by Angela Smith | Jan 8, 2014 | Guests
Welcome to today’s tour, Fatal Trust, by Diana Miller!
Diana will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click the banner above to follow the tour, hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions!
Fatal Trust Blurb:
Stepping her perfect Jimmy Choos into place beside Ben Gallagher’s wounded Nikes, straitlaced Philadelphia lawyer Catherine Barrington is surprisingly unable to resist the disarming small-town mechanic’s charm. He’s one of the heirs to the vast fortune left by his eccentric grandfather Max, a bestselling horror writer, and she’s there to carry out Max’s last wishes. Routine enough…except that inheriting comes with a catch: none of Max’s heirs will get a penny until they’ve lived together for two weeks in the shadow-filled rooms of his mansion in the wooded hills near Lake Superior.
From beyond the grave, a letter from Max insists that his death was no accident, sending Catherine undercover—and way out of her comfort zone—to catch the killer. Posing as Lexie, Ben’s cocktail waitress girlfriend, Catherine soon finds herself trapped with the feuding clan at the sinister Nevermore manor. To save her own life, she’ll have to confront the murderer, as well as her growing attraction to Ben—a top suspect.
Fatal Trust Excerpt:
Ben draped an arm around Catherine’s shoulders, pulling her against his side. He smelled like pine soap, which surprised her. She’d expected some men’s cologne with a virile name and an overdose of spice and musk. “Why don’t you get me another drink, Lexie? She’s a cocktail waitress,” he told Cecilia.
That’s right—she was supposed to be Lexie the cocktail waitress. Catherine gave him a tight smile. “I’m off duty.”
“I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Ben said, his voice lowered suggestively.
She was also supposed to be crazy about him, so instead of telling him where to stick it, she raised her chin. “I came out here to give you emotional support. Not to wait on you.”
“Good for you, Lexie,” Cecilia said. “Ben always dates twits who do whatever he wants. He needs someone who’ll stand up to him.”
Ben sighed as if he’d been ordered to haul stones across the Sahara for a new pyramid rather than his own glass across the room for a refill. “With the two of you ganging up on me, I guess I’ll get my own drink.”
“Bring me a glass of cabernet while you’re at it,” Cecilia called after him.
“They got me.”
The words came from the man who’d just stumbled into the parlor. His light brown hair was all wild wisps and spikes, one sleeve of his suitcoat was torn, and his shirt had been pulled from his trousers.
And he was covered with blood.
“They came out of the trees,” he wheezed out. “I couldn’t stop them. I tried, but I couldn’t.”
“Help me.” His voice was just above a whisper. “Please.”
Then he collapsed in a bloody mess on the parlor floor.
When she was eight, Diana Miller decided she wanted to be Nancy Drew. But no matter how many garbage cans she dug through, conversations she “accidentally” overheard, and attics she searched, she never found a single cryptic letter, hidden staircase, or anything else even remotely mysterious. She worked as a lawyer, a soda jerk, a stay-at-home mom, a hospital admitting clerk, and a conference host before deciding that the best way to inject suspense into her otherwise satisfying life was by writing about it.
Diana is a five-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award, including for Fatal Trust, and won a Golden Heart for her debut novel Dangerous Affairs. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.
Diana Miller’s Website
Diana Miller’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Trust-Kindle-Serial-Miller-ebook/dp/B00FX7SLLA/ref=zg_bs_5044445011_8
Diana Miller’s Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/dianamillerwriter
by Angela Smith | Dec 18, 2013 | Guests
Liza will be awarding a digital copy of “Worst Week Ever” to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a grand prize of one $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her Virtual Book Tour.
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Welcome to today’s blog tour with author, Liza O’Connor. I’ve invited Liza to answer some questions I had for her, and he’s what she had to say. Also, be sure to check out the rest of her blog tour (click banner to follow her tour) and enter for chance to win a digital copy of “Worst Week Ever” or a $50 Amazon GC!
Two sexy English brothers. One irresistible ghost. Who would you choose as your lover?
Completely broke and with a criminal record to boot, Senna Smith is one day from eviction from her apartment when Brendon, her promiscuous roommate from London, suggests she go to England, marry him, and manage his fortune. With few other options, she agrees to an open marriage. But she’ll never, ever, have sex with him, knowing if she falls in love with him, he’ll break her heart.
As trustee of Brendon’s family fortune, there is no way Brendon’s older brother, Garrison Durran, is going to let him marry a self-professed American gold-digger. As Senna tries to embrace castle life and English society for Brendon’s sake, Gar discovers Senna is the perfect woman for him–beautiful and intelligent, kind and caring. Now, if she wasn’t already engaged to his brother…
The ancestral ghost of Durran Castle has to intervene if the Durran brothers have any chance of an heir. He can’t leave them to fix matters on their own. They are useless buggers when it comes to love. As counselor to Gar, matchmaker for Brendon, and lover to Senna, a ghost’s work is never done.
CONTENT WARNING: Allergy warning: Ghost cat in book.
Excerpt…
“So my brother steals all your money and to compensate you, he suggests you come to England, marry him, and he’ll give you his trust fund.” Only his brother could contrive such an absurd plan.
“Yes.” By her brief answer, he gathered she thought it a perfectly reasonable solution.
His brother might be an idiot, but this gold digger would soon discover Gar a force to reckon with. “Did he steal a half million from your bank account?”
Brendon laughed. “Do you have any idea how long that would take? Cash machines only allow you two visits a day at two hundred dollars a pop.”
“How much did he take?” Gar restated his question.
“Four hundred,” Senna replied.
Gar stared up at the ceiling praying for patience, then glared at Ditz. “So why didn’t you pay her back the four hundred?”
Ditz stubbornly refused to answer, and instead glanced at the girl.
She sighed and faced Gar. “Precisely what I asked. He said he didn’t have the four hundred, but if I married him, he would come into a half million. Since the landlord planned to evict me, I really had no choice but to accept the offer.”
Author Interview:
What intrigues you about Ghost Lover?
Since I have a ghost in my house, I believe they really exist. Therefore letting them in my books as another character occurs on occasion. However, one morning I woke from a dream where I made love to a sexy male ghost. That sent me downstairs to my computer to determine if making love to a ghost can actually happen. Turns out people have been reporting ghost lovers all through history. Thus, I declared it fair game, and wrote the book.
Who or what is your greatest writing influence?
Reality triggers a great deal of my stories. Turns out reality is far stranger than fiction. It is so weird, that people block out a great deal so they can pretend to live in a sane, understandable environment. I, however, was not destined for this simplified view of life. My world is complex and incomprehensible, and often just downright freaky. Thus, I accept in my works of fiction a great deal more than the average person believes possible. Ironically, most of what I write about has happened, or is widely reported to have happened, even though many readers, while enjoying the book, declare me way over the top.
When did you absolutely know that you had to be a writer?
Before I knew how to write. I used to entertain my friends with verbal stories when I got old enough to wander out and find other little people. I believe I was 3. From there onward story making, then writing took a major role in my life.
What was your favorite part of writing Ghost Lover?
I love the beginning when Senna agrees to marry Brendon to manage his half a million dollars, even though she doesn’t love him and will never ever have sex with him. It really gets funny when she tries to explain this to Brendon’s older brother, who thinks her the most brazen gold-digger he’s ever met. Then there comes a crisis that forces the sexy ghost Lassier to make love to Senna in order to keep her from leaving the castle, only he does his job too well and falls in love with her, and then there’s the fabulous happy ending, which I can’t tell you about. I can’t decide. Let’s just say, I love the book.
What is your favorite aspect of reading a novel?
Being surprised. I can usually guess how the novel will end by the first chapter, so I enjoy a book that keeps me guessing. However, the game has to be fair. You can’t have the villain show up on the last page.
Are you a plotter, a panster, or both?
I create my characters and they create my plot. Some wear pants, some wear dresses, so I avoid the word pantser.
Do you have a certain theme in all of your novels?
Not that I am aware of. Right now I’m bringing out my humorous novels, so you can expect to laugh presently, but somewhere in the future, I will turn in a different direction. However, one thing won’t change: I present life lessons in all my stories. So maybe that’s my theme: Bizarre Life Lessons from Liza.
Is there a message in Ghost Lover you want readers to grasp?
Off hand, I can think of several:
Emotions can make you illogical, both anger and love;
New beginnings can be good for you;
A person can love many people in different ways.
Never be afraid to love.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I have a definite voice, which has been called unique by several reviewers. I spend a great deal of time protecting it during the editing process.
Do you ever use your life experiences in your novels?
All the time. It’s normally the crazy things in my book that you might think could never happen.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with you, what would you take?
I would take a notebook so I could write new stories while I waited to be rescued.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one song with you, what would you take?
I have thousands of songs in my head and I like to hear me sing, so I don’t think you can limit the number of songs I take. However, you are starting to worry me with your questions beginning with me stuck on a deserted island. If your next question is who would I like to be stranded with, my answer is President Obama, because I don’t want to be stranded on a desert island away from my pc, electricity and the internet. However, if Obama is with me, I’m pretty sure the Secret Service would be there to rescue us before I could finish telling him about one of my stories.
Are you working on any projects right now?
I should be finished with edits on the last book of my series A Long Road to Love: Coming To Reason, coming out in Feb 2014.
And working on edits for my Xavier and Vic series to begin in April 2014.
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes. I work at it 17 hours a day, so it’s definitely a profession, but it is without doubt the WORST PAYING JOB EVER!
If you had the career of your choice, what would you choose and why?
Writing. I had a great career in business, which I gave up to be a poor starving author because all I’ve ever wanted to do is write.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Even at three, I wanted to tell people stories. It’s a compulsion that has never waned.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Nothing. It’s a pure joy to do.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t change my future. I’m very happy now.
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I would like to meet President Obama. I think we’d get along really well. Michelle can join the conversation, but I’d want the Secret Service guys to leave. Otherwise, they’d probably shoot me when I just wanted to hug those two. I get into trouble all too easy.
If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
I suppose I would be Jane Austen, and I’d be writing Pride and Prejudice. It’s my favorite book. I get such a great sense of peace when reading it. Jane manages to write a brilliant love story without a mention of sex.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Website & Blog: http://www.lizaoconnor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Liza.O.Connor.Wakes.UpTwitter: @Liza0Connor
Lnkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=187609819&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizaoconnor/ghost-lover/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Liza-OConnor/e/B00A82LHNO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6537428.Liza_O_Connor
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview!
Thank you for having me.
ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Lover-Liza-OConnor-ebook/dp/B00H1J5OS6/
Print: http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Lover-Liza-OConnor/dp/1493667386/
by Angela Smith | Dec 13, 2013 | Books, Guests
Welcome to today’s tour for The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby, by Victoria James!
Victoria will be awarding the first two books in the Red River Series (A Risk Worth Taking & The Best Man’s Baby) + $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Click the banner to follow the tour and be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!
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An Entangled Christmas Classic …
Jackson Pierce didn’t make his fortune entertaining every half-cocked idea, especially one involving diaper changes. Not even the cute brunette who links him to the baby in her arms can crack his icy heart.A baby on the doorstep is the least of Hannah Woods’s problems—she has to find the baby’s uncle, or the child will end up in foster care. She sleuths her way to the reclusive CEO’s doorstep only to find six feet of holiday sexy—and a door slammed in her face. But when Jackson comes around and urges they marry for little Emily’s sake, Hannah finds herself falling for the jaded billionaire and wishing for a holiday miracle of their own…
Excerpt…
This cabin was his anti-Christmas sanctuary, a place where there was no talk of family. No talk of Christmas. The only evergreens were outside and not one of them had a single damn light on them, just the way he liked it. But now he was being forced to harbor some strange woman who knew a hell of a lot about him and who had something to do with his sister.
He watched as she continued to brush the snow off her pants with one hand and hold that tin with the other.
“Look, I’m not going to let you sleep in your car during a blizzard.”
She stopped her swiping and cocked her head to the side. “Well, I guess you should have thought of that when you slammed the door in my face. It’s not exactly the best way to make a guest feel welcome.”
Jackson opened his mouth and then shut it, not knowing what to say. He was not a man used to being argued with. He had gotten used to the quick “yes, sirs” that he received from his employees.
She shot him a dirty look as she walked past him. He caught her arm. For a moment nothing happened and then she turned into steel beneath his grasp. Her eyes widened and she stared at him. He was trying to decipher the expression when she jerked her arm from his grasp. He noticed her breathing was shallow and rapid. That confidence she had shown only seconds before was gone. This woman felt threatened by him. His exes could say a lot about him, but violent was not an adjective used to describe him. He abhorred physical violence, and he’d never touched a woman in anger.
“I can’t let you stay out here. I have a guest room,” he said, trying his best to sound patient and calm.
She stared at him for another minute, then raised her eyebrows as she spoke. “Are you going to yell at me again?”
He shook his head sheepishly. He felt like he was being reprimanded like a small boy. Her face relaxed and she gave him a slight nod.
“Fine. I’ve met crazier people than you and I know how to handle myself. I’ll stay.”
He stared at her incredulously. She’d called him crazy.
“On one condition,” she said raising her chin and folding her arms.
“Condition?” She had barged in on his vacation and now she was negotiating terms of her stay?
She nodded once, the pom-pom bopping with the motion.
He gave a brief nod, why the hell not, it seemed he had very little control of the night anyway.
“No yelling in front of the baby,” she said over her shoulder as she opened the back door of her car. Her head disappeared into the car and he stared numbly after her. Maybe he hadn’t heard right, but then he heard an odd noise.
“Baby?” he finally managed to choke out through a throat that seemed to be filled with tar as she emerged from the car holding a baby seat.
My Review:
I loved The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby. The setting drew me in and made me feel I needed to bundle under the blankets and keep warm. I love a good, snowy read during this time of year, and this one did the trick! A perfect book to read during a cold, dreary day outside when all you want to do is cuddle under the blankets. I love how the two characters both had a backstory that didn’t overwhelm the main story. Hannah is a strong, capable woman who has a reason for going to the extremes she does to find the baby’s uncle and convincing him to adopt his sister’s baby. The character arc and their growth stayed true, and kept me entertained until the very end. A fun, romantic story worth reading.
Author Bio:
Victoria James always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples) and a cardboard cover and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again.
In high school she fell in love with historical romance and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill the dream of writing romantic fiction.
Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after’s for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house would be ideal, but she’s quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and very bad cat.
Victoria loves connecting with readers, you can find her online at www.victoriajames.ca and on Twitter: @vicjames101
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585223.Victoria_James
https://www.facebook.com/victoria.james.7146557
Twitter: @Vicjames101
Website/Blog: www.victoriajames.ca
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble
Entangled Publishing
Amazon
by Angela Smith | Dec 12, 2013 | Guests
Today is the cover reveal for Almost Married by Roe Valentine
Title: Almost Married
Author: Roe Valentine
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 27 January 2014
Blurb:
Realist, Dr. Carla Harris, believes that people create their own fate, through hard work and careful planning. She believes in playing things safe. But, while preparing for her upcoming nuptials she’s forced to confront the most reckless thing she’s ever done, her estranged husband, Jacob.
Idealist Jacob Moreau believes in soul mates, as much as he believes in saving endangered companies. When his long lost wife reenters his life seeking a divorce, he is convinced more than ever they are meant to be together. And he will do—and lose—anything to have her again.
She thought she had her life planned to perfection. He thought they made perfect sense together. Would marrying Jacob be the craziest thing she’s ever done, or divorcing him?
You can add Almost Married to your to-read list on Goodreads
About the Author:
Roe Valentine was born into the right family. Not only does the name Valentine suit her, but her grandmother, unknowingly, introduced the young Ms. Valentine to her first romance novel. She hasn’t read anything else since. She calls herself a romantic at heart and believes that love conquerors all.
The San Antonio native, who now lives in Houston, attempted to write her first contemporary romance novel when she was nineteen years old. That attempt didn’t take, but her story has a happy ending. She kept pursuing the dream until she landed her first publishing contract. Almost Married is her debut novel.
When not busy writing or reading love stories, Roe can often be found in a yoga class or chatting with friends at her favorite coffee shop. Enjoying margaritas with some girl-talk isn’t unusual for her either. For a night in, she watches reruns of her favorite TV shows and, of course, romantic comedies on her Roku, usually with a glass of wine.
Roe Valentine also LOVES talking to readers. You can contact her in the following ways:
–Facebook
–Twitter
–Goodreads
–Website
– Email: info@roevalentine.com
by Angela Smith | Dec 10, 2013 | Guests
Welcome to today’s tour of Blood and Gold, by Hawk MacKinney. Hawk will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Please click banner above for other tour stops, and be sure to comment for your chance to win.
Blood and Gold, the third book in The Craige Ingram Mystery Series, once again tests the instincts and skills of retired Navy SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram. Lust, greed, body parts and unrestrained wild sex parties are what await Craige Ingram when he leaves the comforts of his South Carolina home to visit his former SEAL buddy, Detective Spinner Krespinak. Set in the Colorado underbelly of a sordid sable and faux glitz ski mecca, Detective Spinner Krespinak suspects drugs have made their way to the snowy playground that is Aspen. An Olympic ski hopeful is brutally murdered, Spinner vanishes, and Craige Ingram is shot as events spin out of control with a Catch-22 no one anticipates.
Excerpt…
The drive up the narrow mountain rutted road was a risky, hands-on-the-wheel icy slid-and-skid. With a grim set to his jaws, Spinner didn’t say a word the whole way. They parked among the jumble of squad cars. Craige avoided the taped-off areas while Spinner huddled with Loopy. Silently they paced-off and studied the layout of each room of the mansion…each room except the one where death waited to greet Spinner. No one except Craige and Loopy knew how Spinner wasn’t as detached as he appeared. Spinner traced and retraced his steps. Seeing beyond Spinner’s detached veneer of the professional, Craige could read the surly stir of emotions Spinner was struggling to control.
Finally…there was nothing left except to face the grizzly business of felony homicide and the dead. Spinner went back to where Loopy was busy. As though wanting to avoid seeing what waited in that room, he said, “Any ideas about the time of death?”
Loopy said, “Only a rough approximation at this point. I’d approximate somewhere between eight in the morning and two or three in the afternoon. We haven’t moved the bodies yet, but from what indications of livor mortis I could see, I’m leaning toward it being earlier. Central heat was off…fireplace ashes are still warm. Once we determine algor mortis changes in the body temps, I’ll be able to narrow that some. We’ve already picked up thirty to forty different sets of prints. Could easily be twice that before we finish. Most so smudged they’re no good. The rancher who lives at the valley turnoff said cars were going back and forth all night. How it wasn’t the first time they had all-night mountaintop blowouts up there. We bagged used condoms from all over this place—bedrooms, baths, all over the house. We’ll compare DNA with that of the victims. See if we get any matches that narrow down any persons of interest. Looks to be marijuana and freebase by the fireplace and in the breakfast room. And what is likely Mexican black heroin on the carpet in the den. Lord only knows what else we’ll turn up. I’ll be surprised if we don’t find Silk or S-K. There’s at least a case of empty aerosol cans, probably for heavy-duty huffing. We’ll see what the lab tells us…hopefully that’ll fill in more details.”
Spinner said, “Before Frannie left for Denver last night, Ski came by and borrowed my wheels to get here. Brought them back about noon. Christy and the two men had to be alive at the time Ski left. Depending on road conditions, it takes about an hour to get from here back into town. The low last night was below zero, but there was no heavy weather—no wind.” His eyes flashed hurt and anger, a silent reckoning stirring somewhere deep and hidden. “Ski would party ’till the last minute.” Spinner hesitated. “Least, I’d like to think it was that. I wouldn’t like thinking he’d use me as an alibi.” The thought of the possibility was a heart-pain that sliced deep into his soul. “Give me a few minutes before you zip them up.”
Loopy nodded. “No hurry. Take what time you need.”
A very still Spinner turned a masque-face back to the bed…emotions churning his features. A lump knotted his throat. Looking down at Christy’s lifeless body, the bullet hole a vulgar insult to a death mask of frozen beauty…it seemed somehow otherworldly. “…never could trust your flighty-canary way of life.” The niche occupied by carefree fun-loving Christy seemed stark and empty.
Author Bio:
With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.
Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention. Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.
“Without question, Hawk is one of the most gifted and imaginative writers I have had the pleasure to represent. His reading fans have something special to look forward to in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Intrigue, murder, deception and conspiracy–these are the things that take Hawk’s main character, Navy ex-SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram, from his South Carolina ancestral home of Moccasin Hollow to the dirty backrooms of the nation’s capital and across Europe and the Middle East.”
Barbara Casey, President
Barbara Casey Literary Agency
Links:
www.hawkmackinney.net
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
by Angela Smith | Dec 9, 2013 | Introspective
What’s in it for me?
It’s sad that so many people feel that way now. What’s in it for me? This holiday season, as I question the gift of giving, I have many answers for the question What’s in it for me?
For instance, as an author, I sometimes retweet promos on other authors that I really don’t know. I also host authors on my blog on books I might not have read. What’s in it for me? The fact I have helped someone else, a fellow author, an artist, who has worked hard to get their creation, their book, noticed. It might not even be a book in the genre I like to read, or a book that I’d like if I did read it, but some of my followers might read it or notice it. It’s a gift for me because I love to help support my fellow authors, and it’s a gift for that author because even if one person notices it, that’s a big deal!
This also has to do with non-authors. How many of you are creating something? Whether you’re making a quilt or a gingerbread house, your creation matters.
Sometimes it’s the gift of giving a small donation so a child you’ll never meet is given renewed hope.
Sometimes it’s the gift of giving a smile, a minute out of your day to chat with someone who just wants to feel important in this big bad world.
Family can be the most loving and the most critical. They want the best for you and swear they’ll support you, but many don’t follow through. Why? Is it because they’re scared of you succeeding? Because they’re just too busy in their own lives to pay attention? Are they, in fact, jealous because you’re stepping out and doing something courageous? Or do they think you’re aiming way too high? (I believe there’s no such thing in aiming way too high!)
I know it’s not just me because I’ve had several discussions with many authors on how their family isn’t supportive, or claims to be supportive but doesn’t follow through. And I don’t like to talk about myself, so I can be in a room full of hundreds of family members at a reunion, and if each one of those family members were to buy my book, it would help my sales tremendously. But getting out there, talking about yourself and your book is frowned upon on so many levels.
Authors are people. We have many private break-down sessions during moments when our art, our creation, is getting the best of us. Sometimes, we wonder what it’s all about, then we remember that it’s about creating something we love, even if we’re the only ones who love it. We do want to be noticed, we want to know that what we’re doing matters, but ultimately we’re doing it because we love it, even if no one else in the world cares.
The gift of giving is crucial at all times of the year. Just giving a few minutes of your time to notice, listen, pay attention to someone who really needs you at the moment. Not just at this holiday season but during the entire year, year after year.
by Angela Smith | Dec 8, 2013 | Introspective
After nineteen and a half years of marriage, it’s gotten hard to buy gifts for my husband.
I mean, there’s always the knife he wants or the newest game he hasn’t bought yet. But it’s hard to find that something really really special. Find something? Who am I kidding? Knowing what that something special is—that’s the almost impossible part.
To me, the best gift is something from the heart. Yes, I used to do the “coupons”: free backrub, free foot massage, etc. etc. After twenty years, that gets old, too. I’ve done the events: monster truck shows, etc.
So what do you buy someone you know as well as you know yourself? Someone who has everything they could possibly want or need?
(Same thing goes for my grandmother!!! And other impossible-to-buy for family.)
I believe the best gift is an event. It’s funny, I was asking a friend back in June what in the world to get my husband for his birthday, and she said the best gifts are memories.
Memories.
The best gift I can remember ever getting as a child was when my sister and I opened our presents that Christmas morning (I couldn’t tell you anything about what they were), then my grandfather wanted us to come outside because he had something to show us. My grandfather was a carpenter, and he’d been building another storage building! We already had two, and he had an outdoor kitchen (he loved to garden), but he needed another one. Come to find out, we go outside that cold Christmas morning to find a huge ribbon on the building we thought was supposed to be another storage building. It was a playhouse! That memory still brings tears to my eyes (I lost my grandfather shortly after, and the house has since been sold).
As we grow older, we still love those surprises. And I know there’s something, something out there that can and will surprise my husband. And it’s going to be just as much fun planning that special memory as it is making that special memory.
by Angela Smith | Dec 6, 2013 | Introspective
Welcome to today’s post, featuring Lara Reznik’s The Girl from Long Guyland. Be sure to comment and follow the tour!
$50 Amazon gift card will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter.
Laila Levin enjoys a successful marriage and a thriving career as an I.T. executive in Austin, Texas, but she can’t quite shake her lifelong sense of not truly belonging anywhere.
When her company announces a major layoff, Laila finds herself caught between an unscrupulous CEO and her promiscuous boss. Then news of her college roommate’s suicide stirs up a dark secret involving three devious friends from her past. One has betrayed a vow, another wants to rekindle their romance, and the third is out for revenge.
Suddenly for Laila, it’s 1969 again. She’s only seventeen, and she’s left her sheltered home in Long Island for college in Connecticut. Amid protests of the Vietnam War, she’s tempted by the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll that rule her generation. Laila gets swept up in a deceptive love triangle with two older locals and initiated into their unethical hippie family. Too late she realizes her search to belong has led to tragedy.
Laila must now juggle the demands of her perplexed husband and her baby boomer past forcing her to make choices that endanger her survival and challenge her conscience.
She learns that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.
Excerpt…
CHAPTER ONE
Lost in Texas
Austin, Texas, 2012
A couple dozen stars and the eye of a yellow moon pierce light through a sky filled with smoke. I look out the broken window to the ground below. Crumpled in the weeds is a lifeless body with red-flecked eyes, a bushy mustache, and sweet smile.
Vapor seeps into the room. I can barely breathe. Ben wraps his arms around me as I weep. Denise lies in a catatonic state perched on the bed. Why is she only wearing her bra and panties?
Chris stumbles inside the room. His eyes glow like diamonds. He cranes his head out the window. “We gotta do something, man.”
“I’ll call for an ambulance,” I say.
Ben gulps, “That’s not a good idea.”
“We have to,” I insist. “For Godsakes.”
He’s dead, Laila,” Chris says.
Tears sting my eyes.
WITH A JOLT, I awake whimpering. The nightmare has infested my dreams for years. It may be time to see a shrink.
The anxiety subsides when my husband Eduardo arrives with a cappuccino and the morning paper. “Are you okay? It sounded like you were crying.”
I clear my throat. “No, no, I’m fine. Just a dream, I guess.” I’ve never discussed these recurring nightmares with him. Eduardo’s got his own problems. He was recently laid off in a corporate downsize and refuses to talk about it. There’s lots of tension in our home right now. Maybe we should both see a shrink.
Author Bio:
Lara Reznik grew up on Long Island but escaped to New Mexico in 1970 in a Karmann Ghia that she and her boyfriend jump-started cross-country. As an English major at the University of New Mexico, Lara studied under esteemed authors Rudolfo Anaya and the late Tony Hillerman. She also attended a summer program at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop.
Ambidextrous from birth, Lara preferred her right-brained creative side, but discovered she could make a better living with her left-brain skills, so entered the I.T. field in 1985.
Lara published her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland in November 2012. The novel ranked #1 during its recent Amazon Kindle promotion and has over 115,000 Kindle downloads. In addition to her novels, Lara has written and optioned three screenplays that have garnered semifinalist and finalist wins in the Austin Heart of Film, Southwest Writers, TV Writer, Chesterfield and Writer’s Digest contests. Currently, Lara is working on a new novel based on her screenplay, The M&M Boys.
LINKS
AMAZON LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Long-Guyland-ebook/dp/B00A45OYD0/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1369930673&sr=8-1&keywords=THE+GIRL+FROM+LONG+GUYLAND
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/LARAREZNIK23?ref=hl&bookmark_t=page
WEBSITE
https://www.larareznik.COM
by Angela Smith | Dec 5, 2013 | Introspective
Welcome to Today’s Blurb Blitz Tour!
MaryAnn will be awarding an autographed print copy of the book (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on Banner for more stops, or find it here at GoddessFish.
Instead of feeding her late-night appetite, a midnight food run nearly gets 28-year-old Katherine O’Brian killed. She’s the only person to see the man who brutally murdered a local woman, and the killer is hell-bent on making sure she doesn’t talk.
Scott Mitchell left a broken engagement behind when he moved to Reno, and the last thing he needs is more melodrama. But when he and Katherine are paired for a college project, that’s what he gets. It can be very distracting when someone is out to kill your lab partner. Together, they try to figure out what the police haven’t been able to—the identity of the murderer. Passion flares, but with Katherine’s life in danger, romance seems like more than a bad idea.
Scott and Katherine will face jealousy, misunderstandings, lust, and rivals, not to mention attempted murder—and all before their first real date.
Excerpt…
The following night, Katherine got a call from Scott.
“Hey, I did some research on the lady who got killed.”
“Oh, good.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. I probably didn’t find out anything you didn’t already know. I’m gonna come over.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Five minutes later, Scott arrived. He walked to the kitchen table where Katherine was sitting.
“Hey,” he said, “so here’s what I have so far. The woman’s name was Jeanette Churchill. She’d lived in the house for twenty years. She worked for a company called CTS. The police say it’s being treated as a robbery gone badly. ”
“That’s it?”
“No. I know a few people who work where she did, reliable people. They say there were rumors she was embezzling from the company.”
Katherine sat forward, her elbows resting on the table. “Do you think the police have heard those rumors, too?”
“Well, they wouldn’t have heard them from the people I know, but yeah, it’s likely they have.”
“Sounds like a motive for murder to me.”
“Sure, but she’d worked for that company twenty years, so I’m not sure I’d believe she was stealing. Plus, if she was, it seems like the obvious killer would be the owner, and he’s a real big shot. The people I’ve talked to seem to think he’s the person most likely pulling in favors and putting pressure on the police to find her killer.”
Katherine looked skeptical. “But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be kind of risky to fund an investigation into a murder you committed?”
Scott sat down across from Katherine. He pulled his coat off before answering. “This isn’t the movies. I don’t know if she was stealing or not, but I think the police are probably right. Someone tried to rob her and something went wrong. I have a friend who’s a cop. Not in Reno, but maybe he can find something out.”
“Amy said they have a suspect. Did you hear anything about that?”
“No, I didn’t hear anything like that.”
“Thanks for all this, Scott.”
“Aw, I didn’t do anything. So, you and Michael—you two hitting it off?” he said, trying to sound casual.
“So far. He does wear me out, though.”
“Please, no details—you’re like a sister to me.”
“That’s not what I meant, you perv. I just mean when we get together, it’s usually for something active.”
“When are you going to buy a bike? It’s great weather right now for biking, not too hot, not too cold. I go out as often as I can, which isn’t often enough.”
“I can’t afford a nice bike right now. Maybe when I get my tax refund back. I get out plenty enough as it is. You know, Michael actually talked me into going kayaking on the Truckee River.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Hey, it’s nearly April.”
“In two months!”
“Close enough, and it’s been warmer than usual this year. We did go to see a show downtown. At least that was indoors.”
“Again? Didn’t you two go see a show not that long ago?”
“Yes, we’ve been twice now, and I don’t know how many more half-naked people wearing feathered headdresses I can take.”
“Feathered headdresses, huh? You haven’t gone kinky on me, have you? Please say yes, please say yes.”
“Yeah, real kinky. We even have safe words. Mine is sugar cookie. Who has time to be kinky anyway? Except for the shows, we hardly spend any time indoors. How’s Verna?”
“Fine. She likes to read those real-life crime books, so if I mysteriously kick the bucket—”
“I’ll thank her,” said Katherine, laughing.
About MaryAnn Kempher
MaryAnn Kempher’s writing is infused with romance and mystery. Her love of romance stories goes back to her teen years spent living in Reno NV where Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set. MaryAnn’s travels have taken her to beautiful cities in Italy, Southeast Asia and the sultry desert country of Qatar. She met her husband on one of her romantic misadventures. She has two children and currently lives in Florida where she and her family share their home with two dogs and a cat. Her writing influences include favorite authors Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. She’s also a huge fan of the Hercule Poirot mysteries.
Her guilty pleasures include any and all sweets, including a good cup of Mocha.
For more about MaryAnn Kempher, visit mkempher.com
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mocha-Moonlight-Murder-MaryAnn-Kempher-ebook/dp/B00CD4AYVG
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mocha-moonlight-and-murder-maryann-kempher/1115124644
by Angela Smith | Dec 2, 2013 | Introspective
A lot of hearts were broken Saturday night when the news announced Paul Walker’s death. I had clicked on the internet and saw it on the homepage of MSN, so my first thought was that it wasn’t a hoax. Usually you’ll see a hoax on Facebook or Twitter or another small news site first.
I screamed. “No, no, no!” My husband came running, and we spent the next hour looking up everything to see if it was a hoax.
I’ve suffered loss, even tragic loss, and I know there’s no amount of words or outpouring of love that can make it go away. Ever. My heart goes out to his family; my heart goes out to the driver’s family. I want to especially say a quick honor to the driver’s family. He wasn’t as well known because his celebrity status wasn’t as Paul’s was, but I know he was as well loved by many and will be missed.
Right now, even though I am just one of many millions of fans, I am suffering through the denial stage of grief. I don’t want to believe it’s true. His family and close friends and the people he worked with have to face the reality that they will never see him again.
I wasn’t sure if I’d write anything at first and really didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Writing it means I’ve accepted it, or at least acknowledged it, and I was worried that writing about a man I had only watched on the big screen would be disrespectful to the ones who knew and loved him. I would never want to disrespect those suffering such loss.
However, I got to thinking that to remain silent could also be a form of disrespect. When the shock fades and reality hits, it’s always good to read about how a love one affected others in a positive way. A lot of people who have never met him loved him, whether it was just the character he played or the person they thought he was. He was a huge inspiration to many of the heroes I have written about in my stories or even those I planned that haven’t been written. He could in fact have played one or two had my books ever become movies. My husband and I watched and owned every single Fast and Furious movie and yes many of his movies I watched I first watched them because he was in them. He was a huge inspiration to many.
Next, the New York train crash was another stark reminder of just how much we have to be thankful for. The fact we got up this morning, the face I can sit here and type. It could all be taken away from us in an instant. This morning, over a fog riddled sky, I stopped a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise through my oak tree.
So today, I want to honor Paul Walker, Roger Rodas, and the victims of the New York train crash by taking a moment in silence in remembrance and honor of them all. Then I will make my contribution to the charity Paul founded, Reach Out Worldwide, to honor him and his friend and many others who have lost their lives in such tragic accidents. Some of those tragic accidents are what this charity was founded upon. We can’t let such a charity be forgotten.
by Angela Smith | Nov 26, 2013 | Guests
Welcome to today’s post featuring Christmas Dinner, by Robyn Neely! Who wouldn’t want an awesome fudge recipe to prep for the upcoming holiday season?!?
As a Black Friday bonus, if you comment, and I’ll enter you to win a copy of Christmas Dinner! Winner released on Black Friday . The day after Thanksgiving!
Delicious Holiday Fudge!
2/3 cups evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 square of baker’s chocolate
1 stick margarine or butter
4 Hershey candy bars
½ cup of nuts
1tsp.vanilla
Stir first three ingredients well and bring to a boil.
Boil for three minutes. Add margarine or butter the last 1 1/2 minutes stirring all the time
Take fudge from heat and stir in Hershey bars (broken up) and nuts. Beat until thick, add vanilla and pour in an 8 x 8 buttered pan. Add nuts to the top if you’d like. Put in the refrigerator until set, then cut into squares.
About Christmas Dinner
News anchor Amanda Turner used to love everything about the holidays—the eggnog sugar cookies, the tacky family Christmas sweaters, and a lawn decorated with so many multi-colored lights that 747s could land safely. That is until her boyfriend dumped her in front of the whole town on Christmas Eve. Humiliated, she fled her small town start a new life. Two years later, she’s finally ready to return to the scene of the emotional crime, until she learns that her ex is engaged. Now, the only thing worse than going home is going home single.
Tate Ryan, her tall, dark, and arrogant co-anchor, offers to pose as her boyfriend. There’s one problem, though: they barely like each other, and he recently scooped her story on live TV. But she needs a ride home and a boyfriend fast, so Tate will have to do.
As she watches Tate interact with her family and town residents, fully embracing the spirit of the holiday season, she starts to see his kindhearted side. She can’t help but wonder if she was wrong about him. Perhaps he isn’t the conniving co-worker that she once thought. And her new feelings for him would definitely put her on the naughty list.
Tate has his own agenda for the weekend that includes telling Amanda he’s been in love with her since the first time they met. He’s ready to reveal all during Christmas dinner but fate has other plans.
Purchase on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
About Robyn
Robyn Neeley is an East Coaster who loves to explore new places; watches way more reality TV than she cares to admit; can’t live without Dunkin Donuts coffee and has never met a cookie she didn’t like. If you have a must read romance suggestion or a fabulous cookie recipe, she wants to know. Visit her at robynneeley.com.
Enjoy an Excerpt from Christmas Dinner!
“I’ll have another, please.” Amanda waved her empty wine glass and glanced up at the mounted television. Their explosive local story had made national news. “I really need to get out of this town,” she muttered.
“Excuse me?” The bartender picked up her glass. He was wearing a Santa hat.
“Oh, nothing.” She pointed at his head, changing the subject. “Do they make you wear that?”
“Nah, I just like to get into the Christmas spirit.” He grabbed a bottle of wine, refilling her glass.
“Christmas spirit,” she echoed dryly. She remembered that feeling. It was only two years ago that it was her favorite time of year-two heartbreaking years. “Thanks.”
She took a long gulp and went back to brooding over Brad’s status update. What if she ran into him and his fiancée this weekend? Oh, God. What if she knew her?
“Hey, Santa, think you could bring me a boyfriend to take home this weekend?” she asked sarcastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flicker of a man in a suit. She knew its owner immediately.
“Why, Ace, are you taking resumes?”
She spun around and shook her head. Tate had taken the empty seat next to her. Her knees briefly touched his. “What the- where did you come from? Are you following me now?” She drank her wine. “I hate you,” she mumbled.
“I’ll take that as a no.” He pointed to her fresh glass. “I see you’re celebrating. Mind if I join you?”
She pushed off her seat. “Sorry, I was just leaving.” Her legs wobbled, and she felt a little tipsy. When had she become such a lightweight? She sat down to regain her equilibrium. “On second thought, I was here first.”
The bartender came over. “Sir, can I get you anything?”
“A stocking full of coal would be appropriate,” Amanda interjected sweetly. She glared at Tate and raised her finger directly at a group of women on the other side of the bar who were looking their way. She suspected they were gushing over Tate. Most women did.
“See that cougar in the tight sequined silver top and black hooker stilettos? I’m sure she’s one of your fans. I’d bet my paycheck she’d love to have the great Tate Ryan make her night.”
Tate nodded to the woman and pulled Amanda’s arm down. She felt his hand linger.
“I think I’ll pass.” He signaled the bartender and said, “Hey, buddy, could I get a Manhattan?” Then he turned back to Amanda. “Okay, talk to me, Mandy. Why so glum?”
“Don’t call me that. My brother calls me Mandy, and I’m angry with him right now, too.” She stood once again and reached for her purse, determined this time to get away from her co-anchor. “I think I’ll get a table-for one. Merry Christmas, Tate,” she said flatly.
She walked over to the dining area and scanned the room for an empty table. There was one near the window. She plopped down in a chair.
Tate sauntered over.
“Oh, no. No, no.” She raised her hand in protest. “You are not sitting here.”
“Look, you can’t still be angry with me for what happened earlier.”
“Why can’t I?”
“Ace, you know I didn’t sabotage you.” He pulled out a chair and took a seat.
Amanda sighed. “I know.”
“Listen, let’s order some dinner. My treat. I’m starving, and I’ll bet you are, too. We’ll eat, and you can tell me why you’re here drowning your sorrows because this can’t all be my fault. Start from the beginning. I’m a great listener.” He scrolled through his iPhone. “Was it really that bad of a day?” he asked, glancing up.
“You can’t be serious. You did not just ask me that.”
Tate shrugged. “It’s one story. There will be others.”
“Not like this one.”
“You really believe that?”
Amanda shrugged. “I don’t know what I think anymore. Let’s just order. Will you promise to leave me alone after we eat?”
“Deal. Okay, where to begin? All right, why do you hate me? No. Wait.” Tate jerked his hand up in the air in a halt. “Don’t answer that. Let’s start with a softball question. Why do you hate the holidays?” He grabbed the other menu on the table.
“I don’t hate the holidays.”
Tate smirked. “Amanda, you pretty much tell anyone who wishes you a Merry Christmas to go to hell.”
“That’s not true.”
“Not to mention I had to twist your arm for you to do the kick-off story on this year’s toy drive.”
“That hardly makes me a scrooge. I agreed to it, didn’t I?”
He pointed at the window. “Speaking of toys, did you see that huge Santa and sleigh on the flatbed truck in the parking lot? It’s filled with all kinds of fun things. What do you think they’re doing with all those toys?”
Amanda followed his gaze out the window. In the darkness, she could just make out a life-size Santa and sleigh. God, she hated sleighs.
She could also see Tate’s reflection in the glass. The man certainly knew how to wear a suit. Why did he have to be so incredibly good looking? His eyes met hers, causing her cheeks to warm. She glanced away and reached for the breadbasket. “Does it really matter?”
“I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” He flipped his menu to the other side.
She sighed. He was right. It was common knowledge around the station that she wasn’t a big fan of the holidays.
“You’re right. I do get somewhat uptight this time of year,” she admitted. “I was planning on going home tomorrow, but now I don’t know-”
Tate looked up and interrupted. “You’re not going home for Christmas? Why?”
“I don’t know what to do. My mother will kill me if I don’t. My older sister’s about to have a baby.”
“Everything okay?”
“With her, yes. It’s just I received some unsettling news about my ghost from Christmas past.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” She slid back in her chair and took a drink. “It’s just hard to be single during the holidays, I guess.”
Tate studied her. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type of woman who gets down in the dumps for being single this time of year.”
“I’m not.” She paused. “Well, maybe I am a little. You think you’re headed down this precise path to achieving all of your carefully planned out goals-good grades, great college, solid career, the guy, perfect marriage, great sex-”
“Why, Ace, I could help you with that last goal.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. Of course he could. She continued, “Adorable kids and a nice house.” She sat up in her chair. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy in Wilmington. I’ve got a wonderful career, good friends, and my beautiful beachside condo bought and paid for. It’s just . . . I don’t know. You think everything is on track and then a-”
“Teleprompter jams,” he finished.
Her eyes started to water. “Something like that.” She immediately looked out the window to hide the evidence. Tate could not see her cry.
“So how long has it been since you’ve been home?”
“Two years.” Amanda grabbed a piece of bread and broke it apart.
“That’s nothing. What’s kept you away?”
“Long story.” Amanda grimaced and shoved the bread in her mouth.
“Might help to talk about it.”
She swallowed. “If you must know, my boyfriend of five years dumped me two years ago on Christmas Eve in front of all my family and friends.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it.” She picked up her glass and swung it up in the air. “Then I get a text tonight telling me to check my Facebook, and guess what?” she asked, her voice rising. She didn’t wait for Tate to respond. “The bastard’s getting married!” She slammed her glass down. “Freakin’ engaged.”
“Is it really the end of the world?” Tate motioned for the waiter to bring Amanda a glass of water.
“Clearly you’ve never been in a relationship.”
“You just said you were happy here.”
“I am.”
“Are you still in love with him?”
“No.” She shook her head. “He might have broken up with me, but I realized we really weren’t meant to be. It’s just . . .”
“Just what?”
Amanda stared at Tate. Why was he so interested in her love life? “I guess I don’t understand why Brad gets to have his happy ending before me. Two years ago he didn’t want it.” Her eyes watered. This time she couldn’t hide the evidence as one tear slid down her cheek. “At least not with me.”
Tate grabbed a napkin from the table dispenser and handed it to Amanda. “Let’s turn this around.”
“How?” She sniffed, dabbing her eyes.
“Okay, here’s how I see it. Your sister is radiantly pregnant and about to pop out your mother’s first grandchild. Is your brother in a relationship?”
“Yes, with my best friend from high school.”
“I see. It’s all making sense. There you will be at Christmas dinner, sandwiched between both couples. You have a great career and some would say a pretty good life here down south, but the humiliation of what happened with Brad will be the unspoken elephant in the room all weekend. Am I painting an accurate picture?”
With each stroke of his verbal brush, he certainly was. “I think you should order your dinner to go,” she said icily. It had obviously been a bad idea to share her love life with Tate.
“I think I can help-no, I know I can help you.”
“Help me? How?”
“If you brought a new man home, it would show everyone that you’ve moved on.”
“Maybe, but it’s not like I can rent one.” She thought for a second-could she?
“No need.” Tate reached for his drink and took a sip. “You can take me-free of charge.”
Amanda studied Tate. Was she hearing things?
“Take me home with you and introduce me as your boyfriend. I’ll fill that seat at Christmas dinner this year.”
“I was kidding with the bartender.” Amanda scoffed. The idea of bringing home a handsome boyfriend was intriguing. It would prove to everyone she was over Brad and past the humiliating breakup. But this was Tate. Handsome, yes. Her boyfriend? She didn’t think so. He rattled her on most days. They’d never pull it off.
by Angela Smith | Nov 26, 2013 | Introspective
This Thanksgiving, I have so much to be grateful for, and I have some super exciting news to share!
Burn on the Western Slope received a 5 heart review by the Romance Studio!
And . . . Amazon.com chose Burn on the Western Slope to be part of their Kindle Big Deal promotion starting December 8-22. So if you haven’t decided whether or not you want to read the story, Dec 8-22 would be a perfect opportunity to download it for less than a dollar! (or a dollar and some change with tax). What a fantastic way to treat yourself this holiday season, for next to nothing!
I just completed my 3rd book in this series and sent it on to my Beta Reader for her comments and critiques. Meanwhile, I’ve been (semi) participating in NaNoWriMo. While I might have slowed down in my word count, my idea is (basically) plotted and ready to go. The way I participate in NaNo (my friend says I’m crazy) is to write by pen and paper in a notebook. This notebook way is a very rough and outlined draft but once my ideas meld as much as they will, I’ll then start rewriting into my computer. I have so many ideas, I just wish I had time for them all!
I hope you’ll take the time out to appreciate the things around you and in the hectic season ahead, take the time out to spend with your family, and also time for yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving!
When she was eight, Diana Miller decided she wanted to be Nancy Drew. But no matter how many garbage cans she dug through, conversations she “accidentally” overheard, and attics she searched, she never found a single cryptic letter, hidden staircase, or anything else even remotely mysterious. She worked as a lawyer, a soda jerk, a stay-at-home mom, a hospital admitting clerk, and a conference host before deciding that the best way to inject suspense into her otherwise satisfying life was by writing about it.
