leaned in for a kiss. “Don’t worry. I’ll still love you when you’re old and
gray, and as a matter of fact, I think a few gray hairs on a man make him look
distinguished.” I resolutely pushed away the nagging thought that he might
never get to be old and gray.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For a moment we were
preoccupied as the kiss deepened and I felt that familiar stirring of desire.
Did we have time before dinner? As we parted, we both glanced toward the
hourglass and then chuckled in unison. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Are you thinking what
I’m thinking?” he asked, a wicked glint in his eye.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Link: </b></span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Road-Avalon-Guinevere-Book-ebook/dp/B0CL8DP6YD&source=gmail&ust=1699038950923000&usg=AOvVaw3Ixitl9OrTvmY8uoFBeNZ_" href="https://www.amazon.com/Road-Avalon-Guinevere-Book-ebook/dp/B0CL8DP6YD" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Road-<wbr></wbr>Avalon-Guinevere-Book-ebook/<wbr></wbr>dp/B0CL8DP6YD</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Series Buy Link: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ</a><b> </b></span></p><b></b><p></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-70611594932787876462023-11-17T00:30:00.085-06:002023-11-17T00:30:00.135-06:00#NewRelease from Adriana Kraft: ACCIDENTAL CONTACT #eroticromance<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Adriana Kraft joins me today with her newest release, a Sapphic romance on the erotic side. This short story is only $.99 cents. Thanks for joining me today, Adriana!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8aCuxzpKzkg68Vr1TSm7cE7oXOP8SRmzfXQ6VIPMtoMsoJGnCSBxVBFcvvtYysH3EaYMjRlb6DqAlsJ0j9RDDtCZ0vVU66DlBBeMUA1FBXyKHImfmhd93SNLI3YSt2aB2AZZhcqJnZ_hSEH3hzaYrVX_K5UwPedvJpLXq5qJRDHivA6SNz2XIbiVdjeG/s7031/Accidental%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7031" data-original-width="4406" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8aCuxzpKzkg68Vr1TSm7cE7oXOP8SRmzfXQ6VIPMtoMsoJGnCSBxVBFcvvtYysH3EaYMjRlb6DqAlsJ0j9RDDtCZ0vVU66DlBBeMUA1FBXyKHImfmhd93SNLI3YSt2aB2AZZhcqJnZ_hSEH3hzaYrVX_K5UwPedvJpLXq5qJRDHivA6SNz2XIbiVdjeG/w251-h400/Accidental%20Cover.jpg" width="251" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What romantic pairings do you love to read? Straight f/m? Bisexual f/f/m? Lesbian f/f? I’m half of the writing duo Adriana Kraft, and we love writing (and reading) all these pairings. Our newest release is a sapphic short story we wrote for an anthology over a decade ago, then revised and updated to release under our indie imprint. Is it really erotic romance? It’s definitely erotic, featuring one of my favorite f/f scenes as Natalie is caught between her fears and her desires in the middle of the night. Since it’s a short story, I’d call it happy-for-now, with a promising future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And the inspiration? I love New York City, and we love setting stories there. I especially love it in the winter – Rockefeller center, with its giant tree and all the skaters, Central Park, Fifth Avenue with all the shoppers and window displays. Was I ever snowbound there? No, but I was stranded for two steamy August days during the great East Coast blackout of 2003. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our conference was just concluding on the NYU campus in Greenwich Village when the power went out. When we left the building across from Washington Square Park, it seemed the entire city was on foot, rumors circulating wildly. Pretty quickly we knew it wasn’t just New York. With 9-11 less than two years behind us, there was speculation about the possibility of terrorism. I can’t remember how quickly that was dispelled with information about failure of the power grid in the heat wave. I do remember that several of us decided to walk the two miles north on Fifth Avenue to our hotel rather than try to board a bus. With no stoplights operating, traffic was basically gridlocked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Part way back we found a Chinese restaurant with ready-to-go meals they had no way of keeping, and we bought supper, then sat and ate it on the steps of the beautiful beaux arts library at 42nd Street. When we finally reached the hotel, the elevator was out of service, but the staff had set out small candles on every step of the narrow spiral staircase leading up from the lobby, a welcome sight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So many flights were cancelled that it was clear we wouldn’t get out of the city for a couple days. Some power was restored by the next day, and a friend and I took advantage of the nearby Times Square box office to get last minute discount tickets for two shows. I don’t know what adventures our heroines Natalie and Bridgette might get up to after their bedroom adventure, but I’m sure they’ll find ways to enjoy the city.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88KtcMX-GQSiP8wTP07PqFVCG-MXdXZqwxTC5vTB0KqCCnXHg57tKyd_6RfKY05JFTb9PuWAjBjwlgHFAYKNcV-qXPze9jVK-TWTmH566AAaY1Mlf-HiqQv134HZt8QrkaU9Zbh2WehHys5Lp5ZKhZ5yxnwtkDKiRVo_ZgLrLLNmqco8wXkeDkg0okpAN/s1080/New%20Release%20Accidental.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88KtcMX-GQSiP8wTP07PqFVCG-MXdXZqwxTC5vTB0KqCCnXHg57tKyd_6RfKY05JFTb9PuWAjBjwlgHFAYKNcV-qXPze9jVK-TWTmH566AAaY1Mlf-HiqQv134HZt8QrkaU9Zbh2WehHys5Lp5ZKhZ5yxnwtkDKiRVo_ZgLrLLNmqco8wXkeDkg0okpAN/w400-h400/New%20Release%20Accidental.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BLURB: </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Natalie and the much younger Bridgette are real estate agents who’ve often traveled together for business seminars. Now they’re snowbound in New York City in a hotel room with only one bed. Will Natalie dare to make her move?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">EXCERPT:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Are you ready for me to shut off the TV?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yes. I’ve heard enough chatter by pundits.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Me, too.” Natalie hit the off button, set the remote aside, and rolled onto her side to face the wall. The mattress shifted as Bridgette turned to face the opposite wall. “Good night,” Natalie murmured.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Good night. I’m looking forward to being snowbound with you in New York.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Closing her eyes, Natalie didn’t respond. She concentrated on breathing in and out. The predicted blizzard was a pleasant surprise that might prove to be the tipping point.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She’d done all she could do. It was up to fate now. She wouldn’t risk being rejected by her younger colleague. They’d traveled together several times representing their firm at realty conferences. She’d been surprised how comfortable they were as travel companions, respecting each other’s routines. Bridgette chattered too much, but then Bridgette had probably had to adjust to some of Natalie’s idiosyncrasies, too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Usually they shared a room with two beds. When they’d checked in at the front desk, Natalie had somewhat berated the clerk for their sleeping arrangements—but she was the one who’d explicitly requested one queen bed when making the reservation. She’d also anticipated correctly that given the size of the conference, there’d be no available rooms with two beds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Natalie wished she could make the next overture, but she couldn’t. Pride intervened. She had no idea whether the twenty-six-year-old lying next to her would be interested in a forty-year-old divorcee who hadn’t been with a woman since college.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BUY LINK:</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal Buy Link</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Just $0.99 at all e-book retail outlets</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/u/47djkE"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://books2read.com/u/47djkE</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kWZBTbQZQ1xocS1_G4vzoioSpDnYvxckRQHbx_8NEoTcvX3iLNq0ZhDe6KrIFgAR-dTQa8K80fG5VmtH5TuA_jr61dNzW9BLEbIdxUn8wHhRHF-VYsdFkXf-vWV6G4rrO24fzeLC7ntJefbRQaewTkfEfAmJNwbMC5MhiV6xMC8WZpGMxjxA3_0z1014/s300/adrianakraft-black_300%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kWZBTbQZQ1xocS1_G4vzoioSpDnYvxckRQHbx_8NEoTcvX3iLNq0ZhDe6KrIFgAR-dTQa8K80fG5VmtH5TuA_jr61dNzW9BLEbIdxUn8wHhRHF-VYsdFkXf-vWV6G4rrO24fzeLC7ntJefbRQaewTkfEfAmJNwbMC5MhiV6xMC8WZpGMxjxA3_0z1014/w200-h200/adrianakraft-black_300%20(1).jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">ABOUT ADRIANA KRAFT:</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’m Adriana Kraft, and I write both steamy romantic suspense and smoking hot erotic Romance. My husband – a criminologist – is my partner in crime. We’ve been writing romance together for twenty years and by now have published more than fifty novels and novellas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our goal? To write characters you’ll care about, hot sex scenes, and compelling stories you can’t put down. Our romantic suspense novels deliver one man, one woman, danger, intrigue, and of course lots of steam. Our erotic romance is edgier and nearly always includes ménage or polyamory. As you’ve probably guessed, our romantic pairings include MF, FF, and the ménage arrangements FFM, FMF, MFM, foursomes, and more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After many years in the upper Midwest struggling with ice-packed driveways and foot-deep snow, we gave my mother’s antiques to the kids, sold our house, and spent a couple years traveling the county in our motor home while working remotely. We especially loved spending several weeks in a region, learning its history and its less popular hidden gems. Santa Fe, Taos, Puget Sound, and the Black Hills were special favorites. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We now live in sunny southern Arizona, where we enjoy hiking, golf, and travel, especially to the many Arizona Native American historical sites. Oh – and if it’s too hot to go outside? We’ll probably hold an impromptu writing retreat. Arizona summers give us lots of opportunities.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">AUTHOR LINKS:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blog: <a href="https://www.adrianakraft.com/blog">https://www.adrianakraft.com/blog</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Newsletter: Get your free copy of <i>Swingers Light Up Vegas</i> for Newsletter signups:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/d1c82f5e-9b43-11ed-8c5e-b712215e57d9">https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/d1c82f5e-9b43-11ed-8c5e-b712215e57d9</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft">https://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">FaceBook Fan Page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaKraftAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaKraftAuthor</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kraftadriana/">https://www.instagram.com/kraftadriana/</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">MeWe <a href="https://mewe.com/i/adriana1kraft">https://mewe.com/i/adriana1kraft</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mastodon <a href="https://mastodonbooks.net/@adrianakraftbooks">https://mastodonbooks.net/@adrianakraftbooks</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon Author Page <a href="https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft">https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">GoodReads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BookBub <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-kraft">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-kraft</a> </span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-25670240607357795432023-10-24T00:30:00.005-05:002023-10-24T00:30:00.178-05:00GHOST MOON by Kathryn Knight- Book Tour and Giveaway<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/rabtbooktoursandpr.com/summer2023tours/kathryn-knight-ghost-moon-virtual-book-tour"><img height="200" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/ddaffaf68eb8483797cef9b360c5ffdc" width="500" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><a 1="" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/de00167e94c84796978b467793ba7d74" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="429" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/de00167e94c84796978b467793ba7d74" width="282" /></a>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Paranormal Romantic Suspense</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><b>Date Published:</b></span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> 04-03-2020</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Publisher: </b>Wicked Whale</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52428789-ghost-moon" target="_blank"><img alt="photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png" border="0" src="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/spring-2016/home/iconAddtoGoodreads1_zpsa0dd4209.png" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">When Lark Cavanaugh’s life in New York City falls apart, she’s
left reeling from a staggering betrayal. She escapes to Cape Cod, where a
distant relative has left her an old house with a tragic past. Rumors of a
haunting presence plague the abandoned home, but Lark doesn’t believe
in ghosts…until she has no choice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">After completing his military duty, veterinarian Jesse Holt returns to his
small hometown to take over his father’s practice. He soon finds
himself drawn to the alluring redhead now living next door, but she has made
her intentions clear—she’s moving back to the city as soon as
possible. When frightening events threaten her safety, though, he
can’t deny his protective instincts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Unable to fight their feelings, they give in to desire…but another
battle looms. Lark’s arrival has awakened a decades-old mystery, and
the truth of what happened at Holloway House will only be revealed when it
claims yet another life.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a 1="" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/ac615fa0399d4f87b7c101676e5dea27" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/ac615fa0399d4f87b7c101676e5dea27" width="543" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">She bolted upright in bed, the series of thumps that had awakened her still ringing in her ears. Fumbling for the light, she pulled the covers against her chest, as though that could offer some protection against whatever had made the noises. What the hell was it? She scanned the room, her pulse skittering in jagged bursts. Why was this happening to her? Hadn’t she been through enough? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nothing in the bedroom appeared to be the source of the disturbance, but her instincts told her the sounds had originated from somewhere else in the house. And it definitely wasn’t the cat this time—he was still at the vet’s. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Reaching for her phone, she sucked in a breath as she noticed the time…1:06 a.m. Exactly the same time she’d been awoken last night. She glanced back up to the hallway door as she jabbed at the screen, pulling up the keypad just in case she needed to call 911. In addition to occurring at the same time, though, whatever she’d just heard sounded similar to last night’s mysterious disturbance, and that hadn’t been an intruder. Not a living one, anyway.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As if on cue, a haunting moan shivered through the air. Her lungs froze as a fresh spike of fear pierced her chest. Oh, God. There really was something wrong with this house. Fighting the urge to dive back under the covers and hide, she slowly climbed out of bed, unsure what exactly she was going to do. Check the house, for starters, she decided. Her mind was still begging for a more reasonable, less terrifying scenario. A quirky appliance, maybe?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">With each tentative step, she paused, waiting for something else to happen. As she made her way into the hall, a chill enveloped her, and she crossed her arms, rubbing the goosebumps rising on her skin. Below her, the stairway unfurled into shadows cast by the upper hall light.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A loud crash rang out behind her, and she jumped, a scream tearing from her lips.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><b>About the Author</b></span></p><a 1="" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/2345a8e82b19418fa03402d03fcc69f3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-3/663/206663/rL88XEv2/2345a8e82b19418fa03402d03fcc69f3" width="320" /></a>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt;">USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kathryn Knight writes books filled with steamy
romance, dangerous secrets, and haunting mysteries. Her novels are
award-winning #1 Amazon Bestsellers and RomCon Reader-Rated picks. When
she's not reading or writing, Kathryn spends her time exploring abandoned
places and searching for ghosts. She lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her
husband, their two sons, and a number of rescued pets.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><b>Contact Links</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KathrynKnightbooks/">Facebook</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://twitter.com/k_knightbooks">Twitter</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com/">Blog</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477115.Kathryn_Knight">Goodreads</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kknightbooks/">Pinterest</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kathrynknightbooks">Instagram</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Knight/e/B00919ENJA">Amazon Author Page</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><b>Purchase Link</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://amzn.to/43xH4Ns">Amazon</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Ghost-Moon-Audiobook/B08CZ5NM8W">Audible</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/ghost-moon-unabridged/id1527146640">iBooks Audio</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="408264011793" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/408264011793/" id="rcwidget_zpji6fcm" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> </p><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
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Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-65387975999336326412023-10-17T00:30:00.116-05:002023-10-17T00:30:00.146-05:00CRUEL LESSONS: #NewRelease from Randy Overbeck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Randy Overbeck joins me with a look at CRUEL LESSONS, his newest release and book one his new mystery series, Lessons in Peril. This new series is set in the world of classroom. Randy used his many years as an educator to create his amateur sleuths, Superintendent Ken Parks and teacher Stacy Turner, and lend an air of realism to his fiction. Welcome, Randy!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">r<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzR5q89HgcmkVdkPuY_Y9odmPCFTjbToy12w6zrWt8xYpLb7wapTCSiYuWNSq0jRClX61odPvw70Tl7ove0_ht7xA0GpIeBeAqPZuY8_kqL3Ph_PqfStBW7dAoQKVP2a6iUQYtGKwZQ8P9XVA7ihncGNXmrCFZAvy4OHB3a7RPvL-N8CuDVudZkwEechE/s320/CruelLessons_w17847_med.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzR5q89HgcmkVdkPuY_Y9odmPCFTjbToy12w6zrWt8xYpLb7wapTCSiYuWNSq0jRClX61odPvw70Tl7ove0_ht7xA0GpIeBeAqPZuY8_kqL3Ph_PqfStBW7dAoQKVP2a6iUQYtGKwZQ8P9XVA7ihncGNXmrCFZAvy4OHB3a7RPvL-N8CuDVudZkwEechE/w250-h400/CruelLessons_w17847_med.jpeg" width="250" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Sooner or later, everything old is new again.”</span></i></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This quote from Stephen King came to mind when I thought about my newest work. In October, the Wild Rose Press will release my newest fiction, CRUEL LESSONS, an atmospheric amateur sleuth mystery and the first in a new series called “Lessons in Peril” stories set in schools. The novel features a pair of middle age protagonists who are, you guessed it, educators, in fact, an elementary school teacher and a school administrator. Hardly your normal heroes. In the story, fifth graders get hold of a dangerous hallucinogenic, steal a car and die in a horrific crash. Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks and teacher Stacy Turner struggle to uncover who is peddling the deadly drugs before more kids die.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What brought King’s words to mind is that, while the novel <i>is</i> my newest work, it is also my oldest. I’ve been at this writing thing for a while now. <i>Cruel Lessons</i> will be my fifth published work in the past decade or so. But like most writers I think, I’ve been inventing stories, imagining characters and conjuring up plots and crimes for quite a while. One of my earliest fictional inventions was this story—or at least a very early version of the narrative and characters. This manuscript has lain in the virtual drawer for twenty years—the first attempt at the tale written long hand on legal pads—waiting for me to mature and improve as a writer and storyteller. Even though the current published version of <i>Cruel Lessons</i> has been through too many revisions, re-writings and editings to count, the skeleton of the narrative is much the same as envisioned so many years ago. So, like King wrote, what’s old is new again, though this was probably not King’s intent for the saying. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Cruel Lessons</i> is an atmospheric, amateur sleuth mystery, the first in a new series set in schools called “Lessons in Peril.” The story involves a rogue, hallucinogenic drug being pushed in a middle school and, after it results in the death of four students, the rush to stop the drug pusher before more children die. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I think you’re going to like the final rendering of the tale. The early reviewers certainly do. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Literary Titan wrote that the novel was <i>“masterfully written. Each new revelation adds to the suspense and keeps the reader on edge, eagerly anticipating what further secrets the story holds…… a gripping crime thriller and amateur sleuth mystery.” </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The folks at ReaderViews called it <i>“a thrilling murder mystery…with an immersive plot, steady pace and stellar character development…one of the best mysteries of 2023.” </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And the reviewers at N N Light Bookheaven thought <i>CRUEL LESSONS</i> was <i>“brilliant from start to finish…Impressive storytelling left me with a racing heart and shivers. One of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.”</i> Interested yet?</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Be among the first. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>CRUEL LESSONS</i> is going to be one of your favorite new mysteries.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BLURB:</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Four kids dead. Can Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks unmask the drug dealer poisoning his students before more kids die?</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On a school camping trip, fifth graders experiment with a dangerous new hallucinogen and die in a horrific accident, their deaths shattering the quiet town. Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks, hoping to redeem a fatal mistake from his past, grasps the opportunity to conduct the district investigation of how students are getting the drugs. Almost before he begins, the cops make a stunning arrest. But Parks battles on, convinced the real pusher is still out there, poisoning more kids until he receives an anonymous threat: if he continues, those close to him will pay. Is Parks willing to risk those he loves for a chance at redemption?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">EXCERPT:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">From the bend, the road descended quickly and Amanda felt the car picking up speed as gravity and its powerful engine propelled it downhill. As she approached the next turn, she realized she was coming in a little too fast. She slid her foot to the brake. Her concentration on steering the twisting road ahead, at first it didn’t register. She dared to take her gaze off the road and look down at her feet before she understood. When her right foot depressed the brake, the pedal glided all the way to the floor. No friction. She pulled her foot back and slammed on the brake again. The pedal slid all the way down. Unbelieving, she pumped it, again and again. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There was nothing there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She jerked her eyes back. The hairpin turn hurtled at her. On instinct, she kept jamming on the pedal. It was supposed to work. She turned the wheel wildly. The big car shuddered as it tried to negotiate the turn. The two rear wheels slipped off the pavement, spinning in space. With the front wheel drive, the front two tires managed enough traction to catch. The car veered around the curve and headed down the next straight incline. The heavy vehicle rolled faster again as gravity pulled it down the hill. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amanda’s mind reeled. What was she supposed to do? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Struggling desperately to force her mind to think, Amanda tried to consider her options. It was all happening too quickly. The next treacherous turn came at her fast. She had no way to slow down. White knuckles gripped the steering wheel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The bend ahead showed a hard curve to the right, not quite as tight as the last one, but steeper. And she felt the car accelerating, though she hadn’t touched the gas pedal. Right before the car hit the curve, Amanda spun the steering wheel. The car lurched around the bend. The driver side of the car lifted up. Halfway through the long bend, Amanda watched the hood tilt in the turn until it was almost vertical. No seat belt on, she was catapulted down the leather seat, crashing into the passenger door. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Hell!” she cried, reaching to grab her bruised shoulder. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She froze as the two wheels still on the ground shuddered in the gravel, sliding off the small road. Slammed against the side door, she heard the tall weeds and low branches whip against the body. But the car didn’t slow. Blood streamed from a gash on her forehead. For an instant she lay there stretched across the passenger door, holding her breath.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then she sensed the car teetering. The front tire bumped something hard. Amanda stared, unbelieving, as the car began to flip. As the Regal made the first revolution, she screamed.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHOySdfdAHT33dLU7f8dcsyMoGChAMhAUGdLLl-p3gNL6gXdSQDHBYE26qNHV6gVcTFNerFgcZcbEe6S-1jPTao36LQ3Py5O_saHXyrTYK0vJuNILFRYu_7T8SvjVsQoZcv1Qfy-jrO7BIS_HkuJ-_Xex-gco0O_il9LvI6_Jwbsg4pj5yoA3ERlZ5x8Q/s300/small%20for%20web10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="240" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHOySdfdAHT33dLU7f8dcsyMoGChAMhAUGdLLl-p3gNL6gXdSQDHBYE26qNHV6gVcTFNerFgcZcbEe6S-1jPTao36LQ3Py5O_saHXyrTYK0vJuNILFRYu_7T8SvjVsQoZcv1Qfy-jrO7BIS_HkuJ-_Xex-gco0O_il9LvI6_Jwbsg4pj5yoA3ERlZ5x8Q/s1600/small%20for%20web10.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has turned that experience into captivating fiction, authoring the bestselling series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries, winner of nine national awards. This fall, the Wild Rose Press will release his newest work, an atmospheric amateur sleuth mystery, CRUEL LESSONS, the first installment in a new series set in schools, “Lessons in Peril.” He is the host of the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets. He is also a speaker in much demand, sharing his multi-media presentations, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” “A Few Favorite Haunts,” and “Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing” with audiences all over the USA. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">More info about his novels, programs and podcast can be found at his website <a href="http://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com">www.authorrandyoverbeck.com</a> .</span></p><p><a href="mailto:randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">513-633-2838</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck">https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media">https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/">https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BookBub: <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/randy-overbeck">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/randy-overbeck</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Randy-Overbeck/e/B07QQHW7DM">https://www.amazon.com/Randy-Overbeck/e/B07QQHW7DM</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4825632.Randy_Overbeck">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4825632.Randy_Overbeck</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Podcast: <a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1924616/10983135">https://www.buzzsprout.com/1924616/10983135</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buy Links:</span></b></p><p><a href="https://books2read.com/u/3GGGvK"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://books2read.com/u/3GGGvK</span></a></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-40770561461778288262023-10-07T10:52:00.001-05:002023-10-15T09:42:23.732-05:00Excerpt from My Upcoming Release CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>The world-wide release of my small-town Christmas romance, CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE, happens October 18, 2023. I can't wait! In the</span> meantime, you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-Love-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CH5DTYNS" target="_blank">pre-order the book</a> for delivery on October 18, or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-Love-Romance/dp/B0CH2P1616" target="_blank">order the print book now</a>. I'd love to share my blurb and an excerpt. I hope you enjoy! </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8tOsXw9eaPKeyA0msyIQbTRw_CmLNBcnhaJ5L_P4eRdE0ozuOS2_3bEsLeSgciBcFkgTff6_tWfqXcTMP-WjBhq0MjHZH-c89FlQXQtdwSJie5Puz6JqHz4e1hrWqOsGlwSiDYAIz7cPeIAEckjRzAj-GF_Ca5B8MhUiHOGM1HHDmnPqUAK_RRSRcigE/s2700/ChristmasAtSolaceLake_V1%20(1)%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8tOsXw9eaPKeyA0msyIQbTRw_CmLNBcnhaJ5L_P4eRdE0ozuOS2_3bEsLeSgciBcFkgTff6_tWfqXcTMP-WjBhq0MjHZH-c89FlQXQtdwSJie5Puz6JqHz4e1hrWqOsGlwSiDYAIz7cPeIAEckjRzAj-GF_Ca5B8MhUiHOGM1HHDmnPqUAK_RRSRcigE/w266-h400/ChristmasAtSolaceLake_V1%20(1)%20(2).jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It’s Christmas time at Solace Lake Lodge, but a series of thefts threatens everyone’s holiday spirit.</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">An emergency brings Drew Barnes to Solace Lake Lodge, an inn deep in the Minnesota woods owned by his aunt and uncle. He’s sure desperation is the only reason they’d allow him to fill in as their bookkeeper. No one in his family has believed in him since his mistake got him fired from his previous job. Soon after he arrives, Drew is disheartened to discover thefts and financial irregularities. The last thing he wants is to be put in the middle of another crime.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sous chef Celeste Bishop has made a good life for herself and her nine-year-old daughter in the three years she’s worked, and lived, at Solace Lake Lodge. After being unfairly fired, this was the only job she could get, and she’s grateful her gamble on the lodge paid off. The only sticking point is the isolation since she never learned to drive. How can she show her daughter independence when she’s always relying on others?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drew sees Celeste’s frustration and offers to teach her to drive. A powerful attraction ignites between them, and soon deeper, stronger emotions blossom. Drew is all in, but Celeste resists her feelings. She’s nine years older than Drew. An interracial relationship didn’t work for her parents. And loving Drew feels like a betrayal of her deceased husband.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As Christmas approaches, the thefts escalate. Can Drew stop the thief and redeem himself in his family’s eyes—and his own? And can he convince Celeste they deserve the gift of a happily ever after this Christmas?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LGBurnMKQSjf59Ga4hNScmT6o5r1K0hiHeYDUj0uisgxLysdI5rn7xRlf6TciU5jOLdpP_UcsNClK1cOWvUi8EjnZhlPNh3GOXGYCQckuUAdGNlNpJcav29_J_sZnakvgMyivlcjdBf_ftEEmOCJAyZD848OSqXAqXR2QWfeIMJ7MBif8gf39TcjkU-N/s1080/Christmas%20at%20SL-insta%20preorder2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LGBurnMKQSjf59Ga4hNScmT6o5r1K0hiHeYDUj0uisgxLysdI5rn7xRlf6TciU5jOLdpP_UcsNClK1cOWvUi8EjnZhlPNh3GOXGYCQckuUAdGNlNpJcav29_J_sZnakvgMyivlcjdBf_ftEEmOCJAyZD848OSqXAqXR2QWfeIMJ7MBif8gf39TcjkU-N/w400-h400/Christmas%20at%20SL-insta%20preorder2.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drew sat back in his chair, a sinking feeling in his gut. Ryan certainly had the skills to hack into their computer system and change information in their accounting system. Was that why he didn’t want to come back out to the lodge? Was he getting ready to run?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Did Ryan and your sister have a falling out?” Luke asked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Not that I know of. Why?” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Just a feeling my dad got. Ryan was subdued when he talked to him. Since he and Carrie have been together, he’s been very happy. He said Ryan was much more outgoing than when he first arrived in Minnewasta, but he seems to be reverting to his old ways.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Or maybe he was simply becoming more secretive because he had something to hide. He had no proof that Ryan was behind any of the trouble at the lodge. But in his mind, Ryan was the most likely suspect. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There was no way he could have stolen from the kitchen. Unless he had help…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Carrie</i>. What if Ryan convinced his sister to steal from the kitchen?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A wave of nausea swept over Drew at the thought. He got to his feet. “Excuse me. I need to talk to Carrie.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Luke rose as well. “She’s not in the kitchen. Maggie just told me she went home sick.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drew felt sick, too. If Ryan was their hacker, it was going to kill Carrie. And if she was involved in the thefts, it was going to kill him. He had to find her. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you later.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Whatever issue they have, I hope they can work it out. They’re good people.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drew swallowed hard. At least one of them was. “Yeah.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He grabbed his jacket from the back of the door and headed outside to his car. If Carrie was involved in the thefts from the kitchen…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drew wasn’t sure what his next move would be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Pre-order ebook:</b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-interracial-contemporary-ebook/dp/B0CH5DTYNS">https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-interracial-contemporary-ebook/dp/B0CH5DTYNS</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Order CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE in print:</b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-Love-Romance/dp/B0CH2P1616">https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Solace-Lake-Love-Romance/dp/B0CH2P1616</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-34531656068651730562023-10-07T00:30:00.001-05:002023-10-07T00:30:00.144-05:00Trick or Treat Book Bonanza Giveaway!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnrcGudc7O5mAPnnUDDXgk9S9Qt_x-0PSsBmKh5FPzHV_o9_znXk06AAz3CYMkRGLlJY3KK48qt0aOJkKO6I_aJI3DlhcnReLlHrZos3GzM4WBMrKJzrfqV7QglDE0Bikk3lozbkTKZcSFfDf5OLce388snH_trK0U3dJCIqxqViCr4XMQbORlmUDAb78/s1080/Trick%20or%20Treat%20Book%20Bonanza%20Giveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnrcGudc7O5mAPnnUDDXgk9S9Qt_x-0PSsBmKh5FPzHV_o9_znXk06AAz3CYMkRGLlJY3KK48qt0aOJkKO6I_aJI3DlhcnReLlHrZos3GzM4WBMrKJzrfqV7QglDE0Bikk3lozbkTKZcSFfDf5OLce388snH_trK0U3dJCIqxqViCr4XMQbORlmUDAb78/w400-h400/Trick%20or%20Treat%20Book%20Bonanza%20Giveaway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trick or Treat! ‘Tis the month to celebrate all things paranormal, supernatural, suspenseful and mystical. If you’re like me, you’ll want to accept this very special invitation to join the festivities at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s 5th annual Trick or Treat Book Bonanza. 28 authors share what they’d dress up as for Halloween as well as 37 books featured plus a chance to win one of the following:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US) gift card.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, SEEING THINGS, will be featured on October 18. Wait until you read what my Halloween costume would be. You won’t want to miss it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Bookmark this event and tell your friends:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/fall-into-these-great-reads-bookathon">https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/fall-into-these-great-reads-bookathon</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-7632154410312457252023-10-06T00:30:00.007-05:002023-10-06T00:30:00.147-05:00Jude Knight and UNDER THE HARVEST MOON #RegencyRomance<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Jude-Knight/e/B00RG3SG7I" target="_blank">Jude Knight</a> is here to talk about her contribution to UNDER THE HARVEST MOON, a Regency romance anthology written by nine members of the Bluestocking Belles and Friends. Jude has 5 Things she wants to tell you about the anthology and her own contribution to it, LOVE IN ITS SEASON. UNDER THE HARVEST MOON releases October 10, 2023 and is .99 cents till then. Take it away, Jude!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEzkKf6FvzdPzYyMHz7krVyT6b1KrM8yRLmTQ2L-17j_H_u5wKGSYtJI6nOgiXxLjXEknFIYdYFtj348oj8VgdJgsZ6gkRtfkYxB3zv2-_EsfzbGUnNKl6TpIBSgXKAfalXQL9t3pJX_5Qz4quWmIJMYJzbwKfA6G00Ohe1ji22KVRmUGmskXLwy4I3HI/s1792/Under-the-Harvest-Moon-cover%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="1195" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEzkKf6FvzdPzYyMHz7krVyT6b1KrM8yRLmTQ2L-17j_H_u5wKGSYtJI6nOgiXxLjXEknFIYdYFtj348oj8VgdJgsZ6gkRtfkYxB3zv2-_EsfzbGUnNKl6TpIBSgXKAfalXQL9t3pJX_5Qz4quWmIJMYJzbwKfA6G00Ohe1ji22KVRmUGmskXLwy4I3HI/w266-h400/Under-the-Harvest-Moon-cover%20(1).jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Five things about <i>Under the Harvest Moon</i> and Jude Knight’s story, <i>Love In Its Season</i></span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i>Under the Harvest Moon</i> is another Bluestocking Belles With Friends Collection featuring interlocking stories, where characters who are main characters in one story appear in other stories in the collection, and where every author shares the overall location and one or more key events. In this case, we set the stories in a fictional Cheshire market town around the time of the local harvest festival. We also had clues to a mystery scattered through the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Writing interlocked stories means a lot more collaboration than happens in other anthologies, which makes the job both harder and more fun. Readers seem to love it too, so we’ll keep doing it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The heroine of <i>Love In Its Season</i> came out of the collaboration. Cerise DeLand said her heroine had been in the village six years earlier, at which time her sister had run off with the son of the local farrier. The young man had enlisted, and the pair had gone to war. I decided my heroine would be the sister of the young man. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Back in the Regency era, craftspeople often trained their daughters in their crafts. I gave my heroine and the missing brother a deceased mother, which meant Gwen spent more time in the farriery with her brother and father than she otherwise might have. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the backstory my mind was spinning, her father’s mind had begun failing about the time the brother left, so Gwen had taken over more and more of the business and now was the farrier. And good at it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The hero also came from the collaboration. Caroline Warfield asked if anyone had a soldier who might help to make sure that her hero made his way home, even though he was attempting to drown the horrors of war in copious quantities of alcohol. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I offered my hero, and as I thought about him, he began to take shape. He needed an injury that saw him invalided out. He needed to have no particular home, so I made him an orphan who had joined up while still a boy. I wanted him to be an officer so he would be on equal terms with most of the other heroes in the collection, so I gave him some battlefield promotions. The rest of his backstory came as I wrote the story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I have medical practitioners in the family, and my personal romantic hero was twenty years a paramedic, so I’m used to hearing grumbles and jeers whenever anyone in a movie or tv show is shot in the shoulder then gets up, uses the arm on that side, and recovers within a day or two. I wanted my hero to be too disabled to stay on the army but still able to help around the heroine’s house, particularly with her disabled father. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My dearly beloved suggested an injury to the brachial plexus. Not a complete severing of this major nerve group, but sufficient damage that the arm is near useless and he has little movement in the hand. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NkQ6keyQ9dbiLRogQribvGHTwEYic8gGZZDAU2r1KOOTpO-UFzKe_gz8_9ME0OGk8CeK28bJJSla18xf2ZmOrNqiTF4BC5EYkaAC1Ik5wrr8QQr2l4nGuoeSY1zPuxpShuAG8pUvL7WzElGDA-7UZjMZXlIO5UQE-ggOJ4amY0LabTnqRhMIGnUCz7A6/s940/Rue-FB%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NkQ6keyQ9dbiLRogQribvGHTwEYic8gGZZDAU2r1KOOTpO-UFzKe_gz8_9ME0OGk8CeK28bJJSla18xf2ZmOrNqiTF4BC5EYkaAC1Ik5wrr8QQr2l4nGuoeSY1zPuxpShuAG8pUvL7WzElGDA-7UZjMZXlIO5UQE-ggOJ4amY0LabTnqRhMIGnUCz7A6/w400-h335/Rue-FB%20(1).png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb, Under the Harvest Moon</span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Nine award winning and bestselling authors have combined their talents to create this engaging and enchanting collection of interrelated tales. Under the Harvest Moon promises an unforgettable read for fans of Regency romance.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb, Love In Its Season:</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Battle of Waterloo lost Jack Wrath the use of one arm and ended his career in the cavalry. He has no place to go and nothing to offer. Gwen Hughes has a business to run and no time for romance. Under the harvest moon, two people who believe romance has passed them finally reach their season for love.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">See Books2Read for links. Only 99c until publication on 10 October. <a href="https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon">https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon</a></span></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-18461534382294651822023-10-03T00:30:00.067-05:002023-10-03T00:30:00.144-05:00A Peacock Story by Fil Reid, Author of The Guinevere series #timetravelromance<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> </b><i>My guest today is Fil Reid, author of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ" target="_blank">Guinevere series of time travel historical romances</a> based on Arthurian legend. I'm delighted she has an animal story for us. Thanks for stopping by, Fil!</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yYTh-Rr4oSMXHY2aLr9tvUk66Xo_wYTbq5dzleI2I8Nx_JFqlMvZ1vyor0HilVY1cILe4vmLv6r_uBoch7LetFukFs7y2NH0vg3sE2ZwV9OQ-xQsTfnZYbu71JLnorPMdpUZDKUQNhXeVbVDMDlrR2Jm1t6_lkvSc4d60bK0EkzdOnrMksb1lxXd1u79/s2700/The%20Quest%20for%20Excalibur%20high%20res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yYTh-Rr4oSMXHY2aLr9tvUk66Xo_wYTbq5dzleI2I8Nx_JFqlMvZ1vyor0HilVY1cILe4vmLv6r_uBoch7LetFukFs7y2NH0vg3sE2ZwV9OQ-xQsTfnZYbu71JLnorPMdpUZDKUQNhXeVbVDMDlrR2Jm1t6_lkvSc4d60bK0EkzdOnrMksb1lxXd1u79/w266-h400/The%20Quest%20for%20Excalibur%20high%20res.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><b><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Tale of Two Peacocks</span></b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’ve had a lot of pets in my time – horses, dogs, cats, goats, chickens, sheep… you name it and at some point it’s lived in the Reid household. But the oddest pet (albeit quite temporary) were the peacocks that appeared from nowhere in our barn.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We were living in France at the time, in the middle of nowhere and a mile from the nearest farm, with our youngest son, a small eleven-year-old. In our large dutch barn opposite the house, we had stables, kennels, and a stack of hay. We’d been out somewhere and when we came back, there was this young peacock in our barn. It panicked a lot as we tried to catch it and narrowly escaped ending up in the dog run which would have ended its life pretty smartly.</span></span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">However, our delighted son managed to catch it. He loves every kind of bird so was over the moon to have acquired a peacock. But we knew we couldn’t keep it, so we put it in the largest dog cage we had (bearing in mind it could fly over a stable door and might end up murdered) and I rang the local Mairie. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpa1UkSLSbyBKR6MB2Z9BDPdPK7VvtBx-J7QYxhz7dXGD04VHnbCHMUbVA3HStWSHuKpP3Ng7Ij19rU49IDfUwoiCu-8k5LJPt3T-X6_PsA4UmNejrvZ7idw3Xs9cdP0N_YZ0tE-o00tySwy8ILtGEn2qGL7tR3NaFSFfL0uzbMtSENmGseeSDr1zuG0r/s4000/peacock%202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpa1UkSLSbyBKR6MB2Z9BDPdPK7VvtBx-J7QYxhz7dXGD04VHnbCHMUbVA3HStWSHuKpP3Ng7Ij19rU49IDfUwoiCu-8k5LJPt3T-X6_PsA4UmNejrvZ7idw3Xs9cdP0N_YZ0tE-o00tySwy8ILtGEn2qGL7tR3NaFSFfL0uzbMtSENmGseeSDr1zuG0r/s320/peacock%202.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I spoke to Loic, the secretary. “We’ve found a peacock,” I said, in French (I was pretty fluent back then). Now, peacock in French is ‘paon’, which sounds pretty much like ‘pont’ when pronounced by a Brit, and Loic probably wasn’t expecting a peacock story. “You’ve found a bridge?” he echoed, clearly puzzled. I explained the paon/pont was a bird and he cottoned on. I also rang the gendarmes and told them, but, oddly, no one had reported a lost peacock.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Several days passed and we still had the peacock which was looking increasingly grumpy in the dog cage in a stable. My husband was working in the barn on the car when he noticed the dog cage was empty. No peacock. We went inside and told our son. We all trooped outside to take a look. Surprise. There was indeed a peacock back in the cage, but not our peacock. That had been young and tailless. This was a fully fledged angry male with a big tail. A mystery. And he was an interference fit in that cage.</span></span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Another phone call to Loic to tell him we had acquired yet another peacock – a different one – and with no sign whatsoever of the first one. Who knew what had happened to that one? We didn’t. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This was not the end of the story. Two days later, an irate French farmer turned up and accused us of stealing his peacocks. I pointed out that the peacocks in question had just appeared and we’d reported them as soon as we noticed them. However, they were convinced our eleven-year-old son had carried those heavy birds a mile from their farm. Of course, he hotly denied this, and we’ve never, not even eleven years later, got to the bottom of the mystery of the vanishing and reappearing peacocks.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgBOkI0XIDUELRA7CVUNobSXiGukBsycsSHh9g23TzdlTfkl_XQug-9xpsU0bqGwAgF30FN0XXZwdcmuQRhw-LQHgWWJyhguRA4Gl7U23ke4yB31yHxx0DjzHmQ0Q_noSJFmfQ8b8faG-RTVszAf_YDNOsWsydgy0yyL8TcNs44gtLD6nn2U34iw42Mdq/s4000/peacock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgBOkI0XIDUELRA7CVUNobSXiGukBsycsSHh9g23TzdlTfkl_XQug-9xpsU0bqGwAgF30FN0XXZwdcmuQRhw-LQHgWWJyhguRA4Gl7U23ke4yB31yHxx0DjzHmQ0Q_noSJFmfQ8b8faG-RTVszAf_YDNOsWsydgy0yyL8TcNs44gtLD6nn2U34iw42Mdq/s320/peacock.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BLURB, Guinevere: The Quest for Excalibur</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">(Fil mentioned that book 5 in the series, The Quest for Excalibur, just released September 6, 2023, but for your reading pleasure, it's best to start with book 1. Here's the link for the whole series: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR86WGQ</a>)</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Book Five of the award-winning historical romance series based on Arthurian legend.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twelve years ago, 21st-century librarian Gwen decided to remain in the Dark Ages with the man she loves above all else – a man around whom endless well-known tales of legend and magic have been spun. King Arthur. Over the years, she’s carved a life for herself by her husband’s side, gently steering him in the direction she wants him to go, but always with an awareness that he’s a Dark Age king with a Dark Age view of the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Equipped with her prior knowledge of Arthurian legend, Gwen’s sole aim has long been to save her husband from the legendary fate she dreads hangs over him. But always, at the back of her mind, is the nagging doubt that whatever she does is already set in stone, and nothing she can do will change his future which is already her past.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now, in book five of the Guinevere series, she’s all too aware that time is marching on, and that this fate might well be drawing closer to the man she gave up everything for.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Danger lurks in the most unexpected places, and long-hidden secrets threaten to rise to the surface. After a long, cold winter in their hilltop fortress, Gwen’s pleased to welcome traveling players to Din Cadan. But these players are hiding secrets of their own, and one of them has come with black deeds in mind. Gwen will have to fight harder than she’s ever done to save herself and thus her husband. And all evidence points to the hand of Morgana, Arthur’s wicked sister, manipulating everything from afar.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Throughout all of this, simmering in the background, is young Medraut, Arthur’s nephew. Unnoticed, despite still being only a boy, he’s been exerting his malignant influence over those around him, in particular, Gwen and Arthur’s son and heir. The wedge he succeeds in driving between Arthur and his son will carry forward into the cataclysmic events of the final book, The Road To Avalon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But even Morgana can’t prevent Gwen discovering the truth behind the story of Excalibur and setting the legendary sword in her husband’s hands.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt (Merlin shows Gwen where the sword has come from):</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The younger man reached for the sword with reluctance, his stubbly cheeks tear-stained, eyes anguished. Filthy fingers closed around the hilt. “My Lord, I will not rest until this sword lies in the hands of your wife.” His head bowed in supplication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The dragon ring winked at me in the raw daylight, as the Emperor laid a hand on the young soldier’s bare, short-cropped head in benediction. Withdrawing his hand, the Emperor fumbled at the ring with awkward, bandaged fingers as the young man rose wearily to his feet, and slid the sword into the scabbard by his side.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Emperor, his own cheeks wet with tears, held out the ring, gripped between finger and thumb. “Take this as well. It was my wife’s.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It fell into the soldier’s open hand, and the young man turned it over, so the dragon rested uppermost on the filthy palm.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">An overwhelming urge to reach out and snatch it washed over me, but the vision vanished. My eyes flicked open.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I was back on the wall-walk again, with Merlin still holding my hands and the dragon ring on my finger glinting in the afternoon sunlight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My breath came hard and fast. “Was that sword Excalibur?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I don’t know, but I think so. This is the clearest I’ve seen him. All I can tell you is that every time I look, I see this sword gripped in that hand. That hand with that ring. This ring.” He indicated the ring on my hand. “And I believe that what I’m seeing, what I’ve just shown you, is Macsen’s defeat by the Emperor Theodosius. I think he knew execution awaited him and wanted to send his sword back to Britain. Perhaps it was a British-made sword – even linked to the Princess Elen, his wife.”</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fil Reid, Author Bio:</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyGRP7DGdbn0paBTzz_MT_K4EW4awl2kttHyh48XSaJoBeXiurLm4oXvDAPF6Q3NlGb7_Xtn-tDOshzewPem_20nL7xhWyOWA9zQ4hzwsFDSHuHLmkDYU5s7io70cRHcRLUEp_RWISr1ZeT0XC7RAfHu3JJYSPYEHzStFwHNZbc9FdNaAChp4e_j-2iQH/s2048/Fil%20Reid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyGRP7DGdbn0paBTzz_MT_K4EW4awl2kttHyh48XSaJoBeXiurLm4oXvDAPF6Q3NlGb7_Xtn-tDOshzewPem_20nL7xhWyOWA9zQ4hzwsFDSHuHLmkDYU5s7io70cRHcRLUEp_RWISr1ZeT0XC7RAfHu3JJYSPYEHzStFwHNZbc9FdNaAChp4e_j-2iQH/s320/Fil%20Reid.jpg" width="253" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After a varied life that’s included working with horses where Downton Abbey is filmed, riding racehorses, running her own riding school, owning a sheep farm and running a holiday business in France, Fil now lives on a widebeam canal boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Southern England with her husband, a rescue dog from Romania called Bella, and Nancy the cat.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She once saw a ghost in a churchyard, and when she lived in Wales there was a panther living near her farm that ate some of her sheep.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She has Asperger’s Syndrome and her obsessions include horses and King Arthur. She speaks fluent French after living there for ten years, and in her spare time looks after her allotment, makes clothes and dolls for her grand daughters, embroiders and knits. In between visiting the settings for her books.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">SOCIAL MEDIA links:</span></b></p><p><a href="http://www.filreid.com"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">www.filreid.com</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/filreidauthor">https://www.facebook.com/filreidauthor</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fjrflicka/"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://www.instagram.com/fjrflicka/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Filreidauthor"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://twitter.com/Filreidauthor</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR7F2RP">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MR7F2RP</a>. - start with book one of the series</span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-64068904692406718282023-09-26T00:30:00.053-05:002023-09-26T00:30:00.167-05:00UNDER THE HARVEST MOON by the Bluestocking Belles and Friends<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Rue Allyn joins me today to talk about UNDER THE HARVEST MOON, an anthology of nine novellas set during the Regency era. Rue will tell us about the novellas and the Bluestocking Belles who wrote them. Welcome Rue!</span></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS8NoA0GeewRy38HwxJdgRtvSVp-Cygy_D527dj0lkAn35_3OguII5I8IfCaFqzdAB-DhbUy-Z2zBSIGIsG8xQOQEx03vZp8QD06xXXVJ-ZAnISa_s7r3fp12Jc8qIStBYN7jENv4CmxebQa3_4HzIGE13yxcsY_m8hy8AhUxR6R7oUPzMb3SQad0sCrL/s526/UHM3FER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS8NoA0GeewRy38HwxJdgRtvSVp-Cygy_D527dj0lkAn35_3OguII5I8IfCaFqzdAB-DhbUy-Z2zBSIGIsG8xQOQEx03vZp8QD06xXXVJ-ZAnISa_s7r3fp12Jc8qIStBYN7jENv4CmxebQa3_4HzIGE13yxcsY_m8hy8AhUxR6R7oUPzMb3SQad0sCrL/w400-h400/UHM3FER.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><b><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Five Important Things about Under the Harvest Moon</span></b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hi Jana, thank you for having me on your blog today. I have a ‘five things’ list to present to your followers. The list is all about the novella collection, <b>Under the Harvest Moon</b> by the Bluestocking Belles with Friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Let start with an explanation of what type of book Under the Harvest Moon is.</b> Under the Harvest Moon is a collection of interlocking novellas by nine of the best authors in the business of writing romance novels. Why do I say ‘interlocking’? Because all of the stories take place in the same general setting, and characters in one story may have interactions with characters in other stories. We do have a central theme—soldiers returning from war—but the romance tropes represented are completely up to each author, and with nine of us you get quite a variety of tropes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>I wrote the third novella in the collection, A Harvest Blessing.</b> What the description doesn’t tell you is that Thom first met his pseudo-fiancée during the siege of Badajoz when they each managed to save the other’s life. Of course, the war separated them, but Thom encountered her a second time on the docks in Dover. He’d hired the last carriage available, and she was dickering with the coachman to try to get a ride. Thom being the hero he is, offers to take her in the coach to her destination, which is a bit out of his way but not much. He even decides to ride up with the coachman to preserve the proprieties. So this story is very much about second chances. In love and with family, as Thom’s father did not want him to go to war, and their parting was contentious.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>I think it important you understand who wrote Under the Harvest Moon.</b> Many of the authors names are recognizable as rather famous and respected romance authors, for example: Collette Cameron, Cerise Deland, and Mary Lancaster among others. Some of us, like myself, are not so well known. However, it isn’t the individual authors that I think are so important. What is important is The Bluestocking Belles. There are eight of us. This time, one of us was not able to participate in writing the collection. As a group we make a lot of decisions about the collection before we invite our ‘With Friends.’ It is only fair and reasonable to have a rough story outline and a definite production timeline to present to guest authors, who may or may not have time to fit writing a novella for the collection into their busy lives. So before we even put our fingers on the keyboard to produce our personal novellas, we do a great deal of planning, discussing and deciding. All of that effort pays off with the production of best-selling award-winning collections. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Under the Harvest Moon</b> is our tenth collection, although I joined the group in 2018 and have only been able to participate in five collections. While I have some biases, The Bluestocking Belles collections are head and shoulders above most novella collections out there. Very few do interlocking stories as we do. Very few have all authors whose writing is of a very high caliber, regardless of how well known we are. And yes, while the quality of some stories is a bit better than others, every author contributes engaging well researched novellas. That’s the other thing about The Bluestocking Belles, we write historical romance almost exclusively in the Regency Era of England. Last and most important, we love our readers. If you would like to learn more about us join our FB group The Belles Brigade. We hold a virtual ‘brunch’ every Saturday at 1:00 PM NYT. The brunch is open to the public, so you can get an idea of how we interact with readers without joining a group or anything. We’d love to have you join in the conversation</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>For Under the Harvest Moon, much of our research focused on soldiers returning from war, since that was a unifying theme. </b>Aside from the physical wounds inflicted on men in battle, a great deal of research has been done and continues to be done on the mental wounds war inflicts. PTSD is very real (and not solely a problem for military men and women). However, few people tend to think that PTSD and its sister conditions existed before WW1. Even then ‘shell shock’ was considered a temporary problem from which a soldier could recover. War has never been the glorious, wonderful thing that it was once made out to be. Touting the glory of war is nothing more than a recruiting tactic. As a veteran (I never saw combat), I can say that each and every volunteer soldier, sailor, marine, airman, etc. regardless of the era in which he or she fought—each and every one of them is a hero. The Bluestocking Belles share some of my regard for service men and women, so when one of us suggested returning soldiers as a unifying element in each story, we were all on board immediately.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Last, as a group we’ve got a pretty good sense of humor.</b> When it came to having a blog, we couldn’t help ourselves. We created The Teatime Tattler, where twice a week, we post scandalous gossip about our stories and the stories of other authors. You might want to check that out too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Link:</b> <a href="https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/under-the-harvest-moon/">https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/under-the-harvest-moon/</a></span></p><p><br /></p><div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb, <b>Under the Harvest Moon</b>: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Moonlight Wishes and Midnight Kisses by Collette Cameron</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A scarred veteran with no future, Courtland Marlow-Westbrook wants to be left alone. Scottish heiress Avery Levingtone never stopped loving him and is determined to win his love again. Will these former sweethearts find happiness together, or will the wounds of the past keep them apart?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Morning Light by Caroline Warfield</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Adam Wagner is meant to save lives, not take them. He is haunted by Waterloo. The horror of it keeps him from those he loves. Meg Barlow doesn’t understand how Adam could turn his back on her so thoroughly, but she isn’t about to let him get away with it.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Harvest Blessing by Rue Allen</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All the battles are over, or are they? When Captain Thom Owen is forced into a false engagement, he must escort his pseudo-fiancée home to meet his father. Can an English vicar’s son and a French Comte’s daughter find love despite their differences?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJSUQsevcUdv0kGssOZujrlqnVVSyUxF0is8355_tdMjULNgIsCPVB-j_0cfjLZyv5Q6mzETqKtOvybUkvOy5fYQX-Gt0MA53wvGXfZ9XOZFBhWLW_EG5Vf65qJf-UuKhF640ZrztbsI7ddB9U885AIZs1FUkOqyr1c3OBpW6IvIwhjFVNzFyVs2tYKjv/s800/HMALLYN--HarvestBlessingBanner800X488.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="800" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJSUQsevcUdv0kGssOZujrlqnVVSyUxF0is8355_tdMjULNgIsCPVB-j_0cfjLZyv5Q6mzETqKtOvybUkvOy5fYQX-Gt0MA53wvGXfZ9XOZFBhWLW_EG5Vf65qJf-UuKhF640ZrztbsI7ddB9U885AIZs1FUkOqyr1c3OBpW6IvIwhjFVNzFyVs2tYKjv/w400-h244/HMALLYN--HarvestBlessingBanner800X488.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Coming Home by Mary Lancaster</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Old memories, new love</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Home from Waterloo, Captain David Buckley contemplates settling down near his home town of Reabridge—only it is full of painful memories. The mysterious Lady Lorna falls literally into his arms, and he begins to understand the true meaning of love and home.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Under the Champagne Moon by Alina K Field</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fleur Hardouin’s heart longs for Captain Gareth Ardleigh, but she needs an advantageous marriage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Gareth has promised to find Fleur—on behalf of another man.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now he must choose between honoring a promise and trying to win the hand of the woman he loves.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Quiet Heart by Elizabeth Ellen Carter</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Widowed at Waterloo, where she also nursed the wounded, Veronica Petersham promised a dying man to bring his effects to a family in Reabridge. She falls ill just short of her goal, in the milking shed of kind and stoic Martin Bromelton.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Perhaps there is hope for the future after all and the opportunity to find love once more.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A Love Beyond Time by Sherry Ewing</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Eight years ago, Hannah Pownall had her heart broken by a young lord.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Captain Brandon Worthington returns to the town of Reabridge to recover from the war and finds the girl he once loved still unwed. Can love at first sight be reborn after heartbreak, proving a second chance is all you need?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Widow’s Harvest Hope by Cerise DeLand</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The new Earl Barlow returns home from Waterloo, intending to live by his own rules. The woman he loved and lost years ago visits for the Harvest festival—and he plans to offer Vicky Wright what they both want. Can a lady who has lived by the rules throw them all away to seize her last chance for happiness?</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Love In Its Season by Jude Knight</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Battle of Waterloo lost Jack Wrath the use of one arm and ended his career in the cavalry. He has no place to go and nothing to offer. Gwen Hughes has a business to run and no time for romance. Under the harvest moon, two people who believe romance has passed them finally reach their season for love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Link:</b> <a href="https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/under-the-harvest-moon/">https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/under-the-harvest-moon/</a></span></p></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-18387336423830630342023-09-23T19:23:00.003-05:002023-09-23T19:23:52.148-05:00Enter My Goodreads Giveaway!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I've got 50 Kindle copies of CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE to giveaway in my Goodreads Giveaway. Hurry! Contest ends October 14, 2023.</b></span></p><div id="goodreadsGiveawayWidget374742"><!--Show static html as a placeholder in case js is not enabled-->
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</div><script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/374742" type="text/javascript"></script>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-28821361102246537552023-09-22T00:30:00.067-05:002023-09-22T00:30:00.144-05:00Kayelle Allen and How Clothes Make Her Character<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm very happy to have Kayelle Allen on my blog today. She's talking about her character Pietas and how what he wears, or doesn't wear, shows his character. Welcome Kayelle!</i> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn6ZceLSd9PHuQPFog7-Za0pJyFD9urJ890PMwAWgJ5oZckT3vY5dzDXSh6eCIaHiJ_aF8x-j0M68Xzl2iQxkPiUBlQVGw8PJMgp4YsiZu8qsmAylWgE5-6jkJA8Fb6M8H_FWAar32Ee3GhS0cu2eeBpcJMMvteM4dMNHSdpVJTlGvd5Fuk6suNL3FNwa/s750/boc-oop-500.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn6ZceLSd9PHuQPFog7-Za0pJyFD9urJ890PMwAWgJ5oZckT3vY5dzDXSh6eCIaHiJ_aF8x-j0M68Xzl2iQxkPiUBlQVGw8PJMgp4YsiZu8qsmAylWgE5-6jkJA8Fb6M8H_FWAar32Ee3GhS0cu2eeBpcJMMvteM4dMNHSdpVJTlGvd5Fuk6suNL3FNwa/w266-h400/boc-oop-500.png" width="266" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Clothes Make the Character </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm Kayelle Allen, and I'm excited that Jana invited me to share a bit about my Bringer of Chaos series with you. I write SciFi Romance, SciFi, and Space Opera. My books feature misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. I live in a huge, rambling stone castle guarded by dragons. Okay, the castle part is fiction. So are the dragons. Unless you think the dragons in my books as real, in which case, then—yeah. The dragon part is totally true.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I have a new book coming out September 22, 2023, set in the same overall universe as my Bringer of Chaos books. The Thieves' Guild Academy series is currently three books, and the new one is a bundle of the three plus a copy of the Thieves' Guild Handbook. You can pick it up online via this Universal Buy Link - <a href="https://books2read.com/tga-bundle1">https://books2read.com/tga-bundle1</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What do the clothes tell us about the character?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the Bringer of Chaos series, when the immortal king, Pietas, prepares for battle, he performs the Ritual of Strength. In 2018, I was fortunate enough to work with the cosplayer, <a href="https://kayelleallen.com/about-nik/" target="_blank">Nik Nitsvetov</a>, to create scenes of the ritual. The resulting photo shoot provided some of the most-used images on my site and in my marketing. A subsequent shoot provided a set with armor, and the third gave me a performance with a handmade halberd (a pike fitted with an ax head).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Nik's natural hair color is quite dark, but when he dons a platinum wig, he's a dead ringer for my immortal king. I have a set of wallpaper images of him as Pietas and change them depending on what I need for inspiration at the moment. The one I'm using now has a rather cryptic expression. It's hard to tell if he's about to smile, or going to tell me to stop looking at him and go write more of his story.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since Jana asked me to talk about a character's clothes, I thought I'd start with what's different or special about them.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They say clothes make the man. Sometimes, it's what you aren't wearing that tells the story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In <i>Origin of Pietas</i>, Pietas wears only a pair of loose white pants and a mask to reveal his power. How can a mask reveal anything? You'll see in the excerpt below.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlLU49prtA9oo3WxqBOkENYHQVJUZbnTRsEj4kKlmEpB21gSioRA_oF1v8vKZwEenEAsgQBkyGs5H2IdFTDtOi_ZacHp0eqW8pFiF1mokVw30CaFPCIhmDYW9MIs7r7gW6IrNgBq5EpDcBpVK4CwKAMTdpWFnMFcj0fgkfCwtKDb3r24HxSjAxuM2r4mn/s900/boc-bnr-oop-mask-ra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="900" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlLU49prtA9oo3WxqBOkENYHQVJUZbnTRsEj4kKlmEpB21gSioRA_oF1v8vKZwEenEAsgQBkyGs5H2IdFTDtOi_ZacHp0eqW8pFiF1mokVw30CaFPCIhmDYW9MIs7r7gW6IrNgBq5EpDcBpVK4CwKAMTdpWFnMFcj0fgkfCwtKDb3r24HxSjAxuM2r4mn/w400-h209/boc-bnr-oop-mask-ra.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt from <i>Origin of Pietas:</i></span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After exiting the bathing pool, Pietas brushed off the water and wrung out his hair. From a tray holding half a dozen clasps, he chose a silver dragon studded with six turquoise stones, twisted his wet hair and fastened it up, out of the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He dried his face, gathered a brush and black face paint. Leaning in close to a freestanding mirror, he outlined a bandit's mask from beneath his eyes to over his dark eyebrows and filled it with black.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He'd worn the mask in battle ever since defeating the First Division, a human special-ops group formed to fight Ultras. It came about because Pietas had slain an enemy and blood had splashed across his eyes. Thinking the blood belonged to Pietas, the Ultra troops had rallied to him and slaughtered the humans. The blood dried almost black.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Stories of how their "bandit king" had conquered the First Division filled the night. The name stuck. To his troops, he was First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pietas turned his head side to side, surveying the effect.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His body would reject foreign matter on his skin. The Ultra metabolism protected from every perceived attack, even harmless face paint. He closed his eyes and sprayed sealant over the mask to delay its disappearance by a few hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Satisfied with his looks, Pietas pulled on a pair of loose white lounging pants. With a deep, cleansing breath, he opened the door. Damp, shirtless, barefoot, he padded into the adjacent room.</span></p></blockquote><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Watch the Ritual of Strength</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Treat yourself to a live performance by Nik Nitsvetov. Be sure to listen with the sound on. The words are on the screen, but the unique music and voice add a wonderful layer of richness to each scene. Voiceover actor <a href="https://kayelleallen.com/about-zack-black/" target="_blank">Zack Black</a>.</span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/GLoKzpp8_mY"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://youtu.be/GLoKzpp8_mY</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Exiled on a planet with no one but Six, the human who guarded him, the immortal king Pietas faces the ordeal of survival. Imprisonment transformed him from superman to a man who cannot even feed himself. He must surrender his pride and accept help.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If the human deserts him, Pietas will die, permanently. This human is the perfect foil for Pietas, who's a seething mess of ego, angst, and self-loathing, angry at the universe in general and humans in particular.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pietas might need Six, but that doesn't mean he'll humiliate himself by admitting weakness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But saving his people means depending upon the one thing Pietas swears does not exist—the honor of a human...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal Buy Link <a href="https://books2read.com/origin-pietas">https://books2read.com/origin-pietas</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Meet Kayelle Allen</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">From her comfy, ergonomic office chair Kayelle Allen forges the very fabric of the Ever-Expanding Empire using only the tips of her fingers and her powerful imagination. Her passion is to create both commissioned and original art, employ extensive worldbuilding with inventive behind-the-scenes peeks, and write tightly woven tales with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Enter the Empire at <a href="http://ReamStories.com/KayelleAllen">ReamStories.com/KayelleAllen</a>, claim your immortality, and discover a whole new universe of stories. Visit the Homeworld <a href="http://KayelleAllen.com/Immortality">KayelleAllen.com/Immortality</a></span></p><div><br /></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-87375280792191430222023-09-19T00:30:00.016-05:002023-09-19T00:30:00.148-05:00Short Story for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Cara Bertoia <p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fellow Wild Rose Press author Cara Bertoia has written a special short story, THE PERFECT BREASTS, for breast cancer awareness month. All proceeds received will go to cancer research. Pre-order your copy of this 47 page short story now and receive it on release day, September 29, 2023. Congratulations Cara and best of luck!</span></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWef4t7ODNEK7vHxn712pPtrgJ5z1FpEa0eY4hxUvWXsW3USo4VMV32si2FYGR9ZWTsyCDuw4LP5tv5t4J2Wuf-oySiZYs1voIOxSvlt3OVN9UhW6BAiz_a4TCHiBsN7dJ7_H71XcOn9zgYyqCgO4frCj-9moYUQCCCwqSra_OWrEbo7rj4XFM1BLE7EO/s1804/THE%20PERFECT%20BREAST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1804" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWef4t7ODNEK7vHxn712pPtrgJ5z1FpEa0eY4hxUvWXsW3USo4VMV32si2FYGR9ZWTsyCDuw4LP5tv5t4J2Wuf-oySiZYs1voIOxSvlt3OVN9UhW6BAiz_a4TCHiBsN7dJ7_H71XcOn9zgYyqCgO4frCj-9moYUQCCCwqSra_OWrEbo7rj4XFM1BLE7EO/w260-h400/THE%20PERFECT%20BREAST.jpg" width="260" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hannah Clein will always remember the day she went to a department store with her mother to buy her first bra as her last best day, “B.C.” before the cancer. She considered herself an ordinary child who loved challah bread, reading, and her family – often in that order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With a normal life in the rear-view mirror, we follow Hannah over three decades, as she navigates the tricky transition from girlhood to womanhood. All her life, she just wants to belong. Be normal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In a tale that explores a women’s complicated relationships with her body, and the love of her life, we learn the psyche is a funny thing. What are the perfect breasts? And how does the loss of a loved one affect those left behind?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>The Perfect Breasts</i> mixes family lore with imagination in a compelling tale of loss, longing, and love.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cara says:</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I have published it on Amazon Kindle for breast cancer awareness month, and all the profits will be donated to cancer research. If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited set your calendar for Sept. 29th – when it will be available for reading.</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buy link (Pre-order until September 29, 2023):</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Perfect Breasts - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGMTYBFD?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGMTYBFD</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Editorial Reviews of The Perfect Breasts:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Brilliantly written, </i>The Perfect Breasts<i> is a riveting tale that chronicles the lifelong impact that breast cancer has on every aspect of the lives of each member of the Clein family. Author Cara Bertoia has penned a tautly emotional plot driven by love, loss, trust, family ties, and the inner strength one must summon to face adversity created by both human fallibility and fate rather than turning away.</i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The story moves at a comfortable pace with flawed, but believable characters who drive the plot. Readers find themselves rooting for the protagonists from the beginning to the end of the story. The characters evoke strong emotions in readers right from page one. This reader found herself wanting to hug Hannah on one page and throttle her on the next.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Perfect Breasts<i> is a book that should be required reading for every woman because it does not soft-soap the emotional effect of a life-threatening disease and forces readers to face a hard truth: The ultimate symbol of femininity and womanhood can either be a source of great strength and pride or when lost, a weapon to destroy one’s faith in life and one’s self.</i> — <b>Susie Black author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Perfect Breasts <i>is a heartfelt story about breast cancer and how it affects all of our lives. Because, yes, almost everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. </i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In this story we follow, Hannah, a Jewish girl through three decades, from the death of her beloved mother from breast cancer to becoming a self-sufficient woman. Cancer itself becomes a character burrowing into Hannah’s psyche. Knowing oneself is difficult enough, but with this added fear, Hannah struggles to find happiness. </span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Cara Bertoia handles the issue with sensitivity and compassion. She takes us on Hannah's journey. leaving us with hope and a promise for a good future. This is a story which should be read by everyone.</i> — <b>Janie Emaus author of <i>Latkes for Santa Claus</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">From the Author:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When I was a child, I grew up in a very crowded house. I have three sisters. The way I would escape all the mayhem was by reading. From the time I could read I became a voracious reader. By the age of eight I was reading my parents’ novels, whatever books I could find. At night instead of counting sheep I would tell myself Cinderella type stories where I got to be the heroine. But my first real writing class was when I worked in high-tech in Boston. I took a class at Harvard Extension, and the professor read my story aloud to the group. He asked me to read it, but I was too self-conscious, because it was the first story I had ever written. From that day on I was hooked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Author Bio:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAtOvCnzJoD0IC8-50KgN9SNlCPwToPdY8gm61Ejvz6-nD_OTn1xaUTQMgLzVVjSp2-4VQdRF_JLbbruqCpq_jWSi0CXRo4YQapjEcD7fx4tFpFoPNrxrVJMe_-pKL22AbbgJ6HeP-1ISBx2zkC8fBEjMegaI3PR7qJ-o4cUNmRG_qq4_OujSNHuHBI6V/s632/cara%20and%20flowers%20squat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="632" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAtOvCnzJoD0IC8-50KgN9SNlCPwToPdY8gm61Ejvz6-nD_OTn1xaUTQMgLzVVjSp2-4VQdRF_JLbbruqCpq_jWSi0CXRo4YQapjEcD7fx4tFpFoPNrxrVJMe_-pKL22AbbgJ6HeP-1ISBx2zkC8fBEjMegaI3PR7qJ-o4cUNmRG_qq4_OujSNHuHBI6V/s320/cara%20and%20flowers%20squat.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cara Bertoia grew up in a strait-laced Southern family, but she was always fascinated with casinos. In her twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, she drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. She discovered that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. Her mother highly disapproved of her working in a casino, "a place so bad it has 'sin' in the middle."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Eventually, she succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a hi-tech job in Boston. She also began working on her MFA in writing at Emerson. Her goal was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. She is always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe her novel will.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">While in Boston she was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, she spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. She was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cara returned from ships with a very special souvenir, her Scottish husband Ray. They went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs, and now live in Hollywood, Florida, where she writes about her casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She loves to connect with her readers. Please send her a picture with any or her work. She will post those pictures to social media.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cara's Social Media:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">mailto:<a href="mailto:carabertoia@yahoo.com">carabertoia@yahoo.com</a></span></p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@carabertoia?_t=8emW29t1ha2&_r=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">TIKTOK</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://carabertoia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cara Bertoia’s Blog</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CaraBertoia" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/carabertoia/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instagram</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4828059.Cara_Bertoia" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-bertoia" target="_blank">BookBub</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cara.bertoia" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Facebook</span></a></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-6516552583566532652023-09-15T00:30:00.011-05:002023-09-15T00:30:00.150-05:00Amber Daulton Returns with a Character Interview: TREVOR'S REDEMPTION<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm welcoming back Amber Daulton with her newest release TREVOR'S REDEMPTION. This time Amber is interviewing her character Shea from the book. Welcome back, Amber!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TYsVFi9jrNvIGkFz79tPWz7XDLBX7f8vLRsyG4lpxAl1Y7gJsd_yRdoiQ8iXduHKITCIbnTSTqNl04RW8hL0aX_RDEGTENrVeC9Z4HJQVbrrHM2SqYgPLSzrLcBjt7mwXDzHYHwkwmluyalpdDEZRPw0SEO5c7JXv6FuLnEd95o46TPw_1gCJxyRp4vo/s970/Trevor's%20Redemption%20A+%20Content.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="970" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TYsVFi9jrNvIGkFz79tPWz7XDLBX7f8vLRsyG4lpxAl1Y7gJsd_yRdoiQ8iXduHKITCIbnTSTqNl04RW8hL0aX_RDEGTENrVeC9Z4HJQVbrrHM2SqYgPLSzrLcBjt7mwXDzHYHwkwmluyalpdDEZRPw0SEO5c7JXv6FuLnEd95o46TPw_1gCJxyRp4vo/w640-h397/Trevor's%20Redemption%20A+%20Content.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What’s your name, and who are you in your world?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’m Shea O’Bannon, and I work as a graphics designer at a TV news station. My life is pretty boring with a capital B, but all that changed when Trevor blew back in.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Give us a visual. What do you look like?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’m average height with mousy blonde hair and blue eyes. I’m fairly pretty, but I don’t compare to my gorgeous friends. That’s not low self-confidence talking, but the truth. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What time period and location does your story take place?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Denver, Colorado in the present day.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What conflicts are you facing?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Where do I start? Trevor is keeping secrets from me, his ex-lover is harassing me, and my co-worker assaulted me at the station. All my girlfriends are happily paired off with great guys, and though I’m happy for them, I’m jealous too. I’m always the one left out or forgotten, and I’m sick of it.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What did you think the first time you saw Trevor?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Oh, momma! Every thought flew out the window. He was onstage performing his heart out in a singer/songwriter contest. His curly dark hair flowed around his chin as he bobbed his head, strummed a guitar, and poured the most romantic lyrics into the microphone. I fell head over heels right then there. Luckily, my friend, Belle, who was also a contestant in the event, knew him from the local music circuit, so she introduced us.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What is your family like?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My mom and I are super close, but we don’t live close by. Her husband, my stepfather, is a wonderful man, and I’m grateful to have him in my life. I’m an only child, but I think of my best friend, Chanel, as the sister I never had. My birth father was never much around when I was little, and I regret that I’m not close with him.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Do you own your own home or rent?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Rent. Apartments are expensive in Denver, but the cost of houses is worse.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What's the most terrible thing that ever happened to you?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The time I walked in on Trevor kissing another woman. I was devastated, but then I finally learned the truth and realized what I’d walked in on wasn’t at all what it seemed. He never cheated on me, but other guys have in the past. That pain and self-doubt is hard to get over, even when you have a decent man in your life.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If you had a free day with no responsibilities and could have fun, what would you do?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hmm…I’d spend it with Trevor, lounging in bed. We both have crazy work schedules, so if we could have a full twenty-four hours to ourselves, I wouldn’t let him leave my side.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevor’s Redemption</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Series: Arresting Onyx (book 3.5)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Release Date: August 22nd, 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Publisher: Daulton Publishing</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cover Designer: Satin Rose Designs</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Genre: Romantic Suspense</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Length: 50k</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Heat Rating: 4 Flames</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The danger and lies are more than she can handle.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Background info: Shea is helping her friend Calista deliver a cake to an anniversary party, and Calista’s patron just happens to be Trevor’s busybody aunt.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Calista rested her hand on Shea’s arm. “I’d like you to meet Shea O’Bannon. She helped with the delivery and can’t stay long either. We have busy mornings ahead of us.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Whew! Shea could kiss Calista for that white lie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The creases near Marcie Palmer’s hazel eyes pinched. “I understand, but please have fun while you’re here. And there’s no need for introductions.” She turned and shook Shea’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. O’Bannon. May I call you Shea?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Um—sure.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Wonderful. Call me Marcie.” She hiked her thumb at her nephew. “Trevor told me you guys dated a while back and might again.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Calista’s eyes widened as Trevor rubbed his jaw.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Yes, to both.” Damn, she had a lot of explaining to do once she and Calista were alone in the delivery van.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Marcie clapped. “Just wait until I tell Ivan and my sister. Elenore will be thrilled. She and my daughter are corralling all the little kids in one wing of the ballroom, so you’ll meet them later. And, of course, Trevor’s sisters and their husbands too. They’re around here somewhere.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Shea breathed harder. How could she get out of this?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Slow down, Aunt Marcie.” Trevor placed his hand on her arm. “Let’s not overwhelm Shea by dropping her into the middle of our crazy family.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“We’re not crazy—just tight.” She frowned at him. “Though you have more secrets than most.” She swished her hand and gazed back at Shea. “I swear, the Palmers are open books. Take one look at us, and you know what we’re thinking. But the Madero side of the family has the greatest poker face, Trevor especially. It’s so frustrating.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Secrets? Poker face? Shea bit her tongue. What was Trevor hiding?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His eyebrows knitted as he crossed his arms over his chest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Do you like babies, Shea?” Marcie piped, her brows winging up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“What?” She stepped back, ready to flee.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Calista pressed her hand to her mouth and muffled her laughter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“That’s enough. Don’t embarrass her.” Trevor reddened and scowled at his aunt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“It’s a legitimate question.” Marcie huffed as though truly perplexed. “Shea is a lovely young woman, and you’ve played the field for too long, Trevor. It’s time you give your mother some grandbabies.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Aunt Marcie!”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Add to Goodreads</b> – <a href="https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads">https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Check it out on BookBub</b> – <a href="https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub">https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Download Links:</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal - <a href="https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption">https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon - <a href="https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg">https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barnes and Noble - <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">iTunes - <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746">https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kobo - <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Google Play - <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">About the Author:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtG-G4A1dTjrGL4sWX1NweJYCAq5K6hQWLj3-OxoqzT-jpqTAOW-7HbRNfj9qlCZbFN3Uqlicp7BXGJ_91p8DFNlM2fg6qe9rvjw9YnWH_dbX_iTZc1ytV8ZngMPJ7TXzDrfFa7EQR3R4wqzj2AtTAONvtqUQSEnTKeFPt0fdWFJVk5v63wzfa3QItMWO/s1974/Amber%20Daulton%20(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtG-G4A1dTjrGL4sWX1NweJYCAq5K6hQWLj3-OxoqzT-jpqTAOW-7HbRNfj9qlCZbFN3Uqlicp7BXGJ_91p8DFNlM2fg6qe9rvjw9YnWH_dbX_iTZc1ytV8ZngMPJ7TXzDrfFa7EQR3R4wqzj2AtTAONvtqUQSEnTKeFPt0fdWFJVk5v63wzfa3QItMWO/s320/Amber%20Daulton%20(11).jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Find Amber on Social Media:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal link – <a href="https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton">https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-72855997469947795232023-09-05T00:30:00.088-05:002023-09-05T00:30:00.138-05:00A Quick Interview with Kate Hill, Author of CALEB<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Paranormal Romance Author Kate Hill joins me today for a quick, five question interview. Kate will also tell us about CALEB, her newest shifter romance. Take it away, Kate! </span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWWqsfSQPHiTvYuE2PxDfz8ChauuRpozBFmqr7Ppu2MwGEJ2LXj2PWMO0Zdy2rEtQn_q4AxMpwBYDGhEgfEw6Sb4arbtAQZPrOBeLDe0_6YU-FN801CO49uKzF--q4NUkNrQfZ_Z8SMdEKKGmjGINiBq5cDZW80L-wd25DMFxEyLelWxq7Ist87Kbd2Qq/s560/Caleb%20(350x560).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWWqsfSQPHiTvYuE2PxDfz8ChauuRpozBFmqr7Ppu2MwGEJ2LXj2PWMO0Zdy2rEtQn_q4AxMpwBYDGhEgfEw6Sb4arbtAQZPrOBeLDe0_6YU-FN801CO49uKzF--q4NUkNrQfZ_Z8SMdEKKGmjGINiBq5cDZW80L-wd25DMFxEyLelWxq7Ist87Kbd2Qq/w250-h400/Caleb%20(350x560).jpg" width="250" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Quick 5 </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>- Movies: romantic comedies, thriller, or horror? </b> Horror! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I am a huge horror fan. I watch all kinds of horror from silent classics to the latest releases.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- Bubble baths or steamy showers? </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Steamy showers. I don't like sitting in water.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- Country life or city life? Country!! </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Quiet, beautiful scenery, open spaces!</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- E-book, paperback or audiobook? </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All three, depending on my situation at the time. I like ebooks because I have a library with me everywhere I go. I like paperbacks of my favorite books, an I enjoy listening to audiobooks before going to sleep.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- I love pizza with (fill in the blank). </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Spinach and eggplant! I love homemade pizza with these toppings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Caleb</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">by Kate Hill</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Series: Romantic Moments</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Format(s): Ebook</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Heat Level: Mild</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pairing(s): M/F</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Genre/Themes: Werewolf, Hurt and Comfort, Urban Fantasy</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Length: Short Story</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Preorder Link: </span></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Caleb-Romantic-Moments-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0CD9G6XL5"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">https://www.amazon.com/Caleb-Romantic-Moments-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0CD9G6XL5</span></a></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm a powerful and respected Alpha, but the wolf Mette covets my leadership. I'm injured when my conniving enemy challenges me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After losing my pack and nearly my life, I go to lick my wounds in the human world, but my beloved mate Tia knows that a wolf's broken spirit can heal, and there is only one true leader of our pack.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Note: Caleb is a very short werewolf action romance story with a mild heat level, moderate violence, and a HEA. This Romantic Moments story is the perfect length for a lunch break, before bed, or any time you want a quick, romantic read.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Reaching the village, Tia shouted to the nearest wolf to bring the healer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Finally we made it to our cabin where I collapsed on our bed. Tia brought a cup of water and lifted my head to help me drink. Gazing at her, I realized how much I loved her and how much of a risk she'd taken by becoming my mate. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">An aggressive howl echoed from the clearing near our cabin. This wasn't just any howl, but one of challenge for leadership of our pack.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tia's horrified, furious gaze met mine and she whispered, "Mette." Then she snarled through clenched teeth. "The coward!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'd only known real fear at one other time in my life—the day Tia and I had been attacked by hunters and she'd been lost. My fear now mingled with regret. I'd promised her a happy life, but we were about to lose it and there was nothing I could do about it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Drawing a long breath, I painfully pushed myself to a sitting position.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"You don't actually intend to fight him?" Tia demanded.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"I have to."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Author Bio:</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrwC-wyUnptsybix6Ue1rp3-0p7b5CzI2pP9ugMqQ8GMdW38mI1yw-NdoUg12SHDMuJFPN-nn58MLc6_faIoWkTkxLE9KezC1lhYJwd2prdvThkH9vGJ78NEZ6aq2NWF7ymsRH6NvmLi2qTZ8YwwnDNZaK0uJr251L6Ifhbg-hrQtfbB5CExKOMy5hdAn/s730/AuthorPhoto_KateHill2022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="730" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrwC-wyUnptsybix6Ue1rp3-0p7b5CzI2pP9ugMqQ8GMdW38mI1yw-NdoUg12SHDMuJFPN-nn58MLc6_faIoWkTkxLE9KezC1lhYJwd2prdvThkH9vGJ78NEZ6aq2NWF7ymsRH6NvmLi2qTZ8YwwnDNZaK0uJr251L6Ifhbg-hrQtfbB5CExKOMy5hdAn/s320/AuthorPhoto_KateHill2022.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kate Hill is a vegetarian New Englander who loves writing romantic fantasies. When she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, watching horror movies, and researching vampires and Viking history. She runs the Compelling Beasts Blog that is dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes, and paranormal creatures. Kate also writes as Saloni Quinby.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Visit her online at <a href="https://www.kate-hill.com">https://www.kate-hill.com</a>. Join her newsletter at <a href="https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter">https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Social Links:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Website: <a href="https://kate-hill.com/">https://kate-hill.com/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blog: <a href="https://kate-hill.com/blog/">https://kate-hill.com/blog/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Newsletter: <a href="https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter/">https://kate-hill.com/index.php/newsletter/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Hill/e/B002BLS7OW">https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Hill/e/B002BLS7OW</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BookBub: <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-hill">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-hill</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16157.Kate_Hill">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16157.Kate_Hill</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pinterest: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/katehillromancewritingandmore/_saved/">https://www.pinterest.com/katehillromancewritingandmore/_saved/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tumblr: <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katehillromancewritingandmore">https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katehillromancewritingandmore</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KateHillRomance">https://twitter.com/KateHillRomance</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-41459221085427428982023-08-15T00:30:00.022-05:002023-08-15T00:30:00.165-05:00#PreOrder TREVOR'S REDEMPTION by Amber Daulton<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm happy to welcome Amber Daulton to my blog once again. She has an upcoming release in her Arresting Onyx series. TREVOR'S REDEMPTION is Trevor and Shea's story and you can Pre-Order their story now and have it automatically delivered to your e-reader on release day, August 22, 2023. All the best, Amber!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqchMLaaMKLOkNNKy9fjwnShG89XzOpcxJsmRAtB5Hp8Z4unOA6OdAxduwTF7ibSj9ELzYLgvj9ICHax69SCAKr-j_PHKlMobLlCaebQa6zVJyvadzXPdNXLRWBWU4S7dkuKNHRSuOmfHG4aZD6B48NQIQtm8GPWLOyeNrAWSRRZBzJ9y3RsGu_b7_Q/s2400/Trevor's%20Redemption.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqchMLaaMKLOkNNKy9fjwnShG89XzOpcxJsmRAtB5Hp8Z4unOA6OdAxduwTF7ibSj9ELzYLgvj9ICHax69SCAKr-j_PHKlMobLlCaebQa6zVJyvadzXPdNXLRWBWU4S7dkuKNHRSuOmfHG4aZD6B48NQIQtm8GPWLOyeNrAWSRRZBzJ9y3RsGu_b7_Q/w266-h400/Trevor's%20Redemption.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cooking with the Bachelor</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevor isn’t a normal bachelor. Even though he’s single and lives alone, he doesn’t eat junk food, drink beer all the time, and live off on TV dinners. He cooks for himself and does a pretty good job of it. So good, in fact, that he wows his new girlfriend, Shea, right out of her panties with a home-cooked meal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But let me back up a second.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevor grew up with an abusive, big he-man of a father, but his loving mother taught him how to cook because he needed the life skill. His dad wasn’t too happy about that, to say the least. Luckily, Trevor adored his mother and continued his cooking lessons with her in secret. Once he grew up and moved out on his own, he furthered his culinary education with help from the Internet. Music and food are his hobbies, his way to unwind after a stressful day, and believe me, he has plenty of stresses in his life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fast forward to present day, Shea shows up at his apartment, soaking wet and crying. With a tornado warning in effect, she can’t leave. Not that he wants her to go. She’s had a horrible day at work and is now on administrative leave, and all Trevor wants to do is comfort her. What better way to do that than nourish her heart and belly with an open ear and a delicious meal. As they work side-by-side in the kitchen to make a chicken pasta casserole, their feelings for one another deepen. Then the power goes out. What else can they do but light some candles and fall into bed?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Want to read part of the cooking scene? Check out the excerpt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Also, I have a special gift for you. Here’s Trevor’s casserole recipe. Enjoy…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chicken Pasta Casserole</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ingredients: </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">4-6 chicken breasts (diced)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">16 oz penne noddles</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2 Tbsp white vinegar (or water/oil)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3 Tbsp butter or oil</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1 onion (peeled and diced)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1 carrot (diced)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2 green pepper (diced)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">½ cup cheese</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">croutons or cracker crumbs</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">black pepper and salt to taste</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Optional ingredients: broccoli, olive, garlic, your favorite spice</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Directions:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Heat oven to 350F. Add vinegar to large casserole dish and make sure you moisten bottom and sides. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In skillet, soften butter on medium heat. Sautée chicken until brown.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Boil pasta and all vegetables in a large pot of water for eight to ten minutes or until al dente. Drain water.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Layer dish with half the pasta-and-vegetable mixture and the chicken. Then another layer of each. Top with cheese and croutons. Add black pepper and salt to taste. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAXXuGpO8o2GFXpkV4KVvWb7MT3n5N6GkiNiKMZrk75Ph8JROJw0WM8mSzLGnjP1G6d_HR87HTGRFBrmbKt17JhgYp-vrLzy4N57VghbelqcCr8gRBAbR0iDV6M8GX1GpANZxxVYk_HjZGIkivT0Ge_8wIGwRW4bMMyQKtOniW6JvS1F5NsN3oFEBtg/s1024/Trevor's%20Redemption%20-%20banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAXXuGpO8o2GFXpkV4KVvWb7MT3n5N6GkiNiKMZrk75Ph8JROJw0WM8mSzLGnjP1G6d_HR87HTGRFBrmbKt17JhgYp-vrLzy4N57VghbelqcCr8gRBAbR0iDV6M8GX1GpANZxxVYk_HjZGIkivT0Ge_8wIGwRW4bMMyQKtOniW6JvS1F5NsN3oFEBtg/w640-h214/Trevor's%20Redemption%20-%20banner.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb, TREVOR'S REDEMPTION:</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The danger and lies are more than she can handle.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Will the truth send her running, or will she fight for the man she loves?</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He rolled his stiff shoulders and pushed aside pasta bags, crackers, and vegetable cans in the cabinets. Where were the croutons? After he checked the fridge, he pulled the cracker box off the shelf. “I usually top the casserole with croutons, but this will have to do.” He dumped the square bits of wheat into a bowl to crush.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No worries. I’m already impressed you’re not feeding me a TV dinner. A man who can cook gets top notches in my book.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He winked at her. After he drained the water, he layered the pasta-and-vegetable mixture with the chicken in a large casserole dish, topped it with crumbs and cheese, and popped it into the oven. “Come here.” He pulled her close and kissed her warm, welcoming lips. Her sweet taste rocketed through him. She twisted her fingers into his damp hair and tugged hard enough to sting his scalp. He groaned. This was real. Normal. The skanky women who flocked to him at clubs and after his gigs no longer thrilled him. Did he have a shot for something real with Shea?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She moaned into his mouth and nibbled on his lip.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tingles shot through his jaw. “Let me take care of you. I want to give you candles, music, the works.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You mean to seduce me?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I’ll only go as far as you’ll let me.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A soft noncommittal noise rumbled from her mouth. He drew her hand up and kissed her knuckles. Was she weighing the pros and cons? Would she let him treasure her as she deserved? He licked the underside of her wrist.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Oh, God.” Her breathing sharpened, her chest rising and falling faster. She clutched his biceps as he planted light kisses along her nose and brow. “Don’t stop kissing me, Trevor. I want to forget about everything, except you.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“As you wish.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Add to Goodreads – <a href="https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads">https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Check it out on BookBub – <a href="https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub">https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">PreOrder Today</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Release Day – August 22, 2023</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Only 99 cents for a limited time!</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal - <a href="https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption">https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon - <a href="https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg">https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barnes and Noble - <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">iTunes - <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746">https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kobo - <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Google Play - <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">About the Author:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPCw83YOIt2AvVNxg_7lSPSOjmCENQo8OCy9bFD27QtENsMqJASHI_6QcVURVqxInLjhy_BsAiK9nowxoETIAI9wayCARTmLhiiXTeYgvlnZmUZS71T2tm1oQy0EW9_oAWLhIjeIFx2Io1pXC-62D-f6pBbcr6fwk2Z8Yi7i8HaqD_6lC4j-bU3VF0Q/s1974/Amber%20Daulton%20(10).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPCw83YOIt2AvVNxg_7lSPSOjmCENQo8OCy9bFD27QtENsMqJASHI_6QcVURVqxInLjhy_BsAiK9nowxoETIAI9wayCARTmLhiiXTeYgvlnZmUZS71T2tm1oQy0EW9_oAWLhIjeIFx2Io1pXC-62D-f6pBbcr6fwk2Z8Yi7i8HaqD_6lC4j-bU3VF0Q/s320/Amber%20Daulton%20(10).jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Social Media:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Universal link – <a href="https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton">https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-24899936588018798072023-07-31T15:58:00.003-05:002023-07-31T15:58:35.745-05:00#NewRelease from Cynthia Terelst: TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm helping Australian romance author Cynthia Terelst celebrate the release of her newest book, TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS. It releases today, July 31, 2023. Best of luck with this book, Cynthia!</span></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3SUSK30PB1eeMBjEmiKW1XfTjOqRw-bWnmxFkK-t79LtPmeu8uMsmhOUT24xS0clSIgE_kSnNtASrFR6926NbEvM_vvo78B1LWnlbQOTjEvZY_zbHYtFit78n7The-UukbWHi2Dc0ChaILo_5KcDQ79dOaf_aKkUJorrn4vMVw-ipveBnQR4h12gdqjv/s1080/Cynthia%20Terelst.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3SUSK30PB1eeMBjEmiKW1XfTjOqRw-bWnmxFkK-t79LtPmeu8uMsmhOUT24xS0clSIgE_kSnNtASrFR6926NbEvM_vvo78B1LWnlbQOTjEvZY_zbHYtFit78n7The-UukbWHi2Dc0ChaILo_5KcDQ79dOaf_aKkUJorrn4vMVw-ipveBnQR4h12gdqjv/w400-h400/Cynthia%20Terelst.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Love can heal the scars on your heart</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lachlan</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So what if I’ve gone through four nannies in three short years? I know what’s best for my children and it’s not the nanny my mother and ex-wife have hired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Peyton may be all kinds of beautiful but she is totally unsuitable—city girl, former doctor and no experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Problem is, everybody loves her. I don’t want to feel the same; one failure at love is enough. Besides, I have a duty to my family and the farm.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Except the more I spend time with her, the more I’m drawn to her honesty and bravery. I need to remember, a farm is no place for a woman like Peyton; she will not stay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Peyton</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After an accident put an end to my surgical career, I jumped at the opportunity to be a nanny. Moving to Australia will get me away from my controlling family. It’s time I start making my own decisions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But falling for my boss is not the wisest one I could make, even if it feels right. It doesn’t hurt that his singing makes my panties melt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Everything is perfect—I feel heard and seen for the first time (and I don’t just mean my scars).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’m where I belong…until my family get involved. Then I’m left with no job and no home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now I need to make the biggest decision of all—stand up to my family, choose my happy and fight for love.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Peyton.” Lachlan’s voice aroused me from my sleep. I forced my eyes open. I was lying on the couch. Where were the kids? Lachlan reached out for the remote and turned the TV off. I must have fallen asleep during the movie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“It’s time for bed,” he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I didn’t want to move. My eyes were awake, but the rest of my body was in slumberland. My eyes wanted to follow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Do I need to carry you to bed like the kids?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I let out a soft laugh. “I’m quite a lot heavier than a child.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“You don’t think I could?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Before I could swing my legs around to sit up, Lachlan had lifted me from the couch. I yelped. Then to help him with my weight, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I breathed in grass and man. Good man, not just aftershave and cleanliness. Earth and strength.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I melded into him, swaying with every step he took. Being in his strong arms, I felt secure. I shouldn’t feel like this. But I didn’t try to jump out of his arms. What was I doing? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Show off,” I mumbled against his shoulder.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Just proving you wrong.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He walked into my room and made his way to my bed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Is it wrong to like you?” I asked. My heart beat fast in my chest. Would he think I was stupid?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He lay me down on the bed. His face was shadowed. Was he going to answer?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No, it’s not wrong.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He bent down and kissed my temple softly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Oh, the sweetness of it. I sighed. My eyes closed as my body floated in bliss. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“I like you too.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Was I dreaming?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I opened my eyes. He was gone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Link:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #216fdb; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://books2read.com/Bull?store=amazon</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Author Bio:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cynthia Terelst is an Australian author based in regional Queensland, where the sun shines 283 days a year. She is a document controls manager by day and a writer by night. Her contemporary romance novels share a little bit of history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love. Cynthia does not shy away from difficult topics, as she feels they should not be ignored.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Terelst has published seven books in her Love Down Under Series and has added short stories to multiple anthologies. She refers to her writing style as heat with heart. Her stories will leave you feeling warm and hopeful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Social Media Links:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Website <a href="https://cynthiaterelst.com/">https://cynthiaterelst.com/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Newsletter <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/p9p9y0">https://www.subscribepage.com/p9p9y0</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/">https://www.facebook.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/">https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cynthiaterelst">https://www.tiktok.com/@cynthiaterelst</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">BookBub <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cynthia-terelst">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cynthia-terelst</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon Author Page - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Terelst/e/B07ZCTX8SB/">https://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Terelst/e/B07ZCTX8SB/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Goodreads - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/cynthiaterelst">https://www.goodreads.com/cynthiaterelst</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blog <a href="http://cynthiaterelst.com/blog/">http://cynthiaterelst.com/blog/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/CynthiaTerelst">https://twitter.com/CynthiaTerelst</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Linktree - <a href="https://linktr.ee/cynthiaterelst">https://linktr.ee/cynthiaterelst</a></span></p><div><br /></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-57607943268019067932023-07-25T00:30:00.070-05:002023-07-25T00:30:00.136-05:00#NewRelease from Trevann Rodgers: WAITING FOR THE SON, LGBT Urban Fantasy <p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevann Rodgers joins me today to celebrate the release of WAITING FOR THE SON, book 3 in the Living After Midnight LGBTQ Urban Fantasy series. Best of luck with the new book, Trevann!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2_8x-pR_M3RoU4oPGhCY4FPfiG-_SXXgSLhPd4WHqZQrFOpiubychSk8bU-ga_RaIlV4m5pr5ZkjXEYopZkKY-iJj0melYVnfVAD-h2zO4am-Dk5sl3WH-7s-ZBeLlM4OK8-wzKd5-C-MyPguXNV28WXDzR_UKBE_H-nE9ghCxjYY2u0T_xVk3DzL8uE/s640/Trevann%20Rodgers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2_8x-pR_M3RoU4oPGhCY4FPfiG-_SXXgSLhPd4WHqZQrFOpiubychSk8bU-ga_RaIlV4m5pr5ZkjXEYopZkKY-iJj0melYVnfVAD-h2zO4am-Dk5sl3WH-7s-ZBeLlM4OK8-wzKd5-C-MyPguXNV28WXDzR_UKBE_H-nE9ghCxjYY2u0T_xVk3DzL8uE/w250-h400/Trevann%20Rodgers.png" width="250" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">WAITING FOR THE SON, Living After Midnight Series, Book 3</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The world is on the brink of genocide. Can an incubus rock star really be its only hope?</span></b></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cheyenne, the half-human son of the Monarch, is getting beaten up on the regular. He's also fighting with his weretiger boyfriend, holding down his gig in the city's premier nightclub, and taking care of his kids. Adulting is more complicated than he thought it would be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Someone close to the Monarch is putting the supernatural races at risk. With everyone in his inner circle under suspicion, he asks his son for help unearthing the traitor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cheyenne declines. He doesn't have the bandwidth, and politics is not his thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When his father's troubles escalate, Cheyenne has no choice but to get involved. If he succeeds, the traitor will be exposed. If he fails, his father will die, and the backstabber will be free to lift the veil of secrecy that protects them all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Waiting for the Son is the third book in the LGBTQ urban fantasy series Living After Midnight.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Warning: This book features quirky supernatural creatures, a luncheon that makes an orgy look like a made-for-TV movie and an incubus who makes you hope what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.</span></i></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The standing-room-only crowd at Underhill had been into his new songs. Guys and girls alike had been in sync with him, swaying when he swayed and smiling when he smiled. His skin tingled with all the positive energy—until a voicemail from Unakite City Elementary School sucked all the happy out of him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cheyenne thumbed off his phone and tossed it onto the sofa in his dressing room. No sense in getting agitated. He couldn't find out what new crime his kid had committed until Monday morning. So instead, he changed out of his leather and chains performance gear and into more comfortable jeans and a black tee-shirt before packing up his guitar. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His footsteps echoed as he made his way through the empty club to the alarm panel. Eric, the manager, appreciated the chance to leave early, ensuring he made it to wherever he lay to rest before the sun came up. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chey didn't like the vampire and owed him no favors. He didn't have to be the last to leave, and Eric knew it. Chey stayed when it worked for him, either because a fan-with-benefits caught his eye or he needed extra time to come down from the post-concert high. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He punched in his code and turned on the alarm. A sense of peace washed over him as the whirring of the industrial fans slowed, the florescent blue lights faded, and internal doors locked with a mechanical swoosh that reverberated throughout the cavernous building. The click-click of the alarm system started a rhythmic chant signaling it was time to leave or risk being trapped inside.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The club's rear double doors closed behind him with a clang. Underhill's parking was never adequate for the number of people attending his shows, but Cheyenne always arrived early to be sure he parked close to the building. With his history of getting jumped in alleys and parking lots, he wasn't taking any chances. At least Gre'gori, the owner, had installed adequate lighting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He headed to the Cutlass, his ever-faithful ride. She stood waiting right where he left her, dependable if not shiny and new. Not that a bit of wear and tear was a problem. It kept anyone from thinking she was worth stealing or vandalizing. One day he'd be able to afford a new ride, something bigger and fancier, but even then, he'd keep this pretty green thing, maybe give her to the kids one day so she'd stay in the family. But for now, she was all his, like his guitar, the other important inanimate object in his life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"Hey there, sweetness." He patted her roof affectionately, placed his guitar case on the passenger seat, and froze. The acrid taste of challenge and jealousy, something like burnt marshmallow and ash, assaulted his senses.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Jeeze.</i> Not again. Was the entire population of incubi out to kill him? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Buy Link:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon - <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Waiting-Son-Steamy-Fantasy-Midnight-ebook/dp/B0C9XVHZKW">https://www.amazon.ca/Waiting-Son-Steamy-Fantasy-Midnight-ebook/dp/B0C9XVHZKW</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif225Kmx1kvxZTqmwfhm591eeaLFis7Q7PMU_D0iIvFaEqMYpBp1XiQC11tvISzhqEGFELeIu4voaxJmozkWR46WnIsiCA5PfEGEy7sucHq0B8hLSo3cK5ab0DGYOKc0z1iuczfA0qQIw1tpDhh5-6FOzr4LeZ5WzqtWcu-kTESxWmA4PQsNonyqnhGgjG/s640/trevann%20rogers%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="640" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif225Kmx1kvxZTqmwfhm591eeaLFis7Q7PMU_D0iIvFaEqMYpBp1XiQC11tvISzhqEGFELeIu4voaxJmozkWR46WnIsiCA5PfEGEy7sucHq0B8hLSo3cK5ab0DGYOKc0z1iuczfA0qQIw1tpDhh5-6FOzr4LeZ5WzqtWcu-kTESxWmA4PQsNonyqnhGgjG/s320/trevann%20rogers%20logo.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Author Bio:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevann Rogers writes rock star romances, urban fantasy, and LGBT paranormal romances. Her books include HOUSE OF THE RISING SON and AFTER MIDNIGHT: The Beginning. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Her short stories appear in the anthologies Dangerous Curves Ahead: An Anthology, and Wickedly Ever After. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Each story incorporates an unquenchable addiction to music and Trevann's love for vampires, Weres, incubi and rock stars. She writes long after the sun goes down because, like these elusive creatures, she learned long ago that sometimes being yourself means Living After Midnight. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevann lives in Connecticut with Toby, her 10-year-old rescue puppy, and Lil Monkey, a sock monkey who thinks he's real but refuses to chip in on the mortgage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trevann's internet home is <a href="http://www.trevannrogers.com/about">www.trevannrogers.com/about</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Social Media:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.bookbub.com/profile/trevann-rogers">www.bookbub.com/profile/trevann-rogers</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/trevannr">www.facebook.com/trevannr</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/trevannr">www.pinterest.com/trevannr</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/trevannrogers">www.twitter.com/trevannrogers</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.trevannrogers.com/about">www.trevannrogers.com/about</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For up-to-date information about releases <a href="http://www.subscribepage.com/enter_livingaftermidnight">www.subscribepage.com/enter_livingaftermidnight</a></span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-46703038388799940822023-07-24T06:00:00.001-05:002023-07-24T06:00:00.140-05:00Booksweeps Small Town Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU916_etSEwhQsvZZB8ngGL9tG6DfWLl-nahOP36PiPXvkKNg9nDQPAgRLJ1mfSKTlXHFVzaZtKa6_jcmfWVKUq-g4hXTiVw--LmX4fm6ATk7ob7nyaeatKSjdEj5QVj75rkJQGbIfkC8GuiRrOdUrTQejHJxTwv3HIki8Y7ZeI-m7GHu6wxXkcQn7YC0l/s1200/Booksweeps%20small%20town%20group%20large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU916_etSEwhQsvZZB8ngGL9tG6DfWLl-nahOP36PiPXvkKNg9nDQPAgRLJ1mfSKTlXHFVzaZtKa6_jcmfWVKUq-g4hXTiVw--LmX4fm6ATk7ob7nyaeatKSjdEj5QVj75rkJQGbIfkC8GuiRrOdUrTQejHJxTwv3HIki8Y7ZeI-m7GHu6wxXkcQn7YC0l/w400-h209/Booksweeps%20small%20town%20group%20large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"> <b>Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you...</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">I’ve teamed up with 45+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Small Town</p><p style="text-align: center;">Romances to 2 lucky winners!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? ��</p><p style="text-align: center;">You can win my novel LIES AND SOLACE, plus books from authors like JILL SHALVIS and</p><p style="text-align: center;">LEEANNA MORGAN.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Enter the giveaway by clicking here � https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/july23-win-a-</p><p style="text-align: center;">bundle-of-small-town-romance/</p><p style="text-align: center;">Good luck and enjoy!</p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-11089108169503056172023-07-11T00:30:00.000-05:002023-07-11T00:30:00.144-05:00#NewRelease from Lisbet Sarai: BY MOONLIGHT<p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lisabet Sarai joins me today with a look at her new release, BY MOONLIGHT a lesbian historical romance. Lisabet says the inspiration for this story comes from the poem THE HIGHWAYMAN by Alfred Noyes (<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43187/the-highwayman"><span class="InternetLink">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43187/the-highwayman</span></a>) The biggest change from the poem, aside from BY MOONLIGHT being a lesbian romance, is that it has a happy ending rather than a tragic one. She made it a true romance! Welcome Lisabet!</span></i></p><p class="Normal1" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-PwYNizdBTd4-S0zJu5KYIsr49Q21xOKKSmV4ctKYpyasRFjVTFIaU_BLX58fxvnRstYtSVDjXR0xYTe9iX3ix76Mz4MD7u1Hs33iPnUmfdNgaKnSiB0e0ZTau86rtOp8tEijhr2npl9GPgwsAu_L2o7tM-6gR3-fvWSJjaQ5yZVYklE42OJ9Akg7MAh/s1200/ByMoonlightBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="1200" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-PwYNizdBTd4-S0zJu5KYIsr49Q21xOKKSmV4ctKYpyasRFjVTFIaU_BLX58fxvnRstYtSVDjXR0xYTe9iX3ix76Mz4MD7u1Hs33iPnUmfdNgaKnSiB0e0ZTau86rtOp8tEijhr2npl9GPgwsAu_L2o7tM-6gR3-fvWSJjaQ5yZVYklE42OJ9Akg7MAh/w400-h171/ByMoonlightBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b><p><i><b>Don’t Throw Anything Away</b></i></p></b></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Inspiration is fickle. One day you’ll be seized by an idea that just won’t let you go. You throw yourself into the writing, intoxicated by the process of creation, certain this will be the best book you’ve ever produced. The sentences and paragraphs flow, the story taking shape on the page almost without effort.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then, suddenly and inexplicably, the fire dies out. The magic evaporates, and you’re left to plod along, trying dutifully to complete the opus to which you’ve devoted your time, despite your doubts about its quality. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If you’re trying to make a living writing, you can’t afford to wait for the muse. You’ve got to produce. If, like me, you write primarily for the joy of the process, you may abandon the entire project when your inspiration disappears.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That’s what happened with By Moonlight. For years, I’d wanted to write an erotic tale based on the Alfred Noyes poem “The Highwayman”. One day the stars aligned. I sat down and wrote the first chapter in a couple of hours. It turned out exactly as I’d imagined it, both lyrical and arousing. I was chuffed, as my UK author friends would say, eager to push the tale forward.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The next weekend, though, when I sat down to continue, I discovered that inspiration had fled. The whole notion seemed silly. I really couldn’t force myself to write any more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So I put the barely-started tale aside and worked on something else. I always have lots of potential projects in mind, far more than my writing time allows.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That was four years ago. I’d almost forgotten By Moonlight. Then a stormy night recently reminded me of the poem, and the poem reminded me of the story. When I pulled it up and re-read it, I was freshly impressed and determined to complete it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After such a long lag, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to recreate the tone of that intense first installment. Fortunately I was able to get feedback from my online critique partners, who helped me to adjust the language and the atmosphere appropriately. All in all, I’m happy with the result. I think I’ve managed to fulfill my intentions, offering homage to the Noyes poem while twisting the story in an original (and happier) direction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The lesson here, though, is clear. If you are an author, don’t throw anything away! Keep all your snippets, all your abandoned projects, all your monuments to the departed muse.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You really never know when inspiration will return.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TNs_46Haz4B-X1Njso06x5UsyGMpBthlZgSRyz0oTtnEuUi9j8o7R2jFPb5CG-yaLNvbJNXTp_qHzpmCqHSsHOAVQS1bVs9Kne4VADUiCIx22FNtTBHxYGbbMv4XhYBPzbnGQMCtnaPmHMnKTaoDoYzdhH7ckQDLwHbRnKXsJwoDOeZA7GxYUYKF2nDb/s600/ByMoonlightCover_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TNs_46Haz4B-X1Njso06x5UsyGMpBthlZgSRyz0oTtnEuUi9j8o7R2jFPb5CG-yaLNvbJNXTp_qHzpmCqHSsHOAVQS1bVs9Kne4VADUiCIx22FNtTBHxYGbbMv4XhYBPzbnGQMCtnaPmHMnKTaoDoYzdhH7ckQDLwHbRnKXsJwoDOeZA7GxYUYKF2nDb/w266-h400/ByMoonlightCover_400.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Blurb:</span></b><p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I’ll come for you by moonlight – though Hell should bar the way</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In her eighteen years on earth, Bess has never traveled more than twenty miles from her Devonshire village. The raven-haired innkeeper’s daughter has little time to dream of adventure as she labors from dawn to dusk to keep her abusive father satisfied.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then, at the weekly market in Tavistock town, she meets a handsome dandy who claims her with a single stolen kiss. When the gallant gentleman makes a midnight visit to the inn, Bess learns that her new lover is none other than Kit Latour, a notorious French highwayman who has been boldly relieving the local nobility of their valuables. Well-aware of the risk she’s taking, Bess still offers herself to the seductive outlaw. Even Kit’s darkest secrets cannot quench the flames of her love.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She must have drowsed, despite her determination to remain on guard. She heard no hoof beats clattering in the inn yard, no tapping on the barred shutters, only a soft whistle under her window that had her instantly alert.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She leaned out, her hair spilling over the casement. “Kit!” she cried, heedless of anyone hearing. “You’ve come at last.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Well met, my fair lady.” The lithe figure below gave a little bow. “Did you doubt me?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“No doubt, my love, only fear. Your fame has spread wide. There be many who’d delight in spilling your blood.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Even more after tonight, I’ll wager. I’ve had rich takings along the high road. A fat, dyspeptic earl and his broomstick wife contributed generously to my cause.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Lord Haverstock? Oh Kit, he has the King’s ear.” She shrank back into the shadows of her bedroom, then peered anxiously into the distance. She almost expected to see His Majesty’s troops mustering on the country lane. “Why must you take such risks?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kit chuckled. “Without risk, life wouldn’t be worth living.” The bandit grasped the gnarled ivy vines that clung to the old inn and clambered up to the second floor. In moments, Bess was face to face with her beloved. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What was her Kit thinking, to ride in such finery against the wealthy and powerful? The coat was burgundy velvet, worn over a pure white linen shirt with a ruffle of lace at the throat. Supple doe-skin boots rose half-way up those strong thighs. The jeweled hilt of a dagger glittered at Kit’s waist. The hungry light in the bandit’s eyes burned brighter still.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Oh, Bess, how I’ve missed you!” Kit seized her, crushing her against the velvet, and captured her mouth. Bess pressed her soft body against her lover’s harder form, savoring the heady mixture of familiar comfort and forbidden arousal she always felt in Kit’s arms. A brazen tongue ravaged her mouth while knowing hands slipped under her shift to palm her buttocks and pull her closer still.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Take this off, girl, before I rip it from your limbs,” Kit gasped, tugging at the fabric that hid her flesh. “I cannot wait another instant.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Not so long ago she’d been a bashful virgin, but there was no shyness in her now. She pulled the garment over her head and tossed it onto the chair, shaking her long hair free. Moonlight from the window made her pale skin glow. Kit’s eyes roamed over her nakedness. She’d never felt so beautiful, or so needy.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieJ8Wzm77FOYc6D0OkQe1dc374QKW0bab4iQ_KDQARoTTLcyu51aXthgJYmiWbz04LDuK_aogNmqwGP5BJESk9U-FDPp47Epk6BoXEo14F-EZmoCwJhxVXmYmciEzFjIyt32cw0Ei-GkhSNPX78gpJ92O42J2xoheh4U-e2FvAAHWBwt7uQ68OIX4KjTc/s1080/ByMoonlightTeaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieJ8Wzm77FOYc6D0OkQe1dc374QKW0bab4iQ_KDQARoTTLcyu51aXthgJYmiWbz04LDuK_aogNmqwGP5BJESk9U-FDPp47Epk6BoXEo14F-EZmoCwJhxVXmYmciEzFjIyt32cw0Ei-GkhSNPX78gpJ92O42J2xoheh4U-e2FvAAHWBwt7uQ68OIX4KjTc/w400-h400/ByMoonlightTeaser.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Buy Links:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kinky Literature – <a href="https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1183-by-moonlight-/">https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1183-by-moonlight-/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon US – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C99C59RY">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C99C59RY</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Amazon UK – <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C99C59RY">https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C99C59RY</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Smashwords – <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1413596">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1413596</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barnes and Noble – <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/by-moonlight-lisabet-sarai/1143711659?ean=2940166073495">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/by-moonlight-lisabet-sarai/1143711659?ean=2940166073495</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kobo - <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/by-moonlight-8">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/by-moonlight-8</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Apple Books - <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6450718058">https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6450718058</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Add on Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180643788-by-moonlight">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180643788-by-moonlight</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Add on BookBub: <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/by-moonlight-by-lisabet-sarai">https://www.bookbub.com/books/by-moonlight-by-lisabet-sarai</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">About Lisabet:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (<a href="http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html">http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html</a>), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (<a href="http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com">http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com</a>), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisabet-sarai" target="_blank">BookBub</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LisabetSarai" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Join her VIP email list here: <a href="https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh">https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh</a> </span></p>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4209934041722758958.post-87966345887102711332023-06-21T05:00:00.049-05:002023-06-21T05:00:00.134-05:00RESCUE ME #onsale for #99cents!<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><b>RESCUE ME is #onsale for #99cents at Amazon from June 21-26!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEru6RdZfQwRn0UPPEGnif5QBV1VsVV985bjhb22YOj67iLp1buFiD90XrxujKfoQVar-UhjHqdHZweTEPHpjMwSsxPWXxgtc7ccoBeDn3g0NvPAe2VgJXGhJ1lg_ikvk_i7FrxjFhXJ2_1_FU3VUqeiaS6FvXWbxeBQJgV-1YQRxTEsjVffh7IN1aOw/s1080/Rescue%20Me-FB%20sale%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEru6RdZfQwRn0UPPEGnif5QBV1VsVV985bjhb22YOj67iLp1buFiD90XrxujKfoQVar-UhjHqdHZweTEPHpjMwSsxPWXxgtc7ccoBeDn3g0NvPAe2VgJXGhJ1lg_ikvk_i7FrxjFhXJ2_1_FU3VUqeiaS6FvXWbxeBQJgV-1YQRxTEsjVffh7IN1aOw/w400-h400/Rescue%20Me-FB%20sale%203.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Blurb:</b></span></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea Andrews can’t decide who’s more dangerous—the creep on the Toronto city bus, or the handsome stranger who rescues her. Was he acting as he claimed, or is he that weird in real life? She doesn’t stick around to find out. Fate intervenes when her rescuer, out of work actor Matt Malone, sublets the apartment across the hall. Chelsea soon discovers the most dangerous thing about her charming new neighbor is the damage he’s inflicting on her heart.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Or is it? Soon after Matt moves in, creepy unsigned romantic notes begin showing up at the art gallery where she works. Then she’s followed home from the bus stop late one night, and sentimental keepsakes go missing from her apartment. Though all the evidence points to Matt, Chelsea doesn’t want to believe the funny, sincere man she’s falling in love with could be the culprit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt is at a crossroads. He’s given up a lot for his acting career and it’s given him little in return. Should he continue? When he moves in across the hall from Chelsea, he begins to believe he could have it all, love and career. But those hopes are dashed when he discovers what she believes he’s capable of.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea must decide whether Matt is the man of her dreams or her worst nightmare. And Matt has to decide what, and who, is truly important to him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Excerpt:</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Megan tugged on Matt’s hand. “Come on, Matt, you promised you’d sing for me. My favorite. Remember?”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea turned to stare at Matt, surprised. He could sing? The man was full of surprises.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt kissed Megan’s cheek with obvious affection. “How can you say no to a pregnant woman?”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea watched as he hopped up onto the stage and spoke to his father and the other musicians. A moment later he picked up the microphone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“My sister asked me to sing and said if I didn’t, she’d give birth right here on the dance floor. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to see that.” When everyone quit laughing, he continued. “This is one of my favorite songs, and even though Robbie Burns wasn’t Irish, I’m going to sing it anyway.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matt’s father played the introduction to the song, the sound of his fiddle so sweet it would make the angels weep. And then Matt sang.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“My love is like a red, red rose,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That’s newly sprung in June:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My love is like the melodie</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That’s sweetly played in tune.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chelsea sat transfixed, barely breathing. Matt’s rich tenor swept over her, embracing and enveloping her with its warmth. The words struck a chord somewhere deep in her soul.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="goog_199764462"><br /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY</a></span></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></p></div></div>Jana Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624650840243322617noreply@blogger.com0