#NewRelease from Tena Stetler!

Fellow Wild Rose Press author Tena Stetler is my guest today. She's here to give us a peek at her new book, A WITCHES' JOURNEY, part of the Lobster Cove series. All the books in the Lobster Cove series are set in the fictional town of Lobster Cove, Maine, and they can be historical, paranormal like Tena's, or contemporary, like my contribution to the series, One More Second Chance. Please welcome Tena Stetler!

Blurb:
Pepper McKay comes from a long line of powerful witches. Unfortunately, magic brings her nothing but trouble. She learned the love of wildlife rescue and rehab from her Aunt Ashling. After graduating from college, Pepper works for Salem Wildlife Sanctuary and lives from paycheck to paycheck until she inherits the McKay property in Lobster Cove. With the family land and resources, she dares to dream of starting her own wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.

Lathen Quartz, a former Navy SEAL turned handyman maintains the enchanted McKay property for the McKay estate. But someone is trying to steal the McKay magic. Lathen offers to help Pepper achieve her life-long dream of building a wildlife center. During the long hours spent together on the project, their mutual attraction can’t be denied. But each harbors a deep, dark secret. Will they overcome their demons and give love a chance?

Excerpt:
Pepper hopped out of the truck and took a deep breath. The ocean breeze brought a mixed scent of brine, sand, sun and kelp. Seabirds whistled and screeched through the air diving into the white crested waves, proudly emerging with dinner. Turning her attention to the land, she noticed beyond the barn, the pond was still there, even a bit bigger than she remembered. Caught up in the smells, sights, and sounds, she didn't hear someone approach.

"Ms. McKay?"

"Sssshit," she yelped and whirled around to see a muscular man, well over six feet, with surfer blond hair nearly to his shoulders, tousled by the ocean breeze. Rounding the corner of the cabin, he waved at her as he approached walking with a slight limp. Deeply tanned, he appeared to spend a lot of time outdoors.

"I'm Lathen Quartz. Glad you made it before dark. The road up here can be treacherous after dark if you don't know where you're going.  I finished up the enclosed aviary and was getting ready to leave. But now that you're here, I'd be happy to show you around. Help you get settled."

"Pepper McKay, call me Pepper." Extending her hand towards him, she met his gaze. His large aquamarine eyes were mesmerizing, set above the high cheekbones, full lips and a butterscotch five o'clock shadow. She gave her head a shake. "Wait. You built an aviary?"

He shook her hand and smiled, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocking back on his heels.

Buy Links: 

Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B01F0LRJ7U

The Wild Rose Press: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4349-a-witch-s-journey.html?search_query=A+Witch%27s+Journey&results=2

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-witch-s-journey-1

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-witchs-journey-tena-stetler/1123770497?ean=2940158155598

All Romance Books:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html


About the Author:

Tena Stetler is a paranormal romance and cozy mystery author with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, Tena sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of paranormal creatures telling her their tales. Colorado is her home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-year-old box turtle.  Any winter evening, you can find her curled up in front of a crackling fire with a good book, a mug of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn.  During the summer, hiking, camping and a campfire with good book keep her occupied. And of course ooey gooey S’mores.

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.tenastetler.com
Blog: http://www.tenastetler.com/my-blog
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/TenaStetler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler
The Wild Rose Press: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/1264_tena-stetler
Amazon:  www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler/

Boosting the Signal with Angela Highland

I'm at Angela Highland's blog "Boosting the Signal" about my contemporary romance ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. I'm doing something I've never done before. I've asked my heroine from OMSC, Julia Stewart, to tell us, in her own words, what's going on in her life, especially the things that challenge her and scare her. She really opened up so I hope you enjoy her story.

http://www.angelahighland.com/2015/08/21/boosting-the-signal-one-more-second-chance-by-jana-richards/

And -- drum roll please! -- ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE (ebook version) goes on sale for .99 cents today! It will be at the following fine e-retailers:

The Wild Rose Press

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Bookstrand

All Romance eBooks

iBooks

Google Play

The sale lasts until September 4!

#LASR_Anniv Scavenger Hunt - One More Second Chance

I'm participating in the Long and Short Reviews 8th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt from now until August 28. There are some fabulous prizes to be won, including a $100 Amazon or B & N gift card, gift cards from several publishers, ebooks and other prizes. All you have to do is to tweet or comment or answer some easy questions. I'm featuring my contemporary romance ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE, which will be on sale for .99 cents (ebook version) between August 21 and September 4. I'd love for you to join me! Check me out at the LASR 8th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt.

Last Day of my Blog Tour!

Today is the last day of my excerpt blog tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. I want to thank Marianne and Judy from Goddess Fish for setting up this tour. And to all the blog owners who hosted me, thank you for your hospitality!

The last stop on the tour is at Long and Short Reviews. The winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card will be announced shortly.

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is part of the Lobster Cove series, a multi-author, multi-genre series from The Wild Rose Press.

Day Nine of My Excerpt Tour!

Just two more days and two new excerpts left in my blog tour! Today I'm at Read Your Writes Book Reviews. Please stop by and say hello!

Day 8 of my Blog Tour!

Just three days left in my tour! To read excerpts from the rest of the tour, check out all the posts at my News and Appearances Page!

Today I'm visiting Booklover Sue blog with a new excerpt. I hope you enjoy it!

Two New Excerpts Today!

I'm excited to show you two new excerpts from ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE! Today's stops are at:

Books and Other Spells

Sultry, Steamy Reading

 One participant will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Enjoy!

Day Five: ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE Excerpt Tour!

It may be Friday the 13th, but I think it's going to be a lucky day! Please join me at Romance Novel Giveaways for a new excerpt from ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE.

Don't forget that one participant on my tour wins a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Today's Excerpt for ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE!

Today's new excerpt is featured at Unabridged Andra's. 

Did you know that ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is part of the Lobster Cove Series from The Wild Rose Press? For more information on this multi-author, multi-genre series, click here.

Day Three: New Excerpt for ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE

Just one stop today on my excerpt tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. I hope you enjoy this snippet

from ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE at Yeah! Books!

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE releases tomorrow!

Tomorrow's the day ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE releases! Yay! I've been waiting a long time, and I'm thrilled this book is finally entering the world. Here's a blurb:

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.

Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

Excerpt:

“What did the x-ray find?” she asked.

“A spiral fracture of the right arm.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions. “I’ve seen this kind of injury before. A fracture like this can be the result of a fall, but it can also be an indication of child abuse. An arm as small as Ava’s will break like a twig if it’s twisted hard enough. I’m obligated to contact the authorities if I suspect abuse.”

Julia stared at him in mute shock, her brain struggling to process his words, as if trying to translate some unintelligible language. The words child abuse rang in her ears. Finally she found her voice.

“You think someone deliberately hurt her?”

“Her injuries are consistent with abuse.”

“I don’t give a damn what they’re consistent with. Ava has not been mistreated. My mother said she fell down the stairs, and if that’s what she said, then that’s what happened.”

“I believe there’s more to the story than a simple fall.”

“If it comes down to believing you or believing my mother, I’m going with my mother.”

“Perhaps you don’t know your mother as well as you think you do.”

Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. Campbell’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her…

She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange, since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five-year-old was too much for her.

No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. Campbell was the one who was wrong.

“I know my mother. She didn’t do this. It was an accident.”

“We’ll soon find out. Sharon is questioning Ava now.”

Julia stared at the door. “She’ll be scared, all by herself.”

“Sharon’s very good at what she does. She has a way of making kids feel comfortable.”

Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “And you? Do you enjoy upsetting five-year-olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”

“Look, Mrs. Stewart, I take no pleasure in bringing in the authorities. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal, and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things parents and caregivers are capable of doing to defenseless children…”

He stopped abruptly, his chest heaving. Closing his eyes, he averted his face and took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.”

Tomorrow I'll be all over the Internet with a Bewitching Tours Book Blitz. Starting Monday, February 9 I'm beginning a two week excerpt tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. As well, I'm visiting with writer friends to celebrate my new release through the month of February. A complete schedule of stops is on my News and Appearances page here on the blog.

Would you like news of contests and my new releases? Join my newsletter! If you join today you have a chance to win a $10 Amazon card by entering a contest exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. Sign up here and you'll receive details about the contest in your inbox tomorrow. Thanks!

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE can be purchased at the following retailers:

The Wild Rose Press ~ Amazon ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Chapters/Indigo ~ Bookstrand ~ ARe

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE coming soon!

I'm very excited about my new contemporary romance which releases on February 6, 2015. ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is now available for pre-order! Yay! You can order your ecopy from Amazon.

Here's a blurb:

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.

Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

Excerpt:

“What did the x-ray find?” she asked.

“A spiral fracture of the right arm.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions. “I’ve seen this kind of injury before. A fracture like this can be the result of a fall, but it can also be an indication of child abuse. An arm as small as Ava’s will break like a twig if it’s twisted hard enough. I’m obligated to contact the authorities if I suspect abuse.”

Julia stared at him in mute shock, her brain struggling to process his words, as if trying to translate some unintelligible language. The words child abuse rang in her ears. Finally she found her voice.

“You think someone deliberately hurt her?”

“Her injuries are consistent with abuse.”

“I don’t give a damn what they’re consistent with. Ava has not been mistreated. My mother said she fell down the stairs, and if that’s what she said, then that’s what happened.”

“I believe there’s more to the story than a simple fall.”

“If it comes down to believing you or believing my mother, I’m going with my mother.”

“Perhaps you don’t know your mother as well as you think you do.”

Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. Campbell’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her…

She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange, since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five-year-old was too much for her.

No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. Campbell was the one who was wrong.

“I know my mother. She didn’t do this. It was an accident.”

“We’ll soon find out. Sharon is questioning Ava now.”

Julia stared at the door. “She’ll be scared, all by herself.”

“Sharon’s very good at what she does. She has a way of making kids feel comfortable.”

Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “And you? Do you enjoy upsetting five-year-olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”

“Look, Mrs. Stewart, I take no pleasure in bringing in the authorities. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal, and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things parents and caregivers are capable of doing to defenseless children…”

He stopped abruptly, his chest heaving. Closing his eyes, he averted his face and took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.”

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is part of the Lobster Cove series from The Wild Rose Press. I hope you'll order your ecopy from Amazon today!

Round 2 - A Visit to Lobster Cove, Maine

I'm excited to offer a taste of a new series from The Wild Rose Press. Lobster Cove is a sleepy little coastal town on Mount Desert Island in Maine. But all kinds of strange and wonderful things happen there! The two contributions to the series featured here happen to be of a paranormal/fantasy nature, but the series features books of varying lengths in all romance genres. To date we have contemporary romance, suspense, historical and of course, paranormal/fantasy. My own contribution to the series is called ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. It's a full-length contemporary romance and will be released in the near future. Here's a blurb:

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda —finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia Stewart, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

Here's two great offerings from the Lobster Cove series. You're going to love them!


A Ghost of a Clue by Debra Doggett

Rory DuMont has had enough of hiding the fact that she sees ghosts. Lobster Cove is a new start and she's determined to shed the mistakes of the past. If that means she ends up alone then so be it. What she can't seem to shed is Travis Reed, Lobster Cove's resident skeptic and biology teacher. Sparks fly when the skeptic and the psychic find themselves alone together but the sparks turn into flames when a ghost takes a personal interest in them.

Buy Link from The Wild Rose Press      

Length: Novella

Heat Level: Spicy

Amazon Author Page




The Shucker's Boutique by J.C. McKenzie

After her fiancé dumps her and her beloved Aunt Jenny goes missing, Willa Eklund travels to Lobster Cove with a broken heart to search for Jenny while running her bookstore. When a mysterious man visits the Shucker's Booktique on a stormy night drenched in rain and covered in mud, Willa's heart melts under his stormy gaze. She wants Lon and the answers he may have, but he also has a secret. Can Willa trust him?

 Lon Devlin is a Tempest, a water sprite who can only take a human form during stormy nights. He rides the waves, lives by the tides, and nothing can hold him down, not even a beautiful woman. When he visits his mortal friend, he discovers she's missing and her intriguing niece has taken her place. He wants Willa, but he also wants answers. What happened to Jenny?

The Wild Rose Press Buy Link          Length: Short story

J.C. McKenzie's website                    Heat level: Spicy


To give you an idea what all the ebooks in the giveaway are like, I've given some guidelines about the heat level and length of each ebook. In explanation:

Sweet - No fully described sex scenes. If sex occurs, it happens behind closed doors.
Spicy - One or more sex scene. PG13.
Sizzling hot - Fully described sex scenes using frank language.

This is the way I'm describing the length of the books:
Full-length - over 50,000 words
Novella - between 5,000 and 49,999 words
Short Story - under 5,000 words

Next up in one hour: something special from Regency Historical author Mary Balogh!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Sneak Peek Sunday Look at ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE

Great to be back at Sneak Peek Sunday! Today I want to share a short scene from my soon to be released contemporary romance from The Wild Rose Press, set in the fictional town of Lobster Cove, Maine. ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is part of a multi-author, multi-romance genre series to take place in the quaint Maine island town. Here's my blurb:

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda —finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia Stewart, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

In this scene, Julia and Alex meet when she rushes her five-year-old daughter Ava to the emergency room. Alex questions whether Ava's injuries are the result of a simple fall. Here's my six paragraph sneak peek:

Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. Campbell’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her… 

She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange, since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five-year-old was too much for her. 

No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. Campbell was the one who was wrong. 

Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “Do you enjoy upsetting five-year-olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”

“Look, Mrs. Stewart, I take no pleasure in bringing in the authorities. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal, and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things parents and caregivers are capable of doing to defenseless children…” 

He stopped abruptly, his chest heaving. Closing his eyes, he averted his face and took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.” 

I'll let you know when I have cover art and a release date for ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. Happy Sunday!

Check out more great sneak peeks http://sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.ca

A New Cover & a New Release!

I have a brand new cover and I'm tickled pink about it! My publishers at The Wild Rose Press have created a wonderful new cover for my previously released book FLAWLESS, a World War Two romantic suspense novella. Here it is!

Isn't it beautiful? I am absolutely thrilled about it. FLAWLESS can be purchased at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, and other e-book retailers. For a complete list of buy links, check out my website at www.janarichards.com. I hope I can tempt you with a blurb from FLAWLESS:

France, 1942.  The world is at war. The Nazis have stolen the infamous blue diamond, Le Coeur Bleu, intending to barter it for weapons that will destroy the Allies. Jewel thief Hunter Smith is given a choice; help the French Resistance steal back the diamond and avenge the death of his best friend, or stay locked up in an English prison. He chooses revenge.

Resistance fighter Madeleine Bertrand’s husband died when he was betrayed by Hunter Smith. How can she now pretend to be married to the arrogant American? How can she betray Jean Philippe’s memory by her passionate response to Hunter’s kisses? Neither is prepared for the maelstrom of attraction that erupts between them. To survive they must uncover the mysteries of the past and conquer the dangers of the present. But first Madeleine must decide if her loyalties lie with her dead husband and the Resistance or with the greatest love of her life.

To celebrate this beautiful new cover, I'm having a contest. I'm giving away two (2) PDF copies of FLAWLESS. To enter my contest, simply like my Facebook Page, follow me on Goodreads, follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Google+, sign up to receive my blog posts in your inbox, or leave a comment on this post. Let me know what you've done by dropping me a line at jana.richards@hotmail.com to make sure I don't miss any of your entries. Every like or follow gives you an entry in the contest. Your chances of winning depend on the number of entries received. I'll pick two winners at random from all entries received on Thursday, June 5. The names of the winners will be posted on this blog. Good luck!

And in other news...
I'm pleased to announce that I have sold another book to The Wild Rose Press. Yay! This book, a full-length contemporary romance, is part of TWRP's new series, set in the fictional small town of Lobster Cove, Maine. This multi-author series is unique in that all the books will take place in Lobster Cove, but they can be any romance genre across all TWRP's lines, including romantic suspense and historical. It's going to be an exciting series!

My book is tentatively titled ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. As yet, there is no release date. Here's a blurb:

Dr. Alex McKenzie has a plan – finish his contract to provide medical services in Lobster Cove, Maine, pay off some of his massive medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets fiery Julia Stewart all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy. 

Julia Stewart swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and Lobster Cove is where she wants to raise her five year old daughter. When her mother’s illness bring her and the big city doctor closer together, she panics. Her marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Can this high school principal put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

In this excerpt, Julia and Alex first meet when her daughter Ava is injured and she has to rush her to the ER. Alex doesn't believe her injuries result from an accident. It's not the best way for two people to meet:

“What did the x-ray find?” she asked.

“A spiral fracture of the right arm.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions. “I’ve seen this kind of injury before. A fracture like this can be the result of a fall, but it can also be an indication of child abuse. An arm as small as Ava’s will break like a twig if it’s twisted hard enough. I’m obligated to contact the authorities if I suspect abuse.”

Julia stared at him in mute shock, her brain struggling to process his words, as if trying to translate some unintelligible language. The words child abuse rang in her ears. Finally she found her voice.

“You think someone deliberately hurt her?”

“Her injuries are consistent with abuse.”

“I don’t give a damn what they’re consistent with. Ava has not been mistreated. My mother said she fell down the stairs, and if that’s what she said, then that’s what happened.”

“I believe there’s more to the story than a simple fall.”

“If it comes down to believing you or my mother, I’m going with my mother.”

“Perhaps you don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. McKenzie’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her…

She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five year old was too much for her.

No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. McKenzie was the one who was wrong.

“I know my mother. She didn’t do this. It was an accident.”

“We’ll soon find out. The social worker is questioning Ava now.”

Julia stared at the door. “She’ll be scared all by herself.”

“Sharon’s very good at what she does. She has a way of making kids feel comfortable.”

Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “And you? Do you enjoy upsetting five year olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”

“Trust me, I don’t take any pleasure in upsetting either one of you. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things adults are capable of doing to defenseless children—“

He stopped abruptly, his lips clamping shut in a thin, angry line. Averting his gaze, he took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.”

I hope you enjoyed the blurb and excerpt for ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE. Watch your inbox for updates and more contests. Have a wonderful summer!