The Star Survivor by Veronica Scott

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Cindy Woolf

Thank you Veronica for being my first guest for 2017.

Thanks for having me as your guest and I’m honored to kick off 2017 here at your blog!

My latest science fiction romance novel is Star Survivor and has actually been the sequel most often requested by my readers. It’s a wonderful compliment to be asked for sequels but I also wanted to be sure I got it right and did justice to the two characters my readers were intrigued by.

Twilka and Khevan were secondary characters in Wreck of the Nebula Dream, the book I wrote based on the sinking of the Titanic, but set in the far future on an interstellar spaceliner. People definitely wanted to know what happened to them next. This new book is a standalone story but having read Wreck first might enhance the reader enjoyment a bit. It’s not a spoiler to say Twilka, the heroine in this new book, is definitely a survivor, not only of the wreck, but also of other events in her life. She’s stronger than she ever understood.

It took me a while to work out what the future would have held for Khevan and Twilka once they finally escaped the dying ship in the first book. I came up with a couple of romantic suspense type plots but nothing seemed right and I kept setting the project aside. So in mid-2016, I took a step back to reconsider. One of my jumping off points for this story was the realization that a person will probably only ever have one “Titanic” type of event in their entire life. (Certain real crew members of the Titanic were an exception to the general rule but that’s another story for sure). Life goes on and although the person has undoubtedly been shaped and altered by what they lived through on the fateful night, he or she still has to finish living out an ordinary human existence.

So I thought about what changes surviving the catastrophic wreck of the Nebula Dream would have made to someone like Twilka – rich, carefree and previously sheltered from consequences – and then how she’d go on afterward. I looked into the stories of real Titanic First Class passengers who survived the sinking and what they did next, which was interesting and illuminating, as far as choices for Twilka. You asked me about one of my character’s strengths and one of her weaknesses – Twilka is extremely strong as a person and refuses to ever accept defeat. She keeps fighting. Her father is a “generational billionaire” with many children by a number of wives, and I think the reader can infer Twilka has always had to fight to be ‘seen’ and to get her share of attention, time and resources. Her original weakness in Wreck of the Nebula Dream was expecting her social status and riches to solve any problem. Now that she knows better, her weakness is her lingering love for Khevan. Needless to say, things did not go smoothly for them as a couple after the end of Wreck. Or we’d have no story to tell!

The hero in this book is Khevan, the D’nvannae Brother – he’s sworn to serve an alien goddess, as either a bodyguard or a deadly assassin, at the whim of his Red Lady. At the end of Wreck, he and Twilka were together…but again, I had to consider what might have happened to him after the first few weeks of relief at surviving. His weakness is that he can only think of protecting Twilka, no matter the cost to himself, and so he makes decisions without her input on matters that very much affect her. It’s not that he doesn’t respect her or think highly of her abilities. He’s been so shaped by his responsibilities and experiences as a D’nvannae Brother that he can only see one path in any situation. His strength is that he’s a highly trained killer and no one is going to assassinate Twilka while he’s on the job.

One of your standard questions for guests is about what’s most difficult to write – characters, conflict or emotions. Star Survivor has all three elements of course, but for me the characters themselves are the bedrock foundation of any story and their emotions will then direct how the conflicts get resolved. I tend to write an external conflict underlying the plot which puts my characters in a situation where they have to make choices and take action – a lot of action! I’m not a plotter, by which I mean I start off knowing who my characters are, the beginning and the ending of the book, and a few major scenes along the way. Nothing more than that. Then I dive into the writing and let the characters tell me the details of what happens next as I go along. Sometimes the twists and turns will surprise even me!

Here’s the story of Star Survivor:

The survivors of a terrible wreck meet again—but this time only one can survive.

They survived an iconic spaceship wreck together. She never expected to see him again … especially not armed to kill her.

Twilka Zabour is an interstellar celebrity. She built on her notoriety as a carefree Socialite who survived the terrible wreck of the Nebula Dream, and launched a successful design house. But now the man who gave meaning to her life, then left her, is back–this time for the worst of reasons. Will he kill her … or help her survive?

D’nvannae Brother Khevan survived the Nebula Dream in the company of a lovely, warm woman, only to be pulled away from her, back into his solitary life in the service of the Red Lady. Now Twilka’s within his reach again–for all the wrong reasons. Khevan will do everything within his power to discover why Twilka has been targeted for assassination, and to save her.

But Khevan is not Twilka’s only pursuer. Will allies Nick and Mara Jameson arrive in time to aid the couple, or will Khevan and Twilka’s ingenuity be all that stands between them and death?

And a very short excerpt for you:

The dreams she couldn’t escape for long were especially bad tonight. Twilka tossed and turned on the huge bed in the city’s most luxurious hotel, more than a little afraid to seek more sleep. She’d clawed her way out of the nightmare where she was surrounded by laughing, faceless drunks, intent on living their last few hours of life aboard the Nebula Dream by passing her around among themselves. In the dream, there was no help coming, no rescue, and she woke screaming. Heart pounding, she lay still for a moment before reaching for the glass of water at the bedside. Should she take the meds her doctor had given her to suppress the memories?

No, the prescription stuff made her into a robot who’d sleepwalk through tomorrow’s activities, and she needed all her wits about her in the negotiations. Taking the glass, she kicked her way free of the covers and strolled barefoot to the private terrace, high above the planet’s surface. Inhaling a deep breath of the flower-scented air, she took one tentative step onto the balcony, clutching the door handle with her free hand. Acrophobia was a bitch. As she sipped the water, she reflected on the irony that she, of all people, was reluctant to take a drug to quell the nightmares. “A legal one no less,” she muttered to herself. After years of enjoying all the feelgoods all the time with no regard for consequences.

The view of the city was breathtaking, all colorful twinkly lights at this hour. Raising her eyes to the plateau, she took a deep breath. The Red Lady’s oversize temple dominated the horizon, glowing ruby like a baleful eye. Shivering, wishing she’d put on her robe, Twilka pivoted to re-enter the room. With a stifled scream, she saw a dark shadow standing beside the bed. Breaking the water glass on the door frame and holding the jagged base fragment as a weapon, she said, “I’ve activated my personal panic button. The hotel’s security detail will be here in a minute. Leave now and I won’t press charges.”

He stepped into the moonlight. “We need to talk. Cancel the alarm.”

Khevan. She sagged against the balcony door, allowing the broken glass to roll from her hand onto the carpet. “I told you, we have nothing left to discuss. Anything between us died a long time ago.”

There was pounding on the door. “Miss Zabour?”

He didn’t even glance at the portal, intent on her. “Send them away.”

What’s next for me? I’m currently writing the sequel to Star Cruise: Stowaway, which was a novella that appeared in the Pets In Space anthology. Then I haven’t decided what next, although I will say more sequel ideas for Twilka and Khevan keep coming to me now!

Author Bio and Links:

Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happy Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

Three time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job, not her romances! She recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”

Blog: https://veronicascott.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vscotttheauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Scott/177217415659637?ref=hl

Star Survivor Buy Links:

iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble

A Visit with Paul Lima

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

How did you get started writing?

I’ve been writing since I was 14. I’m 62 now and have been a professional writer for the last 30-plus years.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write non-fiction books about business, promotional, article and social media writing and the business of freelance writing. I also have published a book of short stories. You can read about my books online at http://www.paullima.com/books/.

What is your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part of writing is the writing. I’ve often said I could write about anything as long as I got to write! I’ve been a journalist, a business writer, an advertising copywriter and a fiction writer. I simply love to write.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

My least favorite part of writing is spelling and grammar. Yes, I’ve been a professional writer for over 30 years but spelling and the rules of grammar still manage to baffle me at times. So I edit and proofread very carefully. But then I believe every writer should edit and proofread carefully.

How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?

I don’t spend a heck of a lot of time promoting my books. Several of them are used as university textbooks, so they sell every semester. Having said that, I blog about the business of freelance writing and use social media to promote my blog, which promotes my business of freelance writing books.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

I really enjoy self-publishing. It has been a learning curve, producing print of demand (POD) and e-books, but I tend to embrace technology and have enjoyed the learning process. In fact, I have formatted POD and e-books for several business clients who wanted books out there.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can have fun learning how to self-publish. If you are not, there are people out there who will do it for you, for a price. That will let you focus on the writing and promotion of your book.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

If you are an aspiring author, don’t let the technology and self-publishing process interfere with the writing process. In other words, you can’t self-publish until you have written something, so focus on the writing. Complete your book, including the editing and proofreading. Then start to think about self-publishing. In short, there is an order to this. And writing comes first!

BIO

Based in Toronto, Ontario, freelance writer and business-writing trainer Paul Lima has been a professional writer and writing instructor for over 25 years. He writes case studies, media releases, brochures, sales letters, web content, S blog posts, proposals and reports and conducts business writing, e-mail writing, proposal and report writing, copywriting and writing for the web seminars. He is the author of a dozen books on business writing, copywriting, freelance writing and other related topics. You can learn more online at www.paullima.com.

Candleglow and Mistletoe by Josie Riviera

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Blurb for Candleglow and Mistletoe:

Noelle Wentworth doesn’t mind getting away from St. Augustine to fill in at her ailing aunt’s candle shop. A few weeks in Snowing Rock will help her get past the humiliating memory lapse that ruined an important piano concert—and, ultimately, her marriage to her overbearing duet partner.

She’s mentally rehearsing for her comeback performance when the bus she’s riding in slides off an icy mountain road.
And one deep, calming voice emerges from the confusion to slow her racing heart—right before his ruggedly handsome face kicks it back into allegro.

Gabe Waters is usually prepared for anything—as a professional stuntman, his life depends on it—but nothing prepared him for Noelle, the unattainable high school crush whose bravery saved him from more than just a bully’s flying fist. There’s no hint she recognizes him, but Gabe knows that face, those eyes…and he sees something that wasn’t there before. Distrust and apprehension.

Their unexpected attraction kindles something as warm and sweet as a holiday candle. But the weight of their pasts could turn the promise of love to ashes.

Buy link on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Candleglow-Mistletoe-Josie-Riviera-ebook/dp/B01MAWD8Z6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1479411335&sr=1-1&keywords=candleglow+and+mistletoe+josie+riviera

Universal buy link on Apple, Nook and Kobo:

https://www.books2read.com/u/4jKA9l

Video of I Love You More

Author bio:

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband.They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and an old house forever needing renovations.

Social media:

“Like” her Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Josie.Riviera
https://www.facebook.com/Josie.Riviera/

Connect with her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010936808977

Follow her on twitter: @josieriviera
https://twitter.com/Josieriviera

PInterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/josieriviera/

I also have a video for Candleglow and Mistletoe. Here’s the youtube link:

https://youtu.be/ZDd7NM7Psco

In the Court of Love and Loss by Jenna Ives

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Cynthia!

Readers of science-fiction romance, futuristic time travel, or fans of strong heroines may be interested in my new book, In The Court Of Love And Loss. I’ll be giving away a free e-copy of at the end of this blog post!

Here’s a little synopsis:

As Mistress of Justice on the planet Sirene, Kyrie is able to judge an accused person’s guilt or innocence with a mere touch. Her unique gift makes her invaluable to the planet’s dictatorial leader, Galen, but Kyrie is dying. Abandoned as a child by her people, the Ouri, when they mysteriously fled Sirene, she’s grown up among the planet’s “other” race. Now, at age twenty-five, she must find an Ourian to mate with or die. Except there are no other Ourians on the planet.

Proteus is sent back to Sirene to rescue a five-year-old child accidentally left behind when he and all the Ouri fled the threat of uprising. But through a trick of time, what he finds instead on his return is an Ourian woman he is forbidden by law to mate with, even if it means saving her life. And when the autocratic Galen forces Proteus to sexually service Kyrie, Proteus uses every trick at his disposal to keep her alive, all while plotting their escape.

Galen and Proteus are desperate to save Kyrie for very different reasons–but they both know the fate of the planet depends on her survival.

This novel is full of secrets and lies, surprising twists and unexpected revelations, with a strong heroine whose fierce loyalty to her sense of right and wrong forces her to make hard sacrifices for the good of her world. And they are choices which affect her own life in profoundly shattering ways.

If you are a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, you will enjoy this book!

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“I can’t leave here, Proteus.”

“What?” Proteus crossed the short distance to where Kyrie was sitting.

She looked up at him, a plea in her eyes. “I appreciate that you were sent back here to rescue me. Believe me, after twenty years of wondering why I’d been abandoned when the Ouri fled, it was a relief to know I was not intentionally left behind. But if I can save even one innocent person from Galen’s false accusations—from his wrath—then this is my purpose. My destiny. I help these people, Proteus. I can’t leave here.”

“Kyrie, you are Sirene’s princess, the future of this planet. And now the woman I love. It is my fault you were left behind during the Ourian evacuation, and it is my duty to return you to your people. But there is still much you don’t know. About Galen. About your own people. You must come with me.”

“No. I made a promise to Galen that I would not leave Sirene.”

Proteus smiled. “You won’t have to leave Sirene to be reunited with the Ouri, Princess, because they are still here.”

“What? Where? No one has seen an Ourian on Sirene for the last two decades!”

“Exactly,” Proteus agreed. “And the reason for that involves a trick of time.”

Sound interesting? If you’d like to read more, In The Court Of Love And Loss is available at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N63TY5Z/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479256852&sr=8-4&keywords=jenna+ives

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss-jenna-ives/1125150547?ean=9781682522592

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss/id1176691132?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-inthecourtofloveandloss-2173620-143.html

LooseId Publishing: http://www.loose-id.com/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss.html?___SID=U

For a chance to win an e-copy of the book, answer this question: What is the name of the antagonist of In The Court Of Love And Lost? Leave your email with your answer in the Comments section J One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

A little about me:

I’m an award-winning author who writes for several publishers under a variety of names, but mainly it’s to protect my poor sainted mother (who used to read sweet Harlequin novels) from discovering how sexy modern romances have become! I love to tango, travel and I’m obsessed with the Rolling Stones, travelling to different cities and countries around the world to see them play. You can visit my website at www.jennaives.com or my blog at http://www.fierceromance.blogspot.com. Or connect with me on Twitter @JennaIvesAuthor or on Facebook, Goodreads or Pinterest.

Thanks again for hosting me today, Cynthia!

ALL THINGS HISTORICAL by Cindy Nord

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Thanks so much to Cynthia Wolf for her gracious invitation to return as today’s guest to her blog. You know me…I love to chat about ALL THINGS HISTORICAL and this visit is no exception. I’ll share a bit about me, my USA Today ‘recommended read’ love stories, as well as a lil’ tidbit in regards to the time period I love so much: The Victorian Era. A well-bred woman from the mid-1800s was called ‘The Household General’, which is a term coined in 1861 by Isabella Beeton in her manual “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management”. Accordingly, she explained “…the mistress of a household is comparable to the commander of an army. To run a respectable house and secure the happiness, comfort and well-being of her family she must perform her duties intelligently and thoroughly.” Although Mrs. Beeton died in 1865, her book continued to be a best-seller that was well-loved by her upper class readers who had a large complement of domestics. And yet, even with these daily accountabilities, a well-bred Victorian lady still had time to enjoy all manner of pastimes. Other than, of course, passementerie [needlework – for a lady’s hands were never idle], inside activities ranged from cards, playing musical instruments, and oil-painting, etc…to all manner of outdoor undertakings such as crochet, archery, and horseback riding. Indeed, the life of a wealthy woman in this time-period was a well-orchestrated blend of duty AND fun.

And now a lil’ bit about me: Say hello to Bestselling Historical Romance writer, CINDY NORD…the USA Today ‘Recommended Read’ author of NO GREATER GLORY, the #1 Civil War Romance at Amazon for over one full year, and book one in her four-book ‘The Cutteridge’ Series. WITH OPEN ARMS, book two, debuted in August, 2014, and zoomed straight to a #1 Bestselling Western Historical Romance. Book three, AN UNLIKELY HERO, made its debut July 1st, 2016, and by midnight hit the ‘Top 100 Romances’ list at Amazon. Book four, BY ANY MEANS, is due for release July, 2017. Cindy is also honored to be a contributing author alongside notable NYTimes writers in the delightful SCRIBBLING WOMEN & THE REAL-LIFE ROMANCE HEROES WHO LOVE THEM. All proceeds from this non-fiction anthology go straight to charity. She is a member of numerous writers groups, and her work has finaled or won countless times in competitions — including the prestigious Romance Writers of America National Golden Heart Contest. Even PBS Television came calling to interview her regarding her love of writing. A luscious blend of history and romance, her stories meld both genres around fast-paced action and emotionally driven characters. Please follow Cindy at her Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/cindy.nord.9 ] for her Monday-thru-Friday morning “Coffee Klatch” — as well as on Twitter at @cnord2. Indeed, true love awaits you in the writings of Cindy Nord. Long live historical romance. ♥

Cindy’s books: https://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Nord/e/B008VJZSPE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1480369071&sr=8-1

NO GREATER GLORY:

Amid the carnage of war, he commandeers far more than just her home.

Widowed plantation owner Emaline McDaniels has struggled to hold on to her late husband’s dreams. Despite the responsibilities resting on her slender shoulders, she’ll not let anyone rip away what’s left of her way of life—particularly a Yankee officer who wants to set up winter camp on her land. With a defiance born of desperation, she defends her home as though it were the child she never had…and no mother gives up her child without a fight.

Despite the brazen wisp of a woman pointing a gun at his head, Colonel Reece Cutteridge has his orders. Requisition Shapinsay—and its valuable livestock—for his regiment’s use, and pay her with Union vouchers. He never expected her fierce determination, then her concern for his wounded, to upend his heart—and possibly his career. As the armies go dormant for the winter, battle lines are drawn inside the mansion. Yet just as their clash of wills shifts to forbidden passion, the tides of war sweep Reece away. And now their most desperate battle is to survive the war with their lives—and their love—intact.

Zip over here to read the opening: https://amzn.com/B008GWOI9S

WITH OPEN ARMS:

A war-weary ex-soldier. An untamable hellion. Love doesn’t stand a chance in hell…

Hardened in childhood by the death of her parents, then left to run the family’s southwestern territory ranch when her brother rode off to fight for the Union years before, Callie Cutteridge hides her heartbreak behind a mask of self-sufficiency. Breaking horses for the army proves she’s neither delicate nor helpless. When a former cavalry officer shows up claiming to own her brother’s half of the Arizona ranch, she steels herself to resist the handsome stranger’s intention to govern even one single aspect of her life. After all, loving means losing…to her it always has.

For months, Jackson Neale has looked forward to putting the bloodstained battlefields back east behind him. Callie isn’t the agreeable angel her brother led him to believe, but he’s damned well not the useless rake this foul-mouthed hellion thinks he is, either. His quest for calm stability contradicts sharply with her need for control, yet still their heartstrings tangle. But how can these mistrusting partners transform their fiery passion into a happily- ever-after when all Callie knows how to do is fight…and all Jackson wants is peace?

ZIP over here to read the opening: https://amzn.com/B00KT23WO0

AN UNLIKELY HERO (for a limited time only .99¢):

He’s a hard-as-stone man with a broken past…and she’s a reminder of all he’s lost.

Rugged army scout Dillon Reed has met his match in spoiled Boston debutante Alma Talmadge, but an unwanted assignment escorting the beauty across the wilds of America soon evolves into a journey of monumental change for them both. With killers hot on their trail, the odds of staying alive are stacked against them…and yet, falling in love was nowhere in their plans for survival.

ZIP over here to read the opening: https://amzn.com/B01HMVIAYW

CONNECT with Cindy via her SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

My webpage: https://www.cindynord.com

My Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/www.cindynord.com

An Unlikely Hero buy link: https://amzn.com/B01HMVIAYW

No Greater Glory buy link: https://amzn.com/B008GWOI9S

With Open Arms buy link: https://amzn.com/B00KT23WO0

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (With Open Arms) buy link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-open-arms-cindy-nord/1119742281?ean=9781619225435

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (No Greater Glory) buy link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-greater-glory-cindy-nord/1112120177?ean=9781619212435

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (An Unlikely Hero) buy link: http://bit.ly/29irk5j

Apple/iBooks (All Three Books) buy links: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/an-unlikely-hero/id1128489909?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Facebook ‘Coffee Klatch’ site: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.nord.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnord2

Goodreads (With Open Arms): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22441708-with-open-arms

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=25784664&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+CindyNord9/posts/p/pub

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cnord2/

Juggling…by M. Lee Prescott

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Thank you, thank you, Cindy for welcoming me again. I love this blog and learn so much from fellow authors. For this entry, I want to highlight my newest title, Rose’s Choice, # 4 in the Morgan’s Run Romances series (#5 coming early new year!), see excerpt below, but thought I’d say a few words about the challenges of multiple series.

If someone had told me thirty-five years ago when I wrote my first novel, that someday I’d not only be selling well, but juggling three popular series, one the Morgan’s Run Romances, and two other series, Roger and Bess Mysteries and the Ricky Steele Mysteries, I’d have said she was crazy. Yet, here I am like so many writers, trying to keep characters, places and voice consistent while penning three very different series. The Ricky Steele books are complex, multi-layered mysteries laced with humor and dark places. Ricky’s stories are told in the first person, her distinct voice as much a character as her friends and acquaintances who people these books. Ricky lives on the river, but works in a gritty mill city that has definitely seen better days.

The quiet village of Old Harbor provides the backdrop for Roger Demaris and his team of detectives as they work to undercover secrets and apprehend killers. They are often assisted by Bess Dore, an art teacher at the village’s Quaker school, who is Ricky’s polar opposite—quiet, demure and self-effacing. As the series progresses, hot-headed Demaris discovers mindfulness, the silence offering him respite from his dark, dangerous work. In book two of the Ricky Steele books, Gadfly, Ricky and Roger meet and work together. The clash of personalities and character chemistry was lots of fun to write. Ricky also appears in my book, Jigsaw, at present a stand-alone mystery, but meant to be the first in a fourth series—the Juls and Tuck Mysteries. Yikes, how to drive oneself crazy!

Finally, there are the Morgan’s Run books and their setting in a beautiful southwestern valley, a fertile oasis ringed by mountains and desert. Although they are sexy romances, these books are very much a family saga, the large Morgan ranch drawing Ben and Leonora Morgan’s offspring home where they find refuge and love along with their friends and valley residents. I will admit that these books practically write themselves. Each return to the Valley is joyful for me. I love these characters!

So… the juggling part. It’s challenging, but I have found that I actually love working on several books simultaneously. For example, one of my current projects, Find the Children (Ricky Steele #4) is challenging with multiple plot lines, and many characters and situations. I often write myself into a corner and have to take a break from Ricky and the dangers she faces. This is also a much darker plot than I’ve told before and many days I wonder if I even want to tell this story about this beloved character. At such moments, I return to the Valley. Writing about the warm, loving Morgan family provides such a welcome break from the mean streets. Book #4 of the Roger and Bess mysteries is mostly still in my head, with a folder full of notes and clippings, but thinking about it is exciting. It’s a story I can’t wait to begin when time permits. All these musings, jumbled together in one big soup keep me writing!

Did I mention that I have a full-time job and four precious grandchildren? Frequent sabbaticals and generous vacation time help with the writing progress. I hope “someday” to get back to revisions of ten other stand-alone novels and the next adventure for Juls and Tuck. Just writing all this makes me exhausted, but also exhilarated. J I really love what I do – full-time job, writing, and family — so every day is joyful no matter what!

Please enjoy the sample of Rose’s Choice below and I hope our paths cross in future!

Cheers,

Lee

EXCERPT

Rose’s Choice

Book 4: Morgan’s Run Romances

Facedown, forehead on Gracie’s cool granite counter, Sam Morgan groaned. My life, or at least my career, is over, and there isn’t a goddamn thing I can do about it. The café owner emerged from the kitchen with his burger, curly fries, and iced tea and set the food in front of him. “What’s this? Valley’s famous architect havin’ a bad day?”

He gave the tall, thin cook a crooked smile. As usual, there were flecks of food sprinkled in her frizzy salt-and-pepper hair. “Something like that. Thanks, Gracie. This looks great.”

“What’re you doin’ in town, anyway? Your dad’s always claiming you can’t get outta Flagstaff.”

“I’m out at Spark Foster’s. My team’s called so many times since construction began, I decided to come down for a few days.”

“I hear it’s a doozy.”

“Gonna be cool. Spark’s got great taste.”

“And deep pockets.”

Sam groaned as he bit into his burger. “God, this is good. Nothing like this in Flagstaff.”

“Baloney,” she said, a pleased grin on her face. “So, Foster’s house is a castle, I hear.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Would I design a castle and spoil the valley? It’ll fit right in with the landscape, promise.”

“Got it hugging a mountain, do ya?” Her gray eyes looked up as the café door swung open and Rose Dillon walked in. “Gotta get back to work, but here’s someone to cheer you up.” With a nod to the young woman, Gracie disappeared through swinging doors.

Sam turned and waved as Rose approached. Lovely as always, he thought, a pang of guilt washing over him as the lithe ash blonde neared the counter, her soft hazel eyes full of warmth. It had been almost a year since he’d seen her. In true Morgan style, he had flirted shamelessly with her at his sister’s wedding. In fact, they had danced nearly every dance together. He knew she was interested, very interested, so what did he do? Hightailed it back to Flagstaff right after the wedding and hadn’t called or written since. What a shit you are, Sam Morgan.

“Hi, Sam. This is a surprise.” The Morgan boys were all gorgeous—God’s gift to women, or so their reputation went—and Sam was no exception. His longish, dark brown hair fell over one eye, and his soft chestnut-brown eyes held a mischievous light, even today, when he looked a little down in the dumps.

Warning bells clanged as Rose slipped onto a stool beside him. Poor guy looks like he’s lost his best friend, but it’s his problem, not yours. Stay away. Don’t get involved! This is the second Morgan brother to break your heart.

“Hey, Rose. How’re you doing?” He pushed a lock of hair from his eyes, smearing some of Gracie’s special burger sauce across his cheek. Rose resisted the impulse to reach forward and wipe it off, her senses on high alert with him so near.

“You’ve got a bit of sauce on your face,” she said.

He flushed crimson and grabbed a napkin, dabbing his cheek. “Better?”

“Yes.” Rose smiled, unable to look away from the dark eyes. A runner, Sam Morgan was thinner, lankier than his three brothers. “Are you here working on the Foster house?”

“Guilty as charged.”

“I hear it’s beautiful.”

You are too. What kind of an idiot turns his back on a gorgeous, well-respected pediatric neurosurgeon? Although she was smiling, her hazel eyes regarded him warily. Hair loose, she wore a diaphanous, sleeveless top, a light blue linen skirt, and beige sandals, her only adornment a thin silver necklace inlaid with turquoise and matching earrings. He suddenly realized he had been staring for several moments, holding the dripping burger in one hand.

About Lee:

She writes in several genres of fiction—Mystery, Historical, Western Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romance Suspense, and books for children and young adults. Among her titles are Prepped to Kill, Gadfly and Lost in Spindle City (Ricky Steele Mysteries), Jigsaw, A Friend of Silence, Widow’s Island, and Song of the Spirit. Song of the Spirit was a finalist The 2014 International Digital Awards for Historical Fiction for Young Adults. She published five new titles in 2015, Hestor’s Way, a contemporary romance and In the Name of Silence and The Silence of Memory books two and three in the Roger and Bess Mysteries. The Morgan’s Run Romances series debuted in August 2015 with Emma’s Dream (a finalist in the 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards), followed by books two and three, Lang’s Return and Jeb’s Promise. Rose’s Choice is book four. She is currently drafting (in head and on paper) book four in the Ricky Steele mysteries and the Roger and Bess mysteries.
Lee’s “day job” is as professor at a small New England liberal arts college. Her scholarly work centers on social contexts within which children learn and she is the author of three works of nonfiction. Her current research examines the impact of mindfulness on readers and writers, work that brings her tremendous joy and satisfaction.

She lives in southeastern Massachusetts on a beautiful river. She is the mother of two sons and spends lots of time with them, their beautiful wives, and her four beloved grandchildren. When not teaching or writing (both of which she adores), her passions revolve around family, yoga, swimming, teaching mindfulness to children and adults, and walking. Lee loves to hear from readers. Email her anytime at mleeprescott@gmail.com, and visit her website to hear the latest and sign up for her newsletter.

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A visit with Casey Dawes

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

I’m a hybrid author, and I also provide a helping hand to those who want to self-publish. There are many reasons to self-publish, so knowing your reason is critical. If you’re expecting to make a fortune, especially on a first book, think again. It happens, but it’s rare. Additionally, it’s a rapidly changing world with a lot of people looking to get rich on your effort. Become an educated consumer.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

I have to admit, a quirky person has the best chance of ending up in one of my books. An innkeeper in Washington showed up in the same occupation in California Wine. Tall and lanky, with non-stop commentary that appeared to have no filter, he was the perfect person to provide some humor. To date, I haven’t killed anyone off, but I’ve got a few candidates!

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict, or emotions? Why?

Deep emotions, hands down. Because of a rocky childhood and a few unhealthy relationships, I’m schooled at not looking too deeply, particularly at anything involving pain. I’m fortunate to have an outstanding editor who is teaching me to become more immediate in my writing. Of course, that requires a lot more walking around the room as I work through my own deep-set emotions.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

I’m incredibly lucky. I live on a six-acre piece of property in Montana. While there are two other houses, it’s really quiet. No matter which window I look out of, there are views. There’s a river in the back yard where my husband catches the occasional trout. Lolo Peak hovers to the south, marking Lewis and Clark’s trek across the Bitterroot Mountains. Most nights a half dozen deer browse on the front lawn. Herons, eagles, and osprey fly by regularly.

Sometimes I write at my desk upstairs. Other times I’m on the couch downstairs. Wherever I am, there are bears–stuffed ones with distinctive personalities.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Strength: Determination Weakness: Locked into one path

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Strength: Creativity Weakness: Self-doubt.

Why have you become a published author?

This is a great question! One of the problems I’ve seen over and over again is miscommunication and lack of understanding of another person’s point of view. I write to open the eyes and hearts of my readers. In the process, I need to really look at the other side of an issue as well, so I can provide a balanced story that people can read. And I write and publish to tell a good story, because that’s the best way to communicate.

What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

I’m afraid my promo methods are a bit haphazard, and I’d love to have help, but it’s not in the budget! I try to get a blog out once a week, post something on Facebook and Twitter every week day, and have a newsletter list (www.stories-about-love.com). My newsletter recipients get a chance to win prizes and receive a first look at covers and stories. But the biggest effort I put into promotion is to write the best book I can right now. Word of mouth is an incredible promotional tool.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

Accept the things you can’t control: an agent or editor may not like you, hate books that have snakes, or may not have slept well the night before. Change the things you can: Continually grow as a writer, and keep looking for the best way to midwife your story to the public. Self-publication, sending out to agents and editors, whatever is part of your path.

What’s next for you?

I live in Montana. A lot of us have more than one job to make ends meet. I’ll be substitute teaching until June (with a few breaks to escape the cold–follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/public/Casey-Dawes} to find out where). I provide book shepherding services for people who want to self-publish and plan to write a short e-book on uploading to Amazon for maximum discoverability. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, I am working on my 2017 Christmas story, and there’s also a new series in the works.

BLURB

Injured in a tragic car crash at Christmas time, tennis pro Logan Collins retreats to his uncle’s ranch in wintry Phillipsburg, Montana, only to find his Uncle Willy in the hospital with terminal cancer. When Willy dies a few days later, Logan discovers the old man put plans in motion that might just change his life … as long as he’s willing to upend everything he’s been doing for the last decade … and put some chocolates in his uncle’s casket just in case there aren’t any in heaven.

Montana-born aspiring artist and temporary chocolatier, Julie Thompson isn’t surprised by their favorite customer’s odd request. Curiosity about the good-looking New Yorker who made the request, entices her to bring the chocolates to the funeral personally.

Soon Logan finds himself with a ranch, a dog, a horse, and a woman who brings light into his dark life. He never wanted any of it. Julie’s roots are in the vast plains and big skies where her family lives. Nowhere else is home. Can he persuade her Christmas in New York is just as inspiring?

Or will Willy’s plot prevail?

EXCERPT

She smiled at him. Not an innocent smile.

Their gazes broke at the tap of Sue Anne’s heels.

“Oh, hello,” Sue Anne said. “Is Julie taking care of you?” She looked from one to the other, her eyebrows narrowing slightly.

“Very well,” Logan said, more than one layer of meaning in his tone.

“Sue Anne, this is Logan, Willy’s nephew.”

“How nice to meet you, Logan,” she said. “How is our favorite customer, Willy?”

“Dead,” Julie and Logan said at the same time, sharing a gallows humor grin.

“Oh, no! What happened? Did his cancer return?”

“I’m afraid so.”

The lightheartedness disappeared. Logan swallowed, his Adam’s apple rising and falling.

She wanted to kiss him and make it better.

Oops. No. She wanted to kiss him to find out what it was like. Her gaze rose to look at his lips.

Sue Anne cleared her throat, and Julie snapped her head around to find her staring at the two of them.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Sue Anne asked. “Do you need anything?”

“Julie’s handling it,” Logan said.

“Okay, then.” Sue Anne’s voice didn’t sound like she was reassured by his statement.

“I guess I’ll go back to making fudge.”

Please do.

As soon as she left, Julie pulled a dark-chocolate-covered truffle from the case and walked to him.

“Here. Chocolate makes everything better—at least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Thank you.” He slipped it from her hand, leaving behind currents of electricity, like thin strands of static.

They stood, caught in the moment, staring at each other. She lost herself in the depth of his movie-star-blue eyes. She’d never known anyone in real life to have eyes that color.

He lifted his hand as if to stroke her cheek.

Something in the kitchen clanged.

Bio: Casey Dawes

I am passionate about the ability of stories to change minds and lives. If you’ve read my books, you’ll learn that issues are wrapped in love stories. Yes, there’s a happily ever after, but there’s also a discussion that makes you think (much to the chagrin of my editors). I’m after human discourse, because we’re all right … and we’re all wrong.

Can love change everything? Maybe. In my stories, you will always get to the happy ending, but not until after some growth. I base some of what I write on a 16-year romance with my husband. It took me a long time to find him, and a long time to think happily ever after was possible for me.

Come along for the ride. We’ll explore new places, meet new people, talk, play, learn, and … fall in love.

Links

Website/blog: http://www.stories-about-love.com

Buy links available after Dec. 5, 2016 at http://www.stories-about-love.com/books/christmas-romances/

Christmas Classics with Alicia Street

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street
Holiday Inn
A Christmas Carol
It’s a Wonderful Life

All holiday classics that I have to watch every year. I know every scene and outcome, and my poor husband, who gets coaxed into watching them with me year after year, can literally recite enough lines from each flick to earn himself a role in any remake.

But watching these stories play out never gets tiring—just the opposite. Why?
Because the holiday season is about remembering that warmth and love always come through somehow, even in difficult times.

Heartwarming stories filled with romance and Christmas cheer are part of my holiday season rituals, just like the must-have pumpkin pie and turkey I’ll be making next week for Thanksgiving and the tree I’ll be trimming soon after that.

That’s why I write a sweet Christmas romance every year and make them the kind that
that stir the heart and get you in the spirit of the season.

This year I’ve bundled together four of my Holiday Luv romances into a boxed set that’s available now.

Blurbs

Holiday Luv Bundle: Four Christmas Romances

The Christmas Honeymoon

Quiet librarian Serena always loved Christmas, until she was jilted before her December wedding. A year later, while trying to rekindle her tarnished holiday spirit, she meets Damien, handsome daredevil—and a total Scrooge. Their unlikely mutual attraction brings on a challenge that leads to one very romantic Christmas.

Be Mine for Christmas

Single mom Ellie is lonely and struggling to find a job. She takes her little boy to a Christmas tree farm to see Santa and runs head on into a blue-eyed Viking with a winsome smile. Reece opened his Christmas tree farm after the accident that nearly took his life. But it left him with the vision of a woman who would heal his heart.

The Christmas Wedding Cake

Natalie and Shane were inseparable sweethearts until a pair of mysterious emails tore them apart. Years later they meet again on a reality TV cooking show—and it’s more than the oven that gets heated up.

His Christmas Promise

A stray dog finds refuge with an ex-Army helicopter pilot and helps restore his grandmother’s will to live. It seems like a Christmas miracle until the bachelor war vet discovers the mutt belongs to a little girl who wants him back—and a single mom who makes him rethink his freewheeling ways and maybe even believe in love.

BUY LINKS

KindleUS http://amzn.to/2dp38pL

KindleUK http://amzn.to/2d7hKWR

Nook http://bit.ly/2czeKAh

iBooks http://apple.co/2dpkDS4

Kobo http://bit.ly/2d6XDcU

AuthorBio and Links for Alicia Street

Alicia Street is a USA Today bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier award-winner. She writes both sweet and steamy romances. Her Dance ‘n’ Luv contemporary romance series springs from her years as a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher. Alicia sometimes writes in collaboration with her husband, Roy, and is grateful to have the kind of marriage that proves romance novel love really exists.

Suffragettes by Sylvia McDaniel

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Many women cringe when they hear the word and few know of how they sacrificed so that we could have the rights we have today. I”m not talking about just the right to vote, but the right to have a bank account, own land, have custody of our children, and make our own decisions regarding our well being. Back in the 1800’s women didn’t have these rights and a young woman’s father made all her decisions for her until she was married. Then those rights were passed to her husband. And if there was abuse, that was her lot in life and she’d better accept it. If she’d didn’t, she would lose her children if she left her husband.

To obtain the rights, we have today, many women before us had to stand up and shout and be heard. Those were the suffragettes. One of my favorite research books is called Women Together: A History in Documents of the Women’s Movement in the United States by Judith Papachristou. The Women’s Movement began in the 1830’s. In churches women gathered to fight slavery and soon realized their own inequality.

While my stories are all fiction, I like taking strong women and putting them in precarious situations where they learn and grow. In my Scandalous Suffragette series the women all go to jail for marching on a Boston bank that refuses to give them bank accounts. College educated women, my heroines soon have to choose between love and their cause.

Mistletoe Scandal is the latest in the Scandalous Suffragette Brides and is part of the Wild Western Women Box, Mistletoe, Montana box set. Currently, the price is .99 cents. Here is an excerpt:

Leaning against his sled with his arms folded across his chest, he watched the woman coming toward him. He knew her type. She was fanciful and bold and knew the effect she had on men. He’d seen women like her use their control of men and even experienced their effects himself. After all, he’d been left waiting at the altar by a woman like her. The very reason he’d moved to Montana.

He would deliver Miss Walsh and then drive home to the safety of his ranch. Staying away from James and his family until his niece left town.

“Miss Walsh,” the newspaper man said, hurrying toward her. “Welcome to Mistletoe. May I take your picture for the newspaper?”

“Why, of course,” she said.

The preacher posed with Miss Walsh, smiling into the camera as the newspaper man lifted the fancy gadget around his neck to his face. With a pop and a flash, the camera took the photo.

Seth glanced uneasily at the sky. They didn’t have time for this nonsense. They needed to get on the road or face a very cold, snowy drive.

“How long are you visiting your uncle?” Tom asked.

“I have to return to New York after the first of the year,” she said.

Seth chuckled. Had anyone ever told this woman that sometimes the trains didn’t run because of snow on the tracks? She’d be doing good to get a train out of here in January.

“Miss Walsh, what are your plans while you’re visiting Mistletoe,” he asked.

“To visit with my aunt and uncle.”

The newspaper man’s questions were ridiculous and wasting time. It was time to go.

“What about the future? What are your plans after you leave here?” he asked.

Everleigh smiled and the men around her stared in adoration. “I’m going to work for the New York Times.”

Seth looked at her. Oh yeah, she was exactly what he thought. A highfalutin woman who wanted a career.

“Let’s go,” he said, waiting to help her into the sleigh.

She continued to talk to the newspaper man while the sun was being obliterated by clouds rolling across the sky. Most definitely, a storm.

They should have been on the road an hour ago. “Let’s go.”

She ignored him. He walked around to his side of the sleigh, got in, and snapped the reins. The sleigh started to pull away.

“Wait,” she called, suddenly springing into action hurrying after him.

That had gotten her attention. He stopped the sleigh. “You ready to leave now?”

Frowning at him, she climbed into the sleigh. “Shut up and let’s go.”

BUY LINK

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A visit with Cindy Procter-King

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Cindy Woolf

Thank you for having me on your blog, Cynthia! It’s a pleasure to be here.

How did you get started writing?

I’m one of those authors who has pretty much been writing since childhood/adolescence. When I was eight, my grade three teacher read THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE books to us every day, and did those books spark my imagination! Until I was five, I lived in a tiny farming community where at least 80% of the residents shared my last name, so I strongly identified with the fictional version of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but publishing was totally different back then and I didn’t realize writing fiction could be an actual career. My grade 7 teacher read us Ray Bradbury almost daily and had us write short stories. Most of the class dreaded it. I loved it, but my characters were always doomed. Either they were already dead at the beginning of the story, or getting whisked into the hospital about to die, or would get stuck in a hole because of another character’s manipulation and the reader knew they would eventually die, LOL (hey, I was 13).

Throughout high school, I only wrote stories if assigned in English class, but in grade 12 I learned I could write stories instead of book reports and get credit. So I did. 🙂 About the only time I haven’t written, whether it be stories or poetry or a stab at picture books for children, was during my university career. I took Creative Writing in first year and loved it, but I couldn’t keep up with my English major AND write fiction. My brain could only handle one at a time. So I stopped writing until after graduation. Then began the foray into various genres. I came to writing romance almost by accident, but when I realized I could write stories about hope and love and healing filled with humor and emotion, I was hooked.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

As Cindy, I write heart-tugging small-town romances, romantic comedy, and my latest book, PICTURE IMPERFECT, I like to call “sassy suspense,” because it’s a mixture of romantic comedy/mystery and suspense “lite.” Hence “Sassy suspense.”

My small-town romance and romantic comedies are between 50,000 and 65,000 words. The romantic comedies feature two points of view (the hero and heroine), whereas the small-town romance has three points of view (hero, heroine, and heroine’s mother, who is going through her own stuff during the book). PICTURE IMPERFECT is 130,000 words with seven point-of-view characters, and the mystery is completely interwoven with the story.

I love writing romantic comedy because, quite simply, I love to laugh. I have always been a bit of a humorist, so writing romcom comes naturally. But when I write my small-town romances, I allow myself to get more serious. With PICTURE IMPERFECT, I touch on dark subjects but even the villainous characters firmly believe they are heroes of their own stories. I especially loved writing the secondary character Mackie in PICTURE IMPERFECT. He is such a dickhead, but a character like that is such fun to write!

What inspired your latest book?

Sometimes a character just pops into my head, and once I name a character I have a really hard time renaming them. So Ursula Scott, the heroine of PICTURE IMPERFECT, popped into my head one day while I was working on something else, with this first line (that has remained in the book): If Ursula Scott had to look at one more naked man, she’d scream.

Now, to tell you the truth, when her name popped into my head (this was several years ago, as I wrote the book between other contracted projects), I wasn’t totally thrilled because at first I didn’t like the name, Ursula. But it grew on me as I discovered my character. I discover my characters by writing about them. I am pretty much a pantser and while I try to plot I can usually only get so far. The rest I uncover while writing.

But I had this heroine and I had this first line, and I also had a picture in my mind of her needing to photograph all these men in their underwear. And I started wondering, why are they are in their underwear and why is she pissed off about it? Can I open a book with a heroine totally peeved? How can I make her sympathetic when she wants to rip off her boss’s ears? It was a challenge, and I hope I succeeded.

What is your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part of writing is when I finally break through a scene and realize how it’s meant to play out. I mainly write scenes in order with the feeling that each scene and chapter follows organically from the other. So I find it difficult to write ahead. Sometimes I do. With PICTURE IMPERFECT, I quickly wrote all the scenes I could “see,” and when I was finished I realized I only had about 1/2 of a book. I thought I knew the villain, but as I continued to fill in the blanks, the villain tried to change on me. In the end, the villain remained the individual I first envisioned, but it was fun AND frustrating to think, halfway through the writing, that it might be someone else.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

This is a loaded question, because whatever part I’m currently working on is usually my least favorite. When I’m in that place where I acknowledge that I don’t “ know” the scene yet, that my muse has no idea but she’s working on it, I can walk around in a state of anxiety for a couple of days. It’s like the scene is in my head somewhere but I’m not allowed access. I have to be patient and allow my muse to work through…whatever she does. 🙂 Then I’ll get one sentence and start to get excited. Then another sentence comes, and next thing you know, I know what the scene is about. It might be a first line. It might be a last line. It might be a line in the middle. But when it comes, I look upward and say, “Thank you.” I’m really talking to my muse, but I can’t physically see inside my head, so I look upward. From that point, I try to let the character flow through me. The tough part is that I’m not very visual, so I hear and feel my characters rather than “seeing” them, even if I might describe it as “seeing” them. When I feel like a character is inside my chest, that is when I can write a particular scene. Sometimes it’s an excruciating process, until that watershed moment reveals all. Then comes the joy!

What is your next project and when will it be released?

Right now I’m working on another romantic comedy that will run around 60,000 words. It’s called GETTING OVER BRETT, and I’m putting it into a setting-related series with two other romantic comedies, HEAD OVER HEELS and BORROWING ALEX. I need to rebrand the covers of the first two books, but for me it’s best to wait until I’m deeper into GOB. Then I’ll get all three covers redesigned/designed in one fell swoop. The series is called LOVE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. The books can be read in any order, but all occur in a major city in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver, Seattle and Portland), all are romcoms, and each features a hero/heroine forced to spend time in close quarters in either a mountain cabin, a remote lake cottage, or, as is the case in GETTING OVER BRETT, to share a home for a month.

HEAD OVER HEELS and BORROWING ALEX are already published, but will get new covers in 2017. GETTING OVER BRETT will be out next year as well.

I loved writing PICTURE IMPERFECT and I have an idea for how it might develop into a series, but for now it’s a standalone. I have a bad habit of starting a series and then putting it aside to either write another book for a different series or writing something for my pen name (erotic romance and erotica). My goal for 2017 is to finish my current various series as Cindy and begin to write more books for my DESTINY FALLS small-town series before allowing my muse to take my attention elsewhere. Yet I also have a story I need to write for my pen name. I am not a fast writer, so it’s a challenge to write under two names. It kind of accidentally came about (that’s another story), but now I am turning more and more attention to writing again as Cindy.

I need to get more diligent with series, because readers who love indie romance LOVE series. But if lovers of indie romance ever get tired of series? I’m your girl! I only have one series so far that needs to be read in order (LOVE & OTHER CALAMITIES). The rest, even if they share some of the same characters, can also be read as standalones.

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

Photographer Ursula Scott discovers her sexy apprentice is an ex-cop investigating threats at his uncle’s studio—but is she a suspect or a target?

~~~~~

Excerpt:

This excerpt is from the second scene of PICTURE IMPERFECT. Our hero, Gabe McKenzie, is trying to fight his way through a throng of weirdly dressed men to meet with his uncle, who is Ursula’s boss. He slips into the corridor and finds himself face to face with a frustrated Ursula:

“I’m not here to have my picture taken.” With a practiced eye honed by years on the job, Gabe catalogued her age and appearance in three heartbeats: about twenty-five, straight dark hair hanging past her shoulders, jeans, chunky belt. Thick lashes framed dark blue eyes he wouldn’t mind waking up to. Her left thumb sported a thick ring of hammered silver, the right pinky a slim gold band. What his female desk sergeant in Los Angeles had called a French manicure highlighted long fingernails that could easily emasculate a guy were he dumb enough to land on her bad side.

And this brunette no doubt had a bad side.

Man, even ticked off, she was stunning.

“Vic McKenzie is my uncle.”

Her gaze zipped over him. “You’re kidding.”

Gabe didn’t require psychic abilities to read her mind—no family resemblance whatsoever. Vic stood maybe five-six, with a belly as round as a giant panda’s. His hook nose, brown eyes, and swarthy skin bore traces of his Sicilian heritage.

“My dad was his brother,” Gabe explained. “My grandparents adopted Vic.”

“You’re sure the biological ones were human?”

Gabe laughed. “Vic isn’t so bad…in small doses.” Personally, once a decade would suit. “I can’t imagine it’s a thrill working for him though.”

“Now you understand my problem.” She lifted a hand. “I don’t want to insult your uncle, but I’m having a horrible day. Someone screwed up the model ad for my magazine shoot, and I’m pretty sure it was Mackie. We wanted everyday Joes, so the state of their bodies isn’t the issue.” She cringed. “It’s the state of their undress.”

“Undress?”

“The shorts. The tightie-whities. The thongs. The ad was supposed to read ‘shirts off,’ not ‘leave your inhibitions at home.’ Mackie’s lucky I’m not quitting here and now.” She twirled her gold pinky ring. “But I can’t, which he well knows.”

~~~

Bio:

Cindy Procter-King writes sassy suspense, rollicking romantic comedy, and heart-tugging small-town romance. To sum it up, feel-good fiction! A Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart finalist, Cindy’s mission in life is to see her surname spelled properly—with an E. That’s P-r-o-c-t-E-r. Never, under any circumstances, should you spell it with two O’s (shudder).

Cindy’s novels and short fiction are available as eBooks from retailers all over the world, as well as in trade paperback, library hardcover and large print, some foreign editions, and audiobooks.

Cindy lives in beautiful British Columbia with her family, a cat obsessed with dripping tap water, and Allie McBeagle.

Links:

Website: http://www.cindyprocter-king.com

Newsletter signup: http://www.cindyprocter-king.com/contact.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cindyprocterkingauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cindypk

Buy Links:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Imperfect-Suspense-Cindy-Procter-King-ebook/dp/B01LWS7E0S/?tag=cynthiawoolfc-20

iBooks https://geo.itunes.apple.com/ca/book/picture-imperfect/id1161811331?mt=11

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/picture-imperfect-7

NOOK http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/picture-imperfect-cindy-procter-king/1124924747?ean=2940153530611