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

I write Young Adult fantasy and romance. I began by writing for Middle Grade readers when my daughter was in elementary school. Her reading and comprehension skills were off the charts, and it was difficult to find big, engaging stories for her that contained age appropriate content. As she matured, I began writing for Young Adults. My first published series, The Teen Wytche Saga, begins with Spell Check, a sweet Halloween romance. And true to my original intent, it is appropriate for sixth graders on up.

Tell us about your current series.

The Two Realms Trilogy is set in medieval Scotland, Fairy, and to a lesser extent, England during the time of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. Many reviewers have described it as a mix of Alice in Wonderland, Brave, and a PG version of Game of Thrones.

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

I have been known to insert people I have met into my novels. Most notably, an evil shaman/shape-shifter I once encountered appears (disguised, of course), in The Beltane Escape. But its upcoming sequel, The Viking Mist contains no one from my past. However, several characters in my Teen Wytche Saga were inspired by teachers I had in school.

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?

I am a shaman and medium as well as a writer, so I have an interesting relationship with my muses. They are bound to the area where I live, so when I move, a new muse appears. When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, my muse was associated with Fire and the creative spark. When I moved to the desert, I acquired a Water muse. I was quite surprised, until I remembered that natural aquifers run beneath my city. Water is the element of emotion and the flow of ideas. When I tried writing a non-Young Adult book, my muse imposed a creative drought. I got the message!

What are you currently working on?

I am readying The Viking Mist to send to my editor. The process has been slow, because I am plotting the third book in the series while writing The Viking Mist. I have to know where I am headed with the trilogy, so I can plant ideas, characters, and objects in the second book.

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

 A senior editor at Scholastic took Spell Check to Acquisitions. The person who ultimately turned down the manuscript, said they couldn’t have witches in books that would be featured in their school catalogs. My agent at the time literally knocked her head against her desk when she received the news. Hadn’t the Harry Potter series work out pretty well for them?

Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?

I currently belong to The Romance Writers of America (RWA), The Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA), The Palm Springs Writers Guild, and The Desert Screenwriters Guild. The Romance Writers Of America has been, and continues to be, an invaluable resource. I have learned so much about the writing and publishing through RWA sponsored contests and conferences. And I met both of my former agents through RWA. PNWA also boosted my career. Winning the PNWA’s Literary Contest and Zola Award in the Young Adult category, resulted in not only a large monetary award, but also gave me insider access to agents and editors.

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

Hang in there! Join writers’ organizations. Enter writing contests that provide feedback, and have agents or editors as final judges. Attend writing conferences. Hone your craft. Be a voracious reader. Remember how many publishers passed on Harry Potter before J.K. Rowling received a contract offer. Never give up!

Excerpt

Trapped within the doeskin pouch, Merlin’s spell book pulsed like an angry heart. Viviane, the young Lady of the Lake, pushed her qualms aside and knotted the stolen treasure to her waist. An eerie quiet settled over the woods. Either the tree spirits sleep, or they watch me in silence, Viviane surmised as she carefully surveyed the canopy. Knees quaking, she deftly concealed the pouch beneath her cloak, then ran. Shallow breaths caught in her throat, and a sharp pain needled her side as she quickened her pace. She pressed her hand against the twinge and kept running. With each pounding stride, the prize slapped vehemently against her hip.

Viviane chanced a glance over her shoulder. Hah! No sign of Merlin. In her arrogance, she stumbled, her heel catching on her long indigo cape. Her heart cartwheeled. With an oath, she righted herself. Ahead, the Enchanted Forest’s dark mantle ended, and gloaming’s early light shone. She bolted towards the dawn.

Dry pine needles crunched beneath her deerskin sandals. The spell book’s muffled rage beat louder, waking a nearby tree spirit whose angry screech roused others. As one, they grabbed at Viviane with their prickly branches. A wizen-faced pine scratched Viviane’s cheek, stirring the creature marked into the skin above her cheekbone. Agitated, the blue sea serpent threaded itself around the crescent moon inked near her eye. Its nostrils flared, assessing the danger. Viviane shoved the impudent branch away. Catching scent of the lake, she broke through the trees. Her lungs heaved as an ache bloomed between her shoulders where the tree spirits’ angry glares thrust against her.

About Ariella Moon

Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her series include The Two Realms Trilogy, a medieval fantasy adventure, and The Teen Wytche Saga, a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances.

Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety and taller students that mistook her for a leaning post marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. She lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and a media-shy dragon.

Website: http://www.AriellaMoon.com

Blog: http://www.ariellamoon.blogspot.com

Purchase Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beltane-Escape-Book-Realms-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01AKUA0EU/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beltane-escape-nook-ariella-moon/1123352952?ean=2940158052552

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-beltane-escape/id1079976497?mt=11

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beltane-Escape-Book-Realms-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01AKUA0EU/

Hi Cynthia, thanks so much for hosting me here today!

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book.

Going Back to Find You is my 27^th book published—number 30 if you count collaborations. It’s a new addition to my Children of Night series, as well as my first foray into the Kindle Worlds universe. It features a hero who doesn’t think of himself as heroic, which makes him all the more endearing to me.

Do you write under a pen name?   Why or why not?

I don’t write under a pen name. P and G are my actual initials and Forte is my husband’s last name. I have nothing against pen names, but with all the characters already in possession of my mind, I figured another identity would simply be overkill. lol!

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on two trilogies. One is novella length, holiday themed books set in my home state of New Jersey and featuring three cousins who are attempting to run a haunted hotel. The other is three full length stories in a new romantic suspense series featuring more vampires!

What do you have planned for the future?

More vampires, more tattoo artists, more steampunk, as well as a selkie story and a dragon story. Oh, and, this Christmas, I might be putting out another short vampire/fae crossover story with author Kinsey Holley.

How far do you plan ahead?

Well…that’s an interesting question. I try and plan for about a year in advance, but then new things come crop up and the plan begins expanding out of control!

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Jason, the hero of Going Back to Find You appeared very, very briefly in my first vampire book, In the Dark. I always planned on his playing a larger role, but it just never happened. When I started plotting a story to fit into Erin Nicholas’s Sapphire Falls Kindle World, however, suddenly his story worked. During the course of the story, he returns to Nebraska to find Lizbeth, the woman he’d been forced to leave behind. Liz is on borrowed time. Her life is in danger and when Jason shows up, she’s not immediately sure whether he’s on her side, or only there to kill her. Jason has to find a way to regain Liz’s trust and save the town of Sapphire Falls from a vampire invasion.

Describe the genre of this particular title, and is the only genre you write in? 

Going Back to Find You is a paranormal romance. Most of my books are in that genre, but not all of them. I also write science fiction, steampunk, fantasy, romantic suspense, contemporary romance and erotic romance. I like variety.

When did you start writing toward publication? 

I started writing with an eye toward publishing a book when my kids were in grade school and it occurred to me that they didn’t realize that I considered myself a writer because they never saw any of the writing work I did. I think I also wanted to prove to myself that I could finish a book. Thirty books later, I think I’ve achieved both goals!

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

My favorite rejection story came from the days when I was peddling my first novel to agents. I’d sent out a bunch of queries and partials and on one day I received two rejections. One agent loved the story, but thought the characters and dialogue were unrealistic. The other agent loved the characters and raved about the dialogue, but couldn’t stand the story. I found it impossible to take rejections seriously after that.

Excerpt from Going Back to Find You by PG Forte

If there was one thing Jason Cook knew to be true, it was that he was no one’s idea of a hero. He was moderately big, moderately strong; he knew a thing or two about following directions and keeping his mouth shut—all good traits to possess if there was heavy lifting to be done or bodies to be disposed of. Not that there’d been all that many of the latter, but he was a vampire, so there’d definitely been a few.

But other than those odd occasions when someone with his particular skillset was required, Jason was used to being…well, overlooked was not too strong a word for it. If he were honest, it was a state of affairs that suited him fine.

It didn’t hurt his feelings one bit to be able to fly under everyone’s radar. In fact, he considered it a valuable survival technique. Experience had taught him to steer clear of stronger, meaner, or more short-tempered vampires. No good ever came from attracting their attention. As for purposely seeking one out or, worse yet, actively confronting one of them? That was a tactic he preferred to keep in reserve for instances in which his life, or someone else’s, might depend upon it. Which is why he was currently at risk of hyperventilating as he stood in the dimly lit upstairs hallway of the Quintano Mansion, trying to force himself to knock on the door to his sire’s private office.

It had been a surprise to receive word that Conrad wished to speak with him. And by no means a happy one. It was the first such invitation Jason had received in the one hundred and sixty years he’d been part of the Quintano vampire family. He had no idea what it meant, but it was hard to believe it was anything good.

PG Forte Bio

PG Forte inhabits a world only slightly less strange than the ones she creates. Filled with serendipity, coincidence, love at first sight and dreams come true.

She wrote her first serialized story when she was still in her teens. The sexy, ongoing adventure tales were very popular at her oh-so-proper, all girls, Catholic High School, where they helped to liven up otherwise dull classes…even if her teachers didn’t always agree.

Originally a Jersey girl, PG now resides with her family on the extreme left coast where she writes contemporary and paranormal romance in a variety of sub-genres.

PG can be reached directly at: pgforte@pgforte.com

Links:

Buy link for Going Back to Find You:  http://smarturl.it/SFKW-GoingBack

PG Forte’s website: www.PGForte.com

PG Forte’s blog: www.RhymesWithForeplay.blogspot.com

How did you get started writing?

Although I used to make up stories all the time, I hadn’t thought of writing as a profession until later in life. It’s only been the last several years that I decided to make this my career. It’s funny how ‘green’ I was, about the publishing industry, when I was younger. Having made friends with authors in town helped point me in the right direction and helped me gather the writing and publishing knowledge I needed to pursue writing as a career.

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

I actually started out writing cozy mysteries. I enjoyed reading those until I discovered several good romance authors. I still dabble with cozy mysteries, but now focus on contemporary romance. Cozies can contain a romantic element, but the focus is on the mystery. Romance lets you discover a new way to have love transport you to a happily ever after.

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love coming up with the diverse characters and creating their world with different conflicts to create a compelling story for readers. It’s the creativity process that I find exciting.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Yes, this definitely goes hand in hand with my favorite part of writing. There are a lot of authors I know that don’t like the revision process of writing. I don’t really mind revising because it helps your story evolve. My absolute least favorite part is writing the synopsis. I’ve been told that I write long, so trying to pull my story into a one or two page ‘summary’ is difficult. It’ll take me some time before I’m comfortable doing this.

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

Right now, I’ve committed to writing for a few different authors kindle worlds. I’m up against a tight deadline for Carly Phillips’ Dare To Love world. My working title is Daring Return and should be released December 13^th. After this, I’ll have two more kindle world releases by the end of June 2017.

What is your typical day like?

I’m not sure I really have a typical day yet. With my release, being involved with the required Facebook party for kindle worlds authors, blog tours, marketing, emails, and working on my next release, I’m trying to get into the flow of a regular writing day. I’m picturing a day where I can really spend a solid 5 to 6 hours of pure writing after working on all the other things I’ve mentioned. Right now, as soon as I get up, I turn on my computer and then the coffee machine. I bring up my manuscript and work on that in between all the other tasks that are involved with writing.

Where do you get ideas for your stories?

I keep a folder of story ideas and they come from any place. This can be from something I’ve read, a quote, a television show, something I see on vacation or in the neighborhood, a news headline, or even from listening to other people’s conversations. Yes, authors are known to eavesdrop. Sometimes those lead to some very interesting stories.

What do you have planned for the future?

Writing, writing, and more writing. It’s like an addiction. I have stories that I feel I need to send out into the world. My husband retired earlier this year, so writing has become my retirement dream. Beyond the kindle world releases, I’ll be working on my own series. I have several planned, some involving cowboys and others involving beaches. Who knows, I might even combine the two.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring writers?

Don’t give up and don’t listen to the ‘noise.’ For those who say, “Oh yeah, anyone can write a book. It’s easy.” Well, it’s not. Writing is hard work. If it were that easy, everyone would be a best seller. There are those authors who’ve made a lot of money and seem to have had instant success, but what you don’t hear is how long they’ve worked at their craft and how many rejections they’ve received. If they quit after their seventieth rejection, we may not have read some of the classics we have today.

Having said that, don’t publish the first draft you’ve written. Yes, anyone can publish anything on the Internet, but if you plan to be taken seriously as a writer, you have to make sure you do your due-diligence. This includes getting the story critiqued and professionally edited. Read the genre you want to publish in to make sure your stories are current with what readers are reading.

Above all, have fun with it. Writing shouldn’t be like a job you don’t enjoy.

Hi! I’m here today to tell you about my newest release, Magnolia Flames. But, since you may not know me, I’ll tell you a little about myself first.

How did you get started writing?

— I’ve always loved to read and get lost in other worlds. When I was around fifteen, I decided that I wanted to create my own worlds to get lost in. I’ve been writing ever since.

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

— I write contemporary romance. I find it easier to create situations that I can relate to in today’s world. I don’t rule out writing in other genres as my career goes on.

Tell us about your current series.

— The Magnolia Series are stand-alone books. Each book is set in small-town Mississippi and features a new cast of characters. Since the state flower of Mississippi is the magnolia, I thought the series name was a good fit. The Magnolia Series: Every town has a story to tell.

What is your favorite part of writing?

— Creating a new world to get lost in. There’s something magical about naming a town, deciding who gets to live there, and watching those characters come alive.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

— When the characters won’t do what I want them to. Sometimes, I have a character who just won’t conform to my original plans for him\her. They grow and change into people I have to get to know all over again before I can finish my story.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

— I’ve been an Emergency 911 dispatcher for twelve years. Most days, I love my job. There is always inspiration there, whether it’s in the form of a hysterically funny call or a heart breaking one.

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

— Magnolia Flames is book two of the Magnolia Series and a crossover novella in Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World.

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

— My next book will be Bourbon Street Heat, and it will be released in January 2017. It will also be a part of Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World.

MAGNOLIA FLAMES BLURB: Churches are burning in Oak Bend, Mississippi, and time is running out to find the arsonist.

ATF Special Agent Carter Boone arrives in Oak Bend after following church fires across two states. Determined to find the suspect and make the arrest so he can earn his next promotion, Carter believes he has finally identified the arsonist: the brother of an Oak Bend police officer. But instead of making what he’d hoped would be an easy arrest, he finds himself locking horns with his suspect’s beautiful sister.

Police Officer Eve Sutton is conducting an investigation of her own. She knows her brother is innocent, even if the handsome but stubborn special agent in charge refuses to believe her. But as she gets closer to uncovering the truth, arson turns to attempted murder, and Eve discovers that her role in the investigation could cause her to become the killer’s next victim.

As Carter and Eve race to catch a deadly criminal, tempers clash and desires erupt, but the simmering passion between them is as difficult to contain as the fires burning in Oak Bend. Can they find the culprit before the town – and their hot romance – goes up in flames?

BUY LINK:  http://amzn.to/2dlCVWi

AUTHOR BIO:  Beth Hale writes about what she knows: strong, Southern women and the men who love them. She twines believable characters, realistic circumstances, and heart-felt emotions together to create sassy, sexy contemporary romances. She draws inspiration from the everyday life problems we all face and expands them into vivid, interesting, hard-to-put-down stories.

Beth lives in small-town Mississippi with her own real-life hero and two children. When she is not working as an E-911 dispatcher, you can find her curled up on her couch, with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and a notebook.

WEBSITE LINK: http://bit.ly/authorbethhale

BLOG LINK: http://bit.ly/1LnoHvv

What genre(s) do you write in and why? I write love stories in many genres.

What inspired your latest book? A song, meeting my hero in person as a cover model, the way it flowed.

What is your next project and when will it be released? The second book of my Paranormal Romantic Suspense “The Space Between”.

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.  The story is about two lovers living in the 1800s New Orleans.

Tell us about your hero.  Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses. August is a true Southern gentleman, raised living next to The House of the Crescent Moon in New Orleans. His real talent is gambling. With a deck of cards he can bring magic to a poker game.

Tell us about your heroine.  Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses. Isabelle is the dutiful daughter of one of the House’s girls. Being raised as a sweet Southern girl, she is sometimes afraid to follow her heart.

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in? My Muse runs the show, trust me.

Describe the genre of this particular title, and is the only genre you write in? Historical Romance. No, I write in several others.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?  The readers. They make me feel good about what I do.

BLURB

1800 New Orleans was a time of change for the city on the Mississippi River. August Decoudreau and Isabella Greenwood grew up in the shadow of the very prestige and legal prostitute establishment of The House of the Crescent Moon.

Isabelle’s mother, Stella, was one of the girls of the house. The Madame of the House treated her girls well and protected them. But it only took one despicable customer and a bad judgement call to turn the lives of everyone in a different direction.

Isabelle is sent off to an all girl’s school and August joins his father, a gambler, to travel on the riverboats of the Mississippi River.

Will the two lovers find a way back to each other or be forever separated?

BIO

Once living under the guise of a passive, quiet, school librarian, books and kids were the passions which kept her mind fresh.  One day she decided to spread her wings and live the dream of her heart. As she sits in front of her computer, her fingers bring to life the voices in her head. But it is when the night muses visit Jordyn, her spirit rises up to wrap around the stories that float in her dreams.  Land locked in the mid-west she envisions days on a white sandy beach with a laptop to write all her tales.  Crossing many genres she spins chronicles of love in Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Futuristic, Historical and Fantasy, for they are stories worth telling, even at the risk of revealing true feelings.

Buy Link http://amzn.to/2clZlZH

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jmdragonfly/

Website: http://www.jordynmeryl.com

Hi Cindy,

Thank you for having me today.

What genres do you write in and why?

I write romantic suspense and contemporary western romance.

While in college I found an old romantic suspense paperback in a friend’s basement. When I read it, I was hooked. So when I decided to write, romantic suspense seemed right. Since then I’ve also written contemporary western romance; I mean who doesn’t love the cowboy?

In my contemporary novels the characters are from both small towns and large cities, including Sierra Creek, a small imaginary town in the California foothills, and the real city of San Francisco. Each location allows the characters to have a variety of experiences. In both Shattered Rules and Money Power and Poison the counterpoint of a resort area, Lake Tahoe and Carmel by the Sea, where people come to relax and have fun, plays against the hero and heroine dealing with mystery and suspense while everyone else is oblivious to the danger.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I get ideas from events in my local area; say a big storm or a small earthquake. I think what if two people were caught in it. What would happen? How would it change their lives? How would it affect their relationship, whether they are strangers or good friends? Hearing a love song can trigger an idea for a romantic scene with the characters of a work in progress. A theme, survival, hope, or redemption, forgiveness also gives me inspiration. Sometimes a single sentence uttered by a stranger will prompt an idea for a novel. In my suspense novels, news articles are sometimes a jumping off point. I’d say that was especially true for Shattered Rules.

What inspired your latest book?

The thought of living off the land and being self-sufficient was my inspiration for Her Country Heart; book one in the Sierra Creek Series. While living in Los Angeles, I often heard people wish they could leave the city and live in the country, no traffic, and no time clock. What if a single mother returned from the city to her rural home with plans to make it on her own? Without any experience farming, what would happen? What if her old high school crush was given the responsibility of making sure she left town?

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

My hero, a cowboy, is strong emotionally and physically. He’s up to any challenge and thrives on competition. Though he didn’t have much of a family life growing up, he’s loyal and when he gives his word, he keeps it. His fault: he doesn’t let anyone get too close and avoids personal relationships. He rarely shares his feelings and wants to be in control of his emotions at all times. He’s run by logic.

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

My heroine, a positive thinker, leads with her heart and is never shy about bringing people into her family unit, be they strangers or old friends. If someone is in trouble they can count on her to help. Her fault is that she too often ignores the harsh realities of life and is therefore unprepared to make the practical choices needed to have financial stability.

Is your book part of a series?

Yes, though each book can stand alone. Her Country Heart is book one in the Sierra Creek Series, where strong cowboys and determined women intersect in the small California town of Sierra Creek.

Book two is His Country Heart, my work in progress. Amy and Wyatt, from the first book, struggle to plan their wedding and their future life together while family conflicts and physical circumstances beyond their control threaten their chance at happiness. Book three, Country Hearts Together, continues the couple’s journey and this time the emphasis is also on their best friends Vanna and Manny as they look for love in all the wrong places.

I’m also writing a romantic suspense. What would you do if your husband went to the store for a quart of milk and disappeared? Why don’t the police care? And who is following you?

How much research do you do for these books?

I do a fair amount. Each book is different, so it will vary from book to book. For Her Country Heart, I’ve spent time researching quarter horses, apples, and organic farming. No fruit acknowledges the conflict between a man and a woman better than the iconic apple. When I needed an idea for a farm in Her Country Heart, an organic apple farm fit the criteria.

The apple signifies the tension between man and woman and the temptation of being drawn to the opposite sex when you know it’s only going to cause trouble in your life. How many of us have been attracted to someone and thought, “I shouldn’t go there but…”

I love apples and there are many varieties from countries all around the world, New Zealand, and Japan to name a couple. What is your favorite apple? Leave a comment for a chance to win a kindle copy of Her Country Heart

Five things about the apple you may not know:

1. The Adam’s apple was named because in the bible Adam was tempted by Eve and took a bite from the apple she offered him. He choked and couldn’t swallow it. According to the myths, that’s why a man’s larynx is larger than a woman’s.

2. Johnny Appleseed born John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nursery man who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois as well as the northern counties of present-day West Virginia (Citation Wikipedia). Information about him is still taught in many schools and there are movies and videos about his life.

3. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” According to research on the internet, the saying came from Great Britain, a Pembrokeshire proverb c1866. “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Other variations can be found from 1913 onward.

4. Apples and vitamins, there are many including A, C, K and several of the Bs. One apple can supply much of the needed vitamins, so saying to eat one every day is close to the mark.

5. There are over 7,000 varieties of apples. By the way, the Crab Apple is from the US and the Macintosh Apple is from eastern Canada. Though there are many new varieties, the Red Delicious is the most popular one.

Blurb

Her Country Heart

Why is Amy Long attracted to the only man who can stop her from achieving her dream?

Amy needs a fresh start. After years of living in the city she returns to Sierra Creek to run her grandmother’s farm. Does she still belong in the small town?

Cowboy Wyatt Cameron doesn’t think so. As half owner, he’s promised to sell the farm and send her packing.

What can she do to change his mind?

Will sparks fly without breaking a heart?

Excerpt

“Sierra Creek,” the driver shouted as the Greyhound Bus came to an abrupt stop on the two lane highway.

Amy Long pushed her hair behind her ears and grabbed her worn suitcase. Surprised to see her hand tremble, she seized the case with both hands and rushed toward the front of the bus.

A gust of hot wind slapped her face and gravel pelted her bare legs as the bus pulled away. Sierra Creek population five thousand, she read a faded road sign. There wasn’t a building in sight.

After years living in city, she’d forgotten how sweltering and desolate it was here. She’d vowed never to return home. Odd it was the first place that came to mind when she and her young son needed a fresh start.

With Granny gone, there was no family left to welcome her. She swallowed a sob. Maybe it was a mistake to come back.

The relentless afternoon sun beat down and her shoulders and arms began to redden. San Francisco, the air conditioned city, seemed a million miles away.

She cleared her dry throat and wiped perspiration from her forehead. What wouldn’t she give for some shade and a bottle of ice water?

With a sigh, she pulled out her smart phone and checked the time. Thirty minutes since she’d arrived at the bus stop and not a single car had gone by. Where was the arranged ride into town?

Granny’s handyman promised to meet her. He obviously wasn’t a stickler about being on time. She groaned and reminded herself she was in the California foothills not in a busy metropolis where time was money.

The sound of a truck rumbled in the distance. With the back of her hand, she wiped her bangs out of her eyes and squinted. Hopeful, she watched the pick-up come closer. A shiny black Ford F150 with extended cab pulled up in front of her.

“Amy,” a man yelled through the open window as his dark hair fell casually over a high forehead and deep-set blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She moved nearer and viewed his wide cheekbones, clean shaven jaw and full lips. About thirty?

“Hi.” A flutter of recognition stirred in her as palpable charm radiated from his broad smile, Wyatt Cameron.

His muscular arms flexed as his huge hands squeezed the steering wheel. “Don’t just stand there. Get in. The judge is waiting.”

Buy links

Her Country Heart

Author Page

Website

Contact Reggi

BIO

An author of romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, Reggi writes tales of love lost and then found and stories of heroes and heroines who discover love and wonder if they’ll live long enough to enjoy it. They control their panic and manage their passion as each fights to discover a hidden strength. Can they survive multiple ordeals and carry on to reach their goals and find love?

She can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. Even as a kid she told stories to her friends. It always surprised her when they listened and asked for more. Before writing her books, she worked in the medical field and as an advertising manager.

She studied screen writing and creative writing at University of California at Los Angeles, (UCLA) and is a past chapter president of Romance Writers of America and is a current member.

She is happy to hear from her readers. Sign up for her newsletter for a chance to win a kindle copy of Her Country Heart.

Contact Reggi