Inspiration Comes in Many Forms—Or, Nagging Works By Caroline Clemmons

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

Thanks to Cynthia for sharing her blog with me today.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Not the actual day, but the anticipation leading up to that day. From Thanksgiving through December 24^th, my mind is abuzz with plans for gifts, decorating, and all things festive. Picturing the face of those I love when they open a particular gift fills me with glee. Remembering those less fortunate is always important, but especially so at this time of year when most parts of the country are also having cold weather. And this is the time of year we’re allowed to crave holiday treats. (Even if you’re as “comfortably padded” as I am.)

Separately earlier in the year, each of our daughters asked me why I hadn’t done a Christmas story. Each requested that I write one—nagging . . . er, mentioning the request several times. Hmm, why hadn’t I created one before? For several years I’d had one in the back of my mind. This summer, which is when many Christmas books are written, I plotted a novella in my Stone Mountain Texas series.

Most of my books have crime and adventure in them. But who wants trouble at Christmas? While this is a feel-good story, I had to slip in one crime. I just couldn’t help myself. 😉

Here’s the synopsis of STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS:

Christmas has been Celia Dubois’s favorite time of year as long as she can remember. When she moves in with her parents a year after the death of her husband, the young widow is appalled at the town’s lack of Christmas spirit. Two months earlier, banditos had burned the church and crushed the townspeople. Celia vows to return holiday joy to the town. Perhaps doing so might help mend her aching heart. Will Celia’s plan work magic?

Rancher Eduardo Montoya knows Celia is the woman for him. She enchants him with her winning smile and vivacious nature. When her father warns Eduardo away from Celia, Eduardo is both angry and frustrated. After he stops a robbery in her father’s mercantile, will Celia’s parents change their minds about him? Can handsome Eduardo heal Celia’s sorrow?

And here’s an excerpt of the opening for STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS:

Radford Crossing, Texas, November 1874

Eduardo Montoya focused on the beautiful redhead who swept the walk in front of Sturdivant’s Mercantile across the street. He turned to speak to his friend. “She is a vision, is she not?”

Micah Stone, his cousin’s husband, asked, “Have you met her or spoken to her?”

Eduardo’s gaze returned to Celia Dubois. He refused to let anyone shatter his dreams. “See how graceful she is even when performing a menial chore? When we are wed, she will not have to be concerned with such things.”

Sounding incredulous, Micah said, “I repeat, have you even met or spoken to her?”

Eduardo had no doubt his friend believed he had taken leave of his senses. He wasn’t so sure he hadn’t, but he placed a hand over his heart. “In good time, my friend. All in good time.”

Micah clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, Romeo. We’ve finished our business with Joel. Hope’s expecting us for lunch. You can daydream about the pretty widow on our way home.”

“I suppose we must go.” He exhaled, reluctantly willing to leave town but unwilling to let anyone derail his plans.

Micah untied his horse from the hitching rail in front of his brother’s law office and mounted. “Have to say this is the first time I’ve known you to be shy about flirting with a woman.”

Determination steeled Eduardo’s resolve as he swung onto his gelding. “Never before has a woman been so important to me. You will see. One day, she will become my wife.”

The two rode toward Micah’s ranch.

From where she stood on the walk, Celia had known the men watched her. One was the youngest Stone brother. Identifying him was easy because the three Stone men looked so much alike.

But she hadn’t yet met the handsome man dressed as a Spanish Don. He fit the description she’d been privy to of Eduardo Montoya, one of the wealthiest men in this part of Texas. At least, that’s what she’d overheard while helping in her parents’ store.

He certainly cut a dashing figure in his black clothes trimmed with silver buttons. She wondered if he was entitled to dress like Spanish nobility or if he merely played a part. The silver on his saddle flashed in the sunlight and she questioned the safety of such a display.

One thing she’d noticed in her few days in town and working in her father’s mercantile, she heard tidbits of local gossip whether intentionally or not. She wondered what the gossips had to say about her. Probably best she didn’t know. Most people she’d met were friendly but there were a few prunes eager to criticize everyone.

Wasn’t that true everywhere? Yet she thought an unusual pall lay over Radford Crossing. The town definitely needed a large dose of cheer. As a matter of fact, she wouldn’t mind a measure for herself. With a sigh, she went back inside the store.

Amazon http://amzn.com/B00OQUTDXA

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OQUTDXA
Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling author of historical and contemporary western romances whose books have garnered numerous awards. Her latest release is STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS, one of her Stone Mountain Texas series. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Romance Writers chapters of Yellow Rose, From The Heart, and Hearts Through History. Her latest publications include the acclaimed historical Men of Stone Mountain Texas series: BRAZOS BRIDE, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, and BLUEBONNET BRIDE and the audio books of BRAZOS BRIDE and HIGH STAKES BRIDE. Her Kincaid series continues to resonate with readers.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. Prior to writing full time, her jobs included stay-at-home mom (her favorite), secretary, newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, bookkeeper for the local tax assessor and—for a short and fun time—an antique dealer. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and getting together with family and friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, WattPad, Shelfari, and Pinterest.

Q & A with Skye Genaro, Author of Echo Across Time

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

Who did you write this book for?

I write all my teen paranormal stories with two audiences in mind:

One is the young paranormal community. There are gifted girls out there who have strong intuitive, psychic or medium abilities, but our society hasn’t readily accepted these gifts. Often times, kids hide these odd experiences in an effort to fit in.

In the Echo Saga readers see Echo evolve from a girl whose telekinesis makes her a neurotic mess, to a young woman who is a leader and positive example of personal power. She goes through some hard internal and external battles to get there, but those are the things that ultimately define her.

I also wrote Echo Across Time for girls and women who love a good paranormal story woven with romance. The teenage years are full of firsts—first loves, first big public failures, first great accomplishments. I like the backdrop that this kind of environment offers. Just being a teenager, trying to hold your own in the world, takes a lot of heart and courage. Many of my adult readers remember and relate to this time in their lives.

Is there a central theme to your series?

There is. The overall theme of the Echo Saga is personal power—how we repress it, learning to recognize it, embrace it and choosing how to use it.

When I set out to write the series I thought it would be fun to take a look at the dynamics of personal power, but through a supernatural lens. I chose to use teen characters because those years are so important in defining our individuality and identity.

Often times, I think one of two things happens when you repress and hold back who you really are. You either get sucked into someone else’s identity, like pop culture icons, or a clique, and then you sacrifice your individuality. Or the real “you” comes screaming out in unacceptable ways, such as rebellion or passive aggressive behavior. These are some of the ideas I explore in the series.

If you could compare this book with any book or movie out there that we might already be familiar with, which book would it be and why?

I’d say Echo Across Time is best described as a cross between the book Evermore and the movie Chronicle.

Evermore is the first book in the Immortal Series (Alysson Noel). Like Echo, the main character in Evermore deals with a paranormal gift that she does not want yet must learn to live with. And at the same time, she has to sort out the intent of a mysterious boy in her life. Is he there to help or hurt her?

Chronicle is one of my favorite movies about everyday people who suddenly are “gifted” with paranormal powers.

BLURB

Fall in love with the achingly beautiful story of Echo and Connor, supernaturally gifted teens, as they fight to live out their destiny together.

Echo Across Time, Book 1 in The Echo Saga

By Skye Genaro

Free December 3-12!

Echo had it all—she lived in a mansion in the wealthiest neighborhood and was a member of the Partychicks, the elite high school clique. But her enviable life was ripped apart when a bullying incident put her in a coma. When Echo wakes up, she’s gained paranormal powers that she can’t control.

Telekinesis. Aura sensing. These abilities wreak havoc on Echo’s life, and she will do just about anything to get rid of them. Even if it means sharing her secret with Connor, the gorgeous, frightening stranger who appears out of thin air and possesses shocking supernatural abilities. He promises to teach her things beyond her wildest imagination—if Echo has the courage to trust him.

Soon, she is pulled into a world of mystical possibility and starts falling hard for the enigmatic Connor. As Echo uncovers the truth about him, she discovers a dark secret brewing within her city: people with paranormal gifts are being kidnapped and murdered. Escaping with Connor would keep Echo alive, but at a high cost to Connor and to the future they both believe in. Echo must choose between her love for Connor and her own safety, but she can’t have both.

Free December 3-12

Amazon: http://ow.ly/yLiEf

Barnes and Noble: http://ow.ly/yLiLC

Kobo: http://ow.ly/yLiRG

Smashwords: http://ow.ly/yLiY9

iTunes: http://ow.ly/BV7pq

Audible.com: http://ow.ly/yLj3Y

Echo Into Darkness, Book 2 in The Echo Saga is available December 4.

EXCERPT

Chapter 1

Mr. King slapped my physics test face down on my desk. I didn’t need to flip it over to know that studying had been a waste of time. I sensed, from the surge of disappointment coming off my teacher’s aura, that my grade was awful.

I kept my head down, letting my long chestnut hair fall around my face, and debated whether it was safe to look at the test result.

All around me, my classmates were having normal reactions to their grades. They winced and slumped or smiled and fist pumped. Others sat quiet and smug. I knew all of this without looking because I felt each of their emotions just as surely as if they’d blasted me with a fire hose.

“What’d you get?” Becca nudged my elbow and stuffed her test into her backpack. She’d done well, I could tell.

“I’m afraid to look.” My forehead just above my eyebrows started to tingle, and the tips of my fingers prickled. Not a good sign.

“Come on, Echo, don’t be shy,” a voice taunted me from behind. A smooth hand adorned with a diamond ring reached over my shoulder and grabbed my test.

“Back off, Raquelle,” I hissed. I tried to swat her away, but I was too slow.

Raquelle flipped the pages over. My test had so much red on it, it looked like a victim of a violent crime.

“Oooo, you got a C minus. Aren’t you a smarty,” Raquelle mocked. Her snotty laughter rippled through my aura and landed hot and sticky, on my skin.

I wanted to make a snappy comeback, but Mr. King started talking. Instead, I lashed my arms across my chest, crossed my legs, and wished that my ability to feel other people’s auras was the worst of my problems. As my irritation rose, the air in the room grew dense.

Mr. King pulled down the projector screen and turned off the lights. Raquelle unwrapped a piece of gum and threw the crumpled wrapper at the back of my head.

I clenched my fists, and the tingling on my forehead intensified. If I squeezed my eyes closed and stayed calm, maybe I could hold this in until the end of class. Maybe if I just—

The screen at the front of the room rolled up with a loud snap. The fluorescent lights flickered, and the projector light bulb broke.

“The ghost returns!” some kid yelled.

Another kid hummed a creepy tune.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and more than one person had suggested that the room was haunted. It’s not, though. It’s me. Not only do I feel others’ emotions, mine cause objects to move.

I took a few deep breaths, and the room returned to normal.

“Everybody calm down,” said Mr. King.

He turned on the lights and right away, the kids around me giggled. The contents of my book bag were strewn across the floor. Notebooks, pencils, and some personal items I’d just as soon not mention, had all gotten caught in my energetic outburst.

The bell rang, and Becca helped me clean up the mess. Side by side, we don’t look much alike except we’re both small and lacking in curves. We used to raid each other’s closets before she took to wearing all black. Becca kept her fawn-colored hair short and spikey. My chestnut hair grew well past my shoulders. Her natural, year-round tan made my fair skin appear washed out.

“This room is seriously possessed,” she said.

“Right? It’s like the second time this week.” A third eruption was boiling up. I had to get out of there, soon.

“And the weird thing is this stuff always happens when you and I are in the same room,” she said.

“I accidentally kicked my bag over,” I lied as I zipped it closed. “I’ve got to pee. I’ll meet you in the lunchroom, ‘kay?”

I raced past the bathroom and out the nearest exit. I skirted around the corner and pressed my back against the brick building. Out here, under Oregon’s stormy October sky, I could relax. Wind whipped through the courtyard. Gray clouds billowed over Portland’s skyline. This was the perfect cover for what I was about to do.

The insistent buzzing that I loathed pulsed in the center of my forehead. A prickly sensation ran up the backs of my legs and spine.

“Just breathe through it,” I coached myself.

I inhaled, and let the air out slowly. Energy exploded from my aura and into the courtyard. It scattered garbage and leaves and ricocheted off the building. It upended one of the wooden benches and sent it tumbling toward the parking lot. A loud snap punctuated the air. Above me, a fresh crack cut through a window on the second floor.

My buildup had been worse than I thought. Now, though, the tension left my body and my near-constant headache was gone. The next few minutes were precious ones, when I felt like my normal self again.

BIO

Skye Genaro’s fascination with psychics and other gifted individuals sparked when her own clairvoyant and clairaudient abilities began to grow. As a young girl, she experienced flashes of “knowing”, but she didn’t recognize her intuitive insight until many years into adulthood.

Skye writes short stories and novels featuring characters with paranormal gifts.

Echo Across Time is currently being considered for film adaptation by three production companies.

Connect with Skye:

Website: http://skyegenaro.com/

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879975.Skye_Genaro

Promo Tips for Book Exposure By Elaine Calloway

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

The rules to promote a book seem to change daily, especially in Indie publishing. So many books are flooding the marketplace. Reaching those potential readers who will love your book is becoming a greater challenge than ever before.

But don’t despair. With the invention of the Internet, there are many ways (both free and paid) to get your name out there.

Below are several options to spread the word, and my thoughts on each:

Create an Author Facebook Page. This is free and invaluable to interact with readers, writers, and announce when you have new books coming out. Facebook does offer a “boost post” and “get more likes” option that costs $5/day. I’ve done this for 3 days and had surprisingly great results.

Facebook Groups. There are groups on Facebook that allow you to post news about your book for free. Anything from “New Book Releases” to “Paranormal Book Lovers” to “We Love Books” groups exist. Do a search and join the ones you want. Keeping regular updates on these sites can bring new likes to your page, new readers.

This is my favorite. You can host giveaways of your paperback books, which encourages reviews and gains exposure. You can also join genre-based groups, who are interested in what you write. Some groups have programs where, if you provide free e-books to 10 people, those 10 people will review your book within a month’s time. This is a great way for a new author to get reviews.

Twitter-blast. I have used a few of these, the services where people will tweet about your book to their thousands of followers. The free ones didn’t do much for my sales, but it was free. The paid options, in my opinion, are not worth it. Nobody wants the sales push on Twitter.

Pinterest. Create boards on Pinterest with photos of your characters, quotes from your book, etc. People who follow you can see what their favorite characters look like, along with scenic views of the city where you set your story. I’ve had a few readers buy my books after looking at my boards. I think anything free helps.

Book Tours. These differ in services offered and price, so be sure to do your research. I find book tours help exposure and can gain some early reviews for your book, but it won’t ratchet up your sales by the hundreds in one day.

new_elaine_bio (1)_2

Elaine Calloway writes paranormal/fantasy tales with romantic elements, often set in iconic cities. She grew up in New Orleans with a love of gothic architecture and all things paranormal, which naturally translated into her books. She is currently writing two series: The Elemental Clan Series (a good versus evil set of tales between Elementals and evil Fallen Angels) and the Southern Ghosts Series (some intrigue, humor and mystery with a dash of romance thrown in).

To connect with Elaine and learn more about her books, visit www.elainecalloway.com.

Character interview of Gary Logan from Immortal Relations by Guy Ogan

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

Today we have an unusual guest, the character Gary Logan from the “Immortal Relations” series. Gary, please tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks Cindy, it is a pleasure to be with you and the readers of your blog today. Where to begin? I guess I will start with my human background. I’d picked up a pair of Master’s Degrees, one while still in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in The Netherlands (Holland) and the second shortly after my retirement from the Air Force. I taught undergraduate counseling, psychology and sociology at a couple of colleges and universities as well as having my own private practice helping children, adolescents and adults with Attention Deficit. Later, I tool a position with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, their prison system, and retired as a psychologist when my father passed away and my invalid mother needed my care.

Shortly after her passing I started going through all the filing cabinets where I found the photograph of my father taken in Prague, Czechoslovakia right after WW-II. He had been sent, along with a team, to try and help the Czechs develop a new government along the lines of a Constitutional Republic. When I found out about that I thought it was a “fool’s errand” as Eastern Europe was under the boot of the Soviet Army and they certainly weren’t going to allow such a free government to be formed. Sure enough, the team of Americans was eventually told to leave, but not before my late father had developed a “relationship” with their young Czech interpreter, whose handwriting I found on the back of the photo saying, “I’ll always be waiting here.”

Seeing her words caused me to remember things my late mother had said when I was very young, “He is over there with that woman” and “He has had a child with that woman.” My mother had even asked me what I would do if she divorced my father! I wasn’t more than six or seven years old so really didn’t understand all of that, but the distress in her voice probably caused me to remember this even though there never was a divorce; back in the 1940s and 50s it was common for married folks to stay together “for sake of the children.” Perhaps that’s what happened even if I was an only child.

Having found that photograph, a copy of which is on pg. two of “Immortal Relations” the first book in the series, I determined to go to Prague and see if I could find the location where the photograph was taken. It took a few weeks to get the passport and other documents as well as make my travel arrangements and it wasn’t fun going through all the hassle of the security scans and inspections. I finally arrived in Prague and very soon thereafter found the spot where the photograph had been taken, it was a very famous building, “The Old Town Hall” that had a very large clock-face on the side of the building (as seen in the photograph).

So, after you’d found the building what happened?

I guess this is where EVERYTHING really started! It was very early Sunday Morning and there were no pedestrians and very sparse traffic, when all of a sudden I saw someone’s reflection in a window glass, where there hadn’t been anyone before. She was dressed like a super-model, but no sooner had I seen her, she disappeared. I turned to see if I could find where she had gone and I she was right behind me…it shocked me so much I almost fell over backwards. As I later told her, when she grabbed my arm to keep me upright I think she grabbed my heart at the same time.

Her name was Magdalena Dvora’k and she took one look at the picture I carried and without skipping a beat, said my father’s name! I came very close to falling, but again she grabbed my arm to steady me. We sat and talked for a long time and finally when jet-lag was getting the best of me she walked with me back to my hotel and made sure I got into my room to rest saying she would return the next day. I’d slept for over twelve hours and had just started taking a shower when she returned. I’d told the hotel manager to let her have the key when she returned so she was able to come in and after showering we headed out to see the city. She was a fantastic guide and so very knowledgeable about the city and all that went on there…I felt I was falling in love but knew she was so much younger that my feelings were out of place.

She returned me to my hotel saying she would try to see me again tomorrow evening. After I awoke and took my shower, I went to the café we had previously visited. On my way back to the hotel I despaired of seeing her again and felt like I’d die if she didn’t return because I had no way of contacting her. Fortunately she suddenly appeared walking next to me and I couldn’t help but tell her of my fear I wouldn’t see her again. She was so caring and understanding, being with her made my heart sing! That evening we toured some of the areas we hadn’t seen the night before and when she took me up on top of one of the oldest buildings from which we could see the lights of the city, I couldn’t refrain from professing my love, admitting that I knew our age difference was probably too much. When she said she had similar feelings for me I thought my heart would explode with joy; however, she warned that there was a problem as far as doing anything. That is when I told her that all she had to do to correct the problem was to change me. I caught her off-guard with the fact that I’d already figured out that she was a vampire…that in fact she had been the paramour of my late father.

Wow, talk about a revelation, what did she say to all that?

She just smiled and said I was right but that turning me would require approval from the head of her coven. About that time her daughter, Eviana, came up onto the roof where we were and told me how happy she was that her mother had found love. Then I was taken back to a control room where Eviana had a shift monitoring the city to keep humans safe from vampires who didn’t follow the rules about not harming humans, as well as identifying criminal threats.

Not harming humans, then how did they get the blood they needed?

The guardian vampires have a number of corporations, one of which owns many funeral homes. Blood from those who die of illness, old age, accidents, etc. must be replaced with a preservative before processing and that blood, rather than being flushed, is mixed with an anti-coagulant and quick frozen for later use by the guardians. To me it seemed like the perfect symbiotic relationship as they not only safeguard against other types of vampires, but human criminals and evil politicians.

Then what happened?

Well, Magdalena expressed the belief that all vampires were doomed to Hell to which I responded with the argument that since I’d been told that most of the guardian vampires had originally been the victims of the evil type of vampires, it wouldn’t make sense to damn the victims of these attacks and we discussed salvation being available to all. Shortly after that a vehicle from the Residency Coven picked us up and took me to meet with the leader of the group known as Grandmother. She and her assistants were all mind-readers and my thoughts, being more than a little chaotic provided some amusement for them; however, Grandmother was very gracious and allowed that I could become one of them.

So how did the “change” take place?

Magdalena, Eviana and I went to their apartment inside the castle, and yes it really was a castle. I had to change into a European “Thong” bathing suit…talk about something that made me feel as horrible as I must have looked! Then I was secured to a long cart that had been rolled into their apartment for me to be secured on top of. I’d asked for a gag over my mouth as I’d been told there would be a great deal of pain and I didn’t want any screams to bring unwanted attention down on the proceedings. I’d elected to have both Magdalena and Eviana to bite me to speed up the change even if it meant greater pain.

Was the change terribly painful?

Indeed, it was as if fire was racing through my veins, skin and bones, as well as my muscles. But to have the prospect of being forever with the ones I loved it was a small price to pay.

But what about being condemned to Hell?

As I’d told both Magdalena and Eviana, I considered that just a cop-out designed by those vampires who have no desire to live peacefully alongside of humans, but rather they say, “I might as well kill everyone because I’m doomed anyway.” It is like saying God doesn’t have the power to provide salvation to these good vampires who don’t attack but rather safeguard the humans.

Speaking of safeguarding, I’ve read the first book and most of the second, “Immortal Relations, Love and War” and it certainly seems that you and the others kept a lot of bad things from happening. Care to elaborate?

The guardians routinely prevent rapes and robberies among other human crimes and when we were attacked by the vampire gang, we dealt them and when they tried to attack us by turning Czech military forces we convinced the Czech’s to help us defeat a band of “terrorists.” Then the vampire gang survivors went to England to try to obtain nuclear weapons, we, with the help of the British Army and Royal Marines were able to stymie their efforts. Then they tried to steal chemical and biological weapon that had been stockpiled from the old days of the Soviet Union. We were able to enlist the help of the senior Russian General Vladimir Kolukov to finish off the vampire gang (of course we had told them these were just some very well trained terrorists). In the second book I’m sure you read of our intervention when the Communist Chinese invaded Siberia; we helped defeat the invaders before the war resulted in a nuclear exchange. It became clear when we stopped the Chinese invasion that the Marxist regime in Washington D.C. was in on the deal, having been promised a reduction in the debt owed to the Chinese due to the overspending by the U.S. Government. Shortly thereafter we helped restore Russian oil production so vital to Western Europe after greedy OPEC Ministers had a terrorist set off a suitcase nuke to destroy the pumping station and irradiate the oil fields. We also kept the 25 year old cap over the Chernobyl reactor from failing by constructing a new cap as well as moving the leaning reactor building damaged by the tsunami which hit Fukushima, Japan.

Tell us a little of your unusual genetic makeup and what a difference it made after you were changed.

Well after I was changed my heart continued to beat and I was able to sire children, both of which were relatively unheard of in the vampire world. Further my son Adam continued to have a beating heart as did his own daughter, a hybrid half-vampire, half-human. What was most interesting was that Glenda, Adam’s hybrid daughter could live on blood as well as on human food…she seemingly had none of the problems associated with vampirism, yet had all the strengths. My family of vampire children has continued to grow and I’ve been jokingly accused of trying to start my own coven, especially now that we have started a coven in Southern Canada to monitor what the Marxist regime in Washington D.C. is doing to destroy the U.S. Constitution and it’s Bill of Rights.

How did you come to write the three books in the series and will there be others?

I had been busy writing a journal about my becoming a vampire and when were faced with a news organization ready to release information that had come to their attention about REAL VAMPIRES being behind the defeat of the Chinese I was asked to produce two books that would be backdated to well before the events in question to make it look as if the news organization had plagiarized those stories as real facts. This action caused the news organization to put their story on hold…at least until the missile attack upon our Canadian facility by the Marxists in Washington D.C. and their later effort to destroy our mission to safeguard Earth from Ceres the 600 mile wide rogue asteroid that was headed for a possible impact in just weeks. That is when it became common knowledge that we guardian vampires were behind all of those actions. That is why all three “novels” were released. As for future novels, yes I have another in the works that will contain some recent “situations” that have arisen and been dealt with. The title will be, “Immortal Relations – Revenge.” It deals with some left-overs from the evil vampire gang as well as more destructive actions by the Marxists in Washington. I hope to have it out in the Spring of 2015 and I already have the covers for two further books in the series. My prayer is that the American people wake up and return the United States to a Constitutional Republic by kicking out he Marxists and their media running-dogs.

Do you have any final words for my readers?

Yes, many books and films portray all vampires as evil monsters trying to draining the life blood from men, women and children coming near them. My stories are to show that not all those who might be seen to be “enemies” at first glance really are. It is the reverse of what politicians seem to get away with in the U.S., don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do (and watch very closely)! For vampires and others you might label as enemies out of hand, you should watch how they behave before branding us all as enemies. And, of course, I’d love for your readers to check out my books: http://amzn.com/B006ZCBT6G http://amzn.com/B00A4IEHL6 & http://amzn.com/B00G5BQS18

BIO

Guy Ogan is a retired Air Force Major with a pair of graduate degrees, unfortunately not in English or Literature. I’m also retired from a second “calling” as a psychologist with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where I evaluated inmates and wrote treatment programs. In my youth I wrote articles on various long distance running events I participated in. Then, in the military, I did a great deal of technical writing and wrote many articles and sent pictures on car shows I attended. My wife and I live in West Texas with three fun loving Pomeranians.

I Grew Up Loving Cowboys by Jane Leopold Quinn

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

Sorry Paul (my husband), but I’ve always loved cowboys.

He always kids me about The Duke.

John Wayne was the best!

I was in love with the TV and movie cowboys of the 50s and 60s. So, when I first began writing romances, cowboys were the logical heroes.

Although they weren’t completely historically accurate, those old western shows are my main research “bible.” But I do have quite a few books showing male and female clothing from different historic periods, as well as pioneer women’s diaries, women who’d crossed the country in covered wagons. The women walked along side the wagons, cooked meals, washed clothing, looked after the children. Men rode horses and drove the wagons. To give them their due, the menfolk hunted for food but still on horseback. In their diaries, women didn’t mention their periods or even childbirth. The most they’d say is that there was an addition to the wagon train. Life was difficult and lonely for many women in the west, but they had no choice but to continue moving one step forward, literally and figuratively. Thank God they did or most of us wouldn’t be here.

The first manuscript I wrote was The Long Road to You, and it starred a hero named Nick as an homage to the western, especially the TV western, The Big Valley. I was/am a Nick Barkley fan. That black outfit and especially the omnipresent black gloves were quite sexy. And in Nick’s case, a black Stetson didn’t make him the bad guy.

Around the same time, I was listening to an Andrea Bocelli CD, Sogno, and in particular the song, ‘O Mare e Tu. Its haunting minor chords, the Spanish/Arabic/Gypsy sounds put me in mind of the Flamenco. A young Anglo woman became my heroine, and she became the Flamenco dancer. You’d think a Mexican or Spanish woman would be the dancer, but I turned it around so the properly brought up and schooled American girl fell in love with the Flamenco, tried to break her bonds of propriety, and flee to escape the threat of an arranged marriage. Jake and Ivy came into being and is now the first book in the series, The Brothers Agee.

The Flamenco is a sexy dance. The serious focused faces, rigid dance poses, minor chord sounds mesh with flying, tapping feet and gracefully waving arms. I used the music to portray Ivy’s self-discovery of her sensual nature.

My hero Jake was inspired, in part, by an incident in my husband’s youth. Jake and Nick were raised in an orphanage. Nick left when Jake was ten years old, and Jake became a loner — until he met Ivy. This in particular was not part of my husband’s experience, but my heart ached for the young orphan boys.

A scene in Jake and Ivy takes place in Barranca del Cobre, Copper Canyon, in northern Mexico. Thank heavens for the internet, because it allows you to visit places you could never go to and get an idea of what they looked and felt like. That combined with my own experiences, of places I’ve traveled to and sights I’ve seen in person, really help in writing the scene.

What would a young woman in 1880 have known about men and sex? I don’t think much since women were protected. The challenge is to take our modern 21st Century sensibility and write to an historical perspective. I don’t believe an 1880s era young woman would speak a certain way, use particular words. This means I had to be aware of Ivy’s innocent thoughts and dialogue and write them as realistically as possible.

I really like the challenge of subsuming myself in a character to see life as she/or he would. Especially in the male point of view. That’s really a challenge!

Jake and Ivy

The Brothers Agee – Jake

by Jane Leopold Quinn

Here is the blurb for Jake and Ivy: Ivy Westlake, thought to be a demure young lady, comes alive at her friend’s hacienda in Mexico when she discovers the Flamenco. Her wild side is unleashed in the sensuality of music and dancing. She will not allow her father to force her into a marriage of convenience back East, so she runs away with the dance troupe.

Jake Agee, cowboy, horse trader, loner, has carefully built a life with no commitments. That life explodes in his face when Ivy dances. He doesn’t know she’s run away until he spots her performing in a small California town. He battles his desire to have this woman against his well-honed sense of independence.

Jake and Ivy perform their own style of pas de deux throughout southern California until their passions ignite in a desert cave in the middle of a thunder storm. Jake fights his growing love as Ivy fights her craving for their erotic pursuits. Jake’s long lost brother suddenly and mysteriously surfaces. Will this appearance tear Jake and Ivy apart? Will it destroy their love?

And a short excerpt: Jake and Ivy have danced their own pas de deux throughout southern California, fighting their attraction, trying to keep their independence. Emotions are running high and a coming storm brings them together for the first time…

Slowly he stretched out an arm, his hand spread welcomingly wide.

Her breath stopped in her chest. Her belly tightened. She didn’t think he was just asking her to take a ride with him. In her short life, she’d never thought to feel this kind of desire for a man, hadn’t known it even existed. He’d ridden out of nowhere. For her? He didn’t say the words but she knew what he was asking. Come with him. The only possible response from her was yes. She shifted her glance in the direction of the town.

His eyes narrowed. “It’s close enough. They’ll reach it before the storm hits.”

“Go, niña.”

She heard Christina’s whispered urging but had already made her decision. She stood, balancing on the wagon frame and placed her hand in his. He swung her over, settling her in front of him to straddle the horse, her skirts hitching up to her knees. His arm tightened around her middle as he wheeled sharply away.

Her heart beat wildly recognizing the inevitability. It was what she’d been waiting for. He wanted her. She wanted him. It was as simple as that. Her body nestled into the shelter of his chest. His arms encircled her shoulders, one hand handling the reins, his open palm anchored over her belly. She twisted around to scrutinize him, her heart fluttering at his tender vulnerable neck, at the sight of the beating pulse pumping madly. Even his strong jaw shaded by light bristles looked arousing. Through lips slightly parted, little bursts of air coincided with the rise and fall of his chest as she leaned against it. Her eyes finally met his.

Jake and Ivy is available here – http://amzn.com/B00OEFC9LK

And let me give a little shout out to the short story, Wooing the Librarian, loosely connected to Jake and Ivy and also available now. Isis doesn’t want another man, not even handsome preacher Pres. Bounty hunter, now preacher, he can’t hide his attraction to the new librarian. Does he discover the way into her heart? Pres isn’t about to give up. Can Isis forget her past pain and see a future with him?

Short PG Excerpt – Isis retreats to a park for a respite from Preacher Pres and encounters one of the town’s “angels of the night”…

“I love your hat,” Isis exclaimed.

The woman’s mouth opened in surprise at the compliment, then her eyes widened in happiness. Her smile made her seem younger than she’d first appeared through her heavy makeup. “Thank you, ma’am!” She patted the hat, feathers ruffling in the breeze. “I made it myself.”

“It’s beautiful. So unique. Do you make them for a living?” Her heart seized at the look of devastation on the other woman’s face. She lifted a hand to touch the satin-clad arm and, indicating the bench, quickly said, “Please sit down. My name is Isis Garrett.” She added, “You could open a millinery shop if you make any more hats like that one.”

“Mine’s Opal Jonas. And thank you. I’ve made quite a few, almost more than one woman can wear.”

Each in her own thoughts, they sat without speaking for a minute. Finally, Isis asked, “You’d like to borrow a book?”

“Yes, if you’ll lend to me.”

“Of course, I will. The books are for anyone to read. What kind of stories do you like?”

Opal laughed outright then. “Believe it or not, I like to read romance stories. You wouldn’t think I would, but they’re pleasant enough to pass the daytime with.”

Isis smiled and held up the book in her lap. “Have you ever read anything by Fanny Burney?”

“No, I’ve never heard of her.”

“She was a British author from the last century and wrote about English society at that time.”

“I like reading about the past. It kind of takes me away from my present life.” She gave a little self-deprecating chuckle and blushed under the face paint.

“Here then, take this.” Isis offered the book to Opal.

“But you’re reading it. I don’t want to take it from you.”

“Please. I’ve read it before. Tell me later if you liked it. I have more by the same author.”

“How will I return it to you?”

“Just come into the library any time you’d like. I’ll be there.”

“Someone might see me.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

Opal scowled. “Some people might think me unfit.”

Isis pressed her lips together. “Well, I don’t, and it’s my library. So there!”

Opal chuckled and said, “You’re sweet. I hope you don’t get any nasty remarks.”

“I can handle anyone, don’t you worry. Books are for everyone to enjoy. You’ll come back and talk to me, won’t you? We’ll talk about the story.” Isis smiled encouragingly.

Opal clutched the book as if it were precious and beamed back. “I will, and I’ll take very good care of this.”

Wooing the Librarian is available here – http://amzn.com/B00ONZSRPS

The Long Road to You

I’m working on another book for the series. The Long Road to You is Nick Gabriel’s story. His life after leaving the orphanage was tougher than Jake’s had been. A little time on the run from the law, a little time in jail, but after hooking up again with his brother Jake, he knew it was time to work on his own future. Pretty much the minute he grabs Margee McPherson off a rearing horse, he knows that she’s for him. Stay tuned…

My Books

Ellora’s Cave

Lost and Found

Indie

Valentine’s Day

His Hers & His

The Keeper

Soldier, Come Home

Winning Violetta

A Promise at Dawn

Jake and Ivy

Wooing the Librarian

Home to Stay

The Long Road to You (coming soon)

Siren

Undercover Lover

Mercenary Desires

I’ll Be Your Last

Jane Leopold Quinn

My Romance: Love With a Scorching Sensuality

http://janeleopoldquinn.BlogSpot.com + https://twitter.com/jelquinnauthor

Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/1DfiXkP

Want To Stay Out Of The Mud? Focus On The Simple Things by Michele Callahan

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

I know Thanksgiving is officially behind us, but I think it’s important to maintain that attitude of gratitude every day. Why? Because life is tough. People get sick. They die. They hurt and struggle and are in pain. We are all part of this dance called life, and if we don’t focus on the good things around us, it’s very easy to be pulled down into the mud. The mud is cold and dirty and sticky, and it’s like a suction cup on our souls, keeping us down. That mud is sadness, hate, guilt, fear…you get the idea.

I think reading a good book helps pull us out of the mud of life. It can make us feel happiness, contentment, love, and compassion. Romance novels, in particular, can fill us up in a way not many books do. Romance is the best of all worlds…adventure, suspense, forgiveness and true love.

So, in my attitude of gratitude today, I’m going to list the top 10 things I’m thankful for today. I’m going to leave out the usual suspects, because I think they’re a given; family, health, and home. I’m going for the simple pleasures in life, the things that make us sigh with contentment that perhaps we don’t even notice. Like…

1) Romance Novels

2) All books in general

3) Coffee

4) Puppies

5) Hugs

6) Friends

7) Chocolate

8) Google

9) My Laptop

10) Comfy Shoes

What’s on your list of simple things that make you happy? Leave a comment to win a digital copy of Black Gate. Sign up for my New Release Alerts today and you could win a digital copy of the first FIVE Timewalker Chronicles. 🙂

Hugs & Happy Reading

Michele Callahan

Black Gate Amazon Link: http://goo.gl/T7CHok

Blurb From Black Gate: Timewalker Chronicles Book 4

Katherine Green is living a lie. She’s a top ranking paranormal commander for the Casper Project, a black ops program committed to tracking down aliens, alien artifacts and weaponry. She’s very, very good at what she does, which is lie. She’s a Timewalker descendant. She’s dedicated her life to helping others gifted with power to escape the claws of corrupt leaders who would use them for their own ends. But she’s also very, very good at tracking alien objects of power, and she’s just found the mother lode, a Black Gate, a transdimensional portal between worlds. What she doesn’t know is that the Gate has an agenda of its own, and an Immortal guardian who has been dispatched to kill her before she unwittingly unleashes a horde of evil Triscani Hunters on Earth.

Teagh’s been Guardian of the Gate, Darkwalker Lord, and the Dark One for centuries. He lives a solitary life hiding from both the Immortals on Itara and the human government here on Earth. He’s a guardian, not an assassin, but when he’s sent by an Immortal Seer to stop one human female from unleashing hell on Earth, he’s too late. She’s already on the other side, and the Gate no longer obeys him. Its allegiance has switched to the Timewalker female whose Mark burns through his blood. She Marked him, and now he aches to keep the dangerous female for himself.

But there’s a reason the Gate chose her, a reason the Triscani Hunters have been waiting to strike, and a reason the Lost King of Itara mysteriously vanished hundreds of years ago. Katherine and Teagh will fight their desire and each other as they uncover the truth about a dark future that could destroy them both.

Fine Gems and Crime with Author Ann Collins

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

People have desired diamonds and other fine gems for centuries. Exceptional stones have adorned crowns and jewelry worn by royalty. I’m not descended from kings and queens, but I sure do appreciate and admire a beautiful gem. One with a historic past and an alleged curse makes it even more interesting. The Hope Diamond, a gorgeous blue diamond, is just such a gem. It is believed to be bad luck by some and good luck by others. Just in case there’s some truth to the curse, I’m glad the Hope is safely on display in the Smithsonian Institution, not owned by just one person.

After seeing the infamous blue diamond for myself in Washington, DC, and reading more about it, I started to wonder if there might be a sister stone cut from the same rough. I made my speculation a reality in BLUE DIAMOND DEATH, a romantic suspense novel set on the sunny shores of La Jolla, California. I grew up in La Jolla, and it has some very nice jewelry stores, but where there is wealth, there is crime.

My heroine, Kathleen McGuire, is a gemologist and jewelry designer. I enjoyed researching her field of expertise, even attending a seminar at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad, CA. Poor Kathleen is suffering, though, and she has closed her heart to the possibility of finding love with a good man, especially a man in law enforcement.

Enter Mike Ryan, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It seemed only right for me to feature an ICE agent in a setting so close to the U.S.-Mexican Border. Mike’s job is his life, and he’s not interested in a long-term committed relationship, but there’s something about Kathleen that takes his focus off the job.

Creating these two characters who must struggle, learn, and grow as individuals before they can find their happily-ever-after together was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy getting to know Mike and Kathleen as well as I did.

BLURB

A woman in danger: Gemologist and jewelry designer Kathleen McGuire has no intention of falling for another man in law enforcement—a man who wants to be her hero. Her shattered heart cannot endure any more pain. But anonymous threats against her life push her to the brink, and she reluctantly accepts the help and protection of handsome Mike Ryan, a federal agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Though attraction sizzles between them, Kathleen fights temptation and desire. She is a long-term relationship kind of woman, and Mike is a short-term commitment kind of guy—until one night changes everything.

A man who vows to protect her: Working a drug-related money-laundering case in the sun-drenched seaside community of La Jolla, California, Special Agent Mike Ryan needs a confidential informant familiar with the jeweler he’s investigating. Beautiful Kathleen McGuire isn’t who he had in mind for the job, but what she knows could break his case wide open. Arresting drug traffickers and their scummy, money-laundering partners is a mission to Mike, but when a stalker’s threats against Kathleen escalate, Mike makes protecting her his priority. Before long, he finds himself emotionally entangled with Kathleen, his heart and his future in as much danger as Kathleen’s life.

Blue Diamond Death, a sensual contemporary romantic suspense novel, has approximately 64,200 words and is about 265 pages in length.

EXCERPT

Cupping his eyes against the jewelry store’s glass door, Mike peered inside. His gaze stopped at the showroom’s small desk.

A young woman he’d never seen before sat unmoving behind the desk. Shoulder-length, dark brown hair framed an attractive heart-shaped face with a creamy complexion.

Wanting a better look, he leaned a fraction of an inch closer. That was when he noticed her eyes. They stared straight ahead, as if looking at nothing. And yet those eyes also seemed to be seeing too much, though what, Mike couldn’t guess. He only knew he didn’t want to look away.

His heart kicked up an extra beat, startling him. San Diego had lots of pretty women, but not a one of them had made him feel anything more than an appreciation for their natural, sun-touched beauty. This woman, however, did something to him. She seemed so lost and alone, and he knew what that felt like. He tried not to think about it, or about her, other than how she could let him in to see Ambrose.

He rapped on the glass.

Her eyes cleared instantly, and she leaped up from the chair like a frightened rabbit.

Mike winced. “Sorry,” he said through the glass. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She stuffed an envelope and sheet of paper into the middle of a stack of mail on the desk. “You didn’t,” she called out, her voice muffled by the distance and barrier between them.

Liar. Mike knew scared when he saw it. But she rebounded quick. Admirable. She had a tough streak to her, one he suspected did not get breached very often. He’d caught her during a private and vulnerable moment. What had she been thinking about? he wondered, then reminded himself that he didn’t want to know. He had come here to enlist Ambrose’s help, not get curious about a pretty woman’s distressing thoughts.

AUTHOR BIO

Ann Collins was born and raised in La Jolla, California, the setting for Blue Diamond Death. Some translations of La Jolla are said to mean “The Jewel,” which she felt would be the perfect name for her story’s fictional jewelry store. As a child, Ann enjoyed and admired rocks, graduating to geodes and then fine gems. She has seen diamonds being cut in Amsterdam and pearls being sorted in Japan. Two gemology highlights during her world travels were the Crown Jewels in London and the Hope Diamond and other gems at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Ann writes fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys bringing La Jolla and San Diego to life for her readers. She has published a historical romantic suspense novel entitled A Matter of Marriage, set at the Hotel del Coronado (Hotel Grand Victoria in her book) in the late 1800s. Her first historical romance novel, Protecting Jennie, was published by Harlequin Enterprises, won the romance category of the San Diego Book Awards, and received four stars from Romantic Times Book Reviews.

Ann’s creative outlets also include nature photography. She especially enjoys shooting landscapes and seascapes. She has two images in the 2015 Sierra Club Wilderness Calendar. To read more about Ann, please visit Compass Point Press or her photography website, Images By Ann Collins. To connect with Ann on Facebook, please go here (Facebook.com/AnnCollinsAuthor). Ann is also on Goodreads.

BUY LINKS

Amazon Kindle US: http://amzn.to/1qwZ4mX
Barnes & Noble Nook: http://bit.ly/1sFVqXD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1trpJyG

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blue-diamond-death/id905516433?mt=11&uo=4

Print Version

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1kMyPRq

Lady Elinor’s Escape by Linda McLaughlin

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

Lady Elinor’s Escape
by Linda McLaughlin
Sweet Regency Romance

Lady Elinor Ashworth always longed for adventure, but when she runs away from her abusive aunt, she finds more than she bargained for. Elinor fears her aunt who is irrational and dangerous, threatening Elinor and anyone she associates with. When she encounters an inquisitive gentleman, she accepts his help, but fearing for his safety, hides her identity by pretending to be a seamstress. She resists his every attempt to draw her out, all the while fighting her attraction to him.

There are too many women in barrister Stephen Chaplin’s life, but he has never been able to turn his back on a damsel in distress. The younger son of a baronet is a rescuer of troubled females, an unusual vocation fueled guilt over his failure to save the woman he loved from her brutal husband. He cannot help falling in love with his secretive seamstress, but to his dismay, the truth of her background reveals Stephen as the ineligible party.

Interview with Stephen Chaplin of Lady Elinor’s Escape by Linda McLaughlin

I recently visited barrister Stephen Chaplin, Esquire at his offices in London’s Lincoln’s Inn to interview him.

LM: Mr. Chaplin, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. Can you tell me a bit about yourself? For instance, are you originally from the London area?

SC: No, my family is from Lincolnshire. I grew up on a small estate with my elder brother and my younger sister, Olivia.

LM: Where did you attend university?

SC: Cambridge, of course. The men of my family have done so for several generations. Then I came to Lincoln’s Inn to read for the law.

LM: Did you always want to be a barrister?

Not as a child, of course. Boys always have dreams of being brave warriors or finding one’s fortune at sea. But Father said I wasn’t cut out for the military–not obedient enough–though he thought I would do well in Parliament, since I seemed to enjoy arguing.

LM: You do think for yourself. What do you like most about the legal profession?

SC: I find it most gratifying when the law and justice align, which doesn’t always occur. Many of our laws are unnecessarily harsh, and I’d like to do something about that one day. In the meantime, I do what I can to help those in need of protection.

LM: What are your reading tastes?

SC: The Times, of course; all the London newspapers, for that matter. I rarely have time to read for pleasure, unlike my sister, Olivia, who devours every Gothic novel she can get her hands on, no matter how ridiculous. She even has hopes of publishing her own romantic scribblings one day. I’ve told her in no uncertain terms that she may not use my life experiences as fodder for her novel, or she will be very sorry!

LM: Hmm. What is the oddest thing that’s ever happened to you?

SC, with a smile: That would have to be the day I met the mysterious Mrs. Brown, a.k.a. Lady Elinor Ashworth, now Mrs. Chaplin. I was in the West Country, having a peaceful breakfast when a madwoman in widow’s weeks came bursting through the door, demanding immediate passage to London. She appeared to be in need, so naturally I volunteered to assist, not knowing she would disrupt my life, destroy my peace of mind and make me fall madly in love with her.

If you want to know exactly how Lady Elinor turned Mr. Chaplin’s life upside down, the answers are in Lady Elinor’s Escape.

Buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CHSNEII
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lady-elinors-escape/id645217449
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lady-elinors-escape-linda-mclaughlin/1100559263
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lady-elinor-s-escape
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312406

Excerpt:
The Horse and Cart Inn bustled with business when Stephen Chaplin entered the common room. The scent of frying bacon soon had his stomach growling. A fire burned brightly in the smoke-blackened fireplace, dispelling the morning chill.

He had no sooner taken a seat at a small table than a young blonde woman with a rounded belly and a beaming smile on her freckled face approached him. “Good morning, sir, did ye sleep well?”

“That I did, Nancy. Are you glad to be home?”

“Yes, sir.” Her pale blue eyes stared at him earnestly. “I can’t be thanking ye enough fer what ye done for me. I don’t know how I’d have managed, with a babe on the way and all.”

“Yes, well, the next time a charming rogue comes along, perhaps you’ll think twice before going off with him.”

“Oh, I’ve learned me lesson.” A blush suffused her face. “Now, will ye be havin’ tea or coffee with yer breakfast?”

“Coffee, please, and toast.”

Nancy fisted her hands on her hips. “Now that isn’t enough breakfast for the long trip to London. I’ll bring ye some of our fine Wiltshire bacon, too.”

Stephen laughed. Ever since he’d arrived, one Wainwright or another had been pressing food and drink on him. “Very well, Nancy. Toast and bacon.”

She turned and walked away, weaving between the crowded tables. She seemed like a different girl than the half-starved waif his housekeeper had taken in two months ago. He frowned, remembering her tale of being lured to London by a smooth-talking stranger only to be abandoned as soon as she had conceived. What kind of cad deserted a woman in a delicate condition? The only thing worse was a man who used his fists on a female, like that blackguard Northam.

Stephen closed his mind to that line of thought. Deborah had been gone for six years now, and if not forgotten, at least the pain of her death had faded. At her funeral Stephen had vowed never again to walk away from a woman in need, which was how he found himself at an inn in Wiltshire during the Season.

When Nancy returned with his breakfast, he applied himself to the large slab of bacon and toast dripping with butter, and then washed it all down with strong black coffee.

Rescuing damsels in distress was hungry work.

Author bio:

Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of books and history, so it’s only natural she prefers writing historical romance. She loves transporting her readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life, love is the sweetest reward. Linda also writes steamy to erotic romance under the name Lyndi Lamont, and is one half of the writing team of Lyn O’Farrell.

You can find her online at http://lindalyndi.com
Blog: http://lindalyndi.com/reading-room-blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaMcLaughlinAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lindamclaughlin
Twitter: @Lyndi Lamont https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

Rafflecopter code for Linda’s November monthly giveaway of $10 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Seduction in a Santa Claus suit? How is that supernatural?” by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

“Seduction in a Santa Claus suit? How is that supernatural?”

by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

I love writing about paranormal worlds. Love it. And another thing I love is Christmas. Always have. The sights, the smells, the crazy feelings of happiness . . .

So when I was asked if I’d like to write a story about Christmas for Harlequin’s Desire line, which is contemporary, rather than paranormal, I jumped at the chance. (That jump could have earned me a gold medal)

For a paranormal romance writer like me, used to the built-in conflicts and tension of the supernatural world, dealing with two characters in tension for other reasons seemed a challenge at first. So when Christmas became my theme, I knew I could do this, and the writing flowed. I mean . . . Christmas is about magic, right?

To get started on this new challenge, I just asked myself this question: Who doesn’t like the holiday?

I couldn’t honestly answer that from my own perspective, so I added another question: If someone wanted to like the holiday, but couldn’t, for some reason, what might that reason be, and how could they get around it?

And so, in answering that, I had my story. And Kim McKinley’s life took on a life of its own.

Toss in a sexy adversary with a big heart, like Chaz Monroe, who isn’t afraid to try anything to get his best new employee to handle Christmas ads for his agency… and sparks flew.

This is “The Boss’s Mistletoe Maneuvers.” (You get a medal for saying that title five times, fast). I’m celebrating its release, hot off the press after my latest September Nocturne paranormal release of “Immortal Obsession.” These are the new two sides of me, as a writer, and I accept the challenge wholeheartledly, because it’s really all about making the magic work.

So if you feel the need for some light-hearted pre-holiday spirit, can read beyond the paranormal worlds we all have grown to love, and would like to share in my delight for the season as that season approaches, I hope you’ll join Kim, Chaz, and me on our crazy romp through love, loss, and the ultimate magic of a very special holiday. We’d love to meet you there.

Thanks for joining me today.

May you find your own magic this year!

Linda

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom is award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance novels for Harlequin’s Nocturne and Desire imprints. Vampires, Werewolves and Spirits are the usual fodder for this writer, who also swears that the sheer magic of the Christmas season is equally as compelling for inspiration. Linda lives in the West, juggles teaching, writing, family, and caring for a ranch, and says that there are so many stories she wants to write, she types as fast as she can.

Linda’s web site: http://www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com

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

“The Boss’s Mistletoe Maneuvers”

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Bosss-Mistletoe-Maneuvers-Harlequin-Desire-ebook/dp/B00K9ZXZJO/ref=asap_B002BMBNS8_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415021412&sr=1-2

“Immortal Obsession”

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Obsession-Linda-Thomas-Sundstrom-ebook/dp/B00JIHAU06/ref=asap_B002BMBNS8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416589630&sr=1-3

I’LL BE WAITING Excerpt by Wendy Lynn Clark

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Cindy Woolf

For five years Skylar has awaited this moment–the return of her high school crush from his tour of duty in Afghanistan and the opportunity to learn if the sweet, silent and serious helicopter pilot shares her dream of the future.

Excerpt

“Skylar. You’re late.”

Luke’s serious voice tickled her eardrums, jolted her system like a warm finger sliding up her spine. Skylar swayed and turned to face him, mouth reacting before her mind could catch up. “You look great.”

His eyes made familiar crescents to match his beautiful smile. “Thanks.”

He did look great. Better than his last pictures taken in front of his new Black Hawk. The same dark brown eyes focused on her like only she existed on the roof; his hair, a flat Ice Man sheared cleanly up the sides made her want to dig in her fingers; and the adult muscle tone in that hard body perfectly filled his creased, off-duty jeans and starched, THIS WE’LL DEFEND T-shirt.

Skylar’s mouth went dry, and the crowd faded away and her chest ached. Ached for the boy she hadn’t made hers and again for the man that she had already lost.

“Sorry I missed you earlier. I made some wrong assumptions about…well, a lot of things, I guess.” The words stuck in her throat and she blinked back tears. “Congratulations.”

His gaze flicked over her shoulder, and Skylar’s followed…into the now empty space where his fiancée had been standing moments before.

“She brought it up on the boat,” he said. “Nothing’s settled.” His voice sounded flat.

“She seems really nice.” Skylar hugged her bag tight to her chest. “My boyfriend planned this big, suspicious dinner with all of our friends and family, but I put him off until after. But, he’s a really great guy, too, and so I’m sure we’ll both be super happy.”

Luke’s eyebrows lowered.

She didn’t mean to make him feel bad. Just because he hadn’t told her he had a fiancée or even a girlfriend—

Her chest hitched. Losing it. She was definitely losing it.

She pressed her cold hands against her collarbone. Her eyes burned. Oh God. She dashed away the moisture and turned, ready to run for the ladder, or possibly she could just throw herself off the edge. “See you at the ten-year reunion, maybe.”

His hand shot out and closed over her wrist, and he pulled her away from everyone into a dark corner of the roof. “Skylar.”

I’LL BE WAITING (SAN JUAN ISLAND STORIES #6)
By Wendy Lynn Clark

I’ll Be Waiting – the newest of the San Juan Island Stories – stars military helicopter pilot Luke and happy-go-lucky elementary teacher Skylar. For five years Skylar has awaited this moment–the return of her high school crush from his tour of duty in Afghanistan and the opportunity to learn if the sweet, silent and serious helicopter pilot shares her dream of the future…

Length: 7k words/ 30 pages
Heat Level: Sensual

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BIO
Wendy Lynn Clark loves nothing more than a happy ending—except maybe typing THE END with the help of her two happy calico cats and endless cups of delicious tea. Friend her on Facebook for adorable cat photos, check out her sci-fi/fantasy addiction on GoodReads, sign up for free stories on her newsletter, and find out how to construct the elliptical-writing desk that made her lose 14 pounds at her website, http://www.wendylynnclark.com.

Website: http://www.wendylynnclark.com
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GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7172766.Wendy_Lynn_Clark

Cynthia Woolf

Cynthia Woolf creates stories in the Old West she loves. Whether it be a mail-order bride or bounty hunter, she has a story for you.