Please join me in welcoming author Margot Johnson. Look no further for your next sweet, contemporary romance than Some Other Way.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Some Other Way
Author: Margot Johnson
Genre: Contemporary Romance (sweet)
BLURB:
Maybe what she wants is not what she needs.
Jayne Jones is not as plain as her mother makes her feel. Her life is full as surrogate aunt to her birth daughter, given up in open adoption five years ago, and as leader of the Adopt-a-Dog service.
More than anything, Jayne wants to expand the overcrowded dog shelter on a coveted piece of adjacent land. When Dr. Evan Scott, her high school crush, returns to his hometown to enlarge the local medical clinic on the very same property, he complicates everything.
Now her formidable opponent, Evan is ready to forget past hurts and embrace a fresh start with the cute girl—now attractive woman—he remembers. But should Jayne bare her heart to the good-looking newcomer? And will her secret change his mind?
AUTHOR BIO:
Margot grew up in a family of writers and has always loved books and writing
Creating stories people love has been her lifelong dream. Now she’s the author of the romances Love Takes Flight, Love Leads the Way, and her new release, Some Other Way. She has also authored the Merilee Tours novella series, Let it Snowball, Let it Melt, and Let it Simmer.
Before turning her focus to the fun writing life, Margot held leadership roles in human resources and communications. When not writing, she loves to connect with family and friends, volunteer with SK Writers’ Guild, and walk at least 10,000 steps a day (except when it’s minus 40 outside!) She lives in the Canadian prairies with her husband.
Title: The Bootlegger’s Legacy (Moonshine Madness Book 3)
Author: Denise Devine
Genre: A Sweet Historical Roaring Twenties Novel / Sweet Romance
BLURB:
It’s June 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Charlotte LeDoux is determined to reinvent herself.
Her late husband, a notorious bootlegger, left her a Summit Avenue mansion, a secret room filled with cash, and a reputation riddled with bullet holes. Char is desperate to rebuild her identity as an honest entrepreneur, but her plans falter when she repeatedly encounters unfair bias. Then she learns that one foolish mistake with her beau has left her in the family way–the final blow to not only her character but her aspirations as well. She realizes it’s time to marry the man she loves and turn her life in a new direction. That is, until she learns he has betrayed her trust. Her belief in Will and in true love is shattered.
Will Van Elsberg is a tough private investigator, but he’s no match for his headstrong gal.
He’s so madly in love with Char, however, that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. When he learns she’s pregnant, he’s anxious to tie the knot. Instead, their engagement is doomed after Char discovers he’s withheld crucial information from her. He’s determined to tell her everything to win back her trust but the situation changes when Char suddenly goes missing and he finds a ransom note in her car. Facing an unknown enemy who holds all the cards, Will is thrust into the greatest crisis of his life–to rescue a woman carrying his child who means more to him than life itself.
REVIEW:
Due to time constraints, I’ve been limited in writing reviews. However, after learning that Book 3 in the Moonshine Madness Series was available, I couldn’t wait to find out where life took Charlotte LeDoux. Stepping back into the Roaring Twenties with Charlotte, Will, and a delightful cast of characters was a more than welcome visit to one of my favorite fictional worlds.
This story showcases Charlotte’s entrepreneurial spirit as she manages existing businesses inherited from her late bootlegging husband while launching new ventures of her own. The highs and lows of her relationship with Will, unexpected events, and her kidnapping had me turning the pages long after I’d promised myself “just one more chapter.” My favorite part of the story was a note at the end announcing the next installment with Book 4 in the series.
Author Mary Cope is joining us today for an interview. Her latest novel, Beautiful One is a fantastic pick for young adults and all readers looking for a sweet romance.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Beautiful One
Author: Mary Cope
Genre: Young Adult / Sweet Romance
BLURB:
Transformation, empowerment, love and music come together in the book, Beautiful One.
Elizabeth Ryan is a beautiful, shy, naïve high school senior. Having never dated she meets the boy of her dreams, Aidan Mitchell. Despite his history of womanizing Liz is drawn to him. Soon Liz becomes the envy of all the girls on campus, when they become a couple, and her dream boyfriend sweeps her off her feet and into the dating world that is all too new and strange for her. When other guys start to take notice of Liz, Aidan is troubled with fits of jealousy.
Elizabeth then meets the ruggedly handsome, Spencer Hayes and they quickly bond over their passion for music. Liz begins to struggle with the feelings that spark between them.
In the end Elizabeth finds herself torn between helping Aidan overcome his jealousy and anger and giving into what her heart truly wants.
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! It is my pleasure to feature your novel.
What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
The inspiration for Beautiful One came to me when I was dropping off my daughter in high school. As my daughter was gathering her things to exit the car, an overweight teenage girl walked by. My daughter glanced at her, looked at me and said, “Kids are so mean, it must be really hard to be overweight in high school.”
That was the day the character, Elizabeth, was born and the idea for Beautiful One began.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
For me, the plot comes first and then the characters filter in. Never having had a professional writing background, I would consider myself an organic writer. I think about my story, and when I begin, I already have an idea for the ending. My goal is to write towards to the end.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
I didn’t have to travel in researching my book. In my early twenties I lived in the location Beautiful One was set in. Beautiful One takes place in the beach community of Dana Point. All the places mentioned throughout the pages I have either been to or worked at. The stairs Lizzy runs, I have run and the dog, Maggie, was my dog. My sweet Maggie has since passed, but she will live on in the pages of Beautiful One forever.
When did you begin writing?
I began my writing career in my late 40s. Having always been an avid reader, I was reading a best-selling novel, and to be honest, I could not get through it. As much as I tried, I just found the storyline ridiculous. That was the day I put the book down and thought to myself, “If this is a best-selling novel, I might as well give writing a try.”
So, I did.
Funny, sidenote… I happen to be friends with the author who inadvertently inspired me. Of course, she has no idea the way she inspired me, but I think it’s funny we’re now friends.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
I don’t have a set amount of hours I write. I write until my mind drifts, or the ideas stop. When that happens, I will usually take a break, grab my dog and go for a walk. Walking clears my head and gives me the ability to refocus back on the chapter I am working to complete.
What does literary success mean to you?
Literary success means I become a New York Times best-selling author, what else?
AUTHOR BIO:
Mary Cope is a passionate romance writer known for her ability to craft characters that feel undeniably real. Drawing inspiration from both her personal experience and vivid imagination, Mary’s words resonate with readers. A romantic at heart, Mary believes true intimacy is what love is all about.
Author Valeriya Goffe is joining us today for an interview. Her latest novel, Secrets We Keep, is sure to appeal to women’s fiction readers
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Secrets We Keep
Author: Valeriya Goffe
Genre: Women’s Fiction
BLURB:
A rising star that fell…
Anna Levenko was set to become the next “it girl” in tennis. The first Ukrainian prophesied to win a Grand Slam… And then everything changed. Years later, with a business degree behind her, an unpaid job keeping her busy, and a family that means well, Anna can’t help but dream of something bigger. What’s one little white lie in the grand scheme of things?
But her dream job isn’t just sunshine and roses. Her first project takes her to Tanzania, and everything that could go wrong, does. Not to mention her woeful love life. Will she ever reach the life she’s worked so hard for? Or is success just not in the cards for Anna?
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! It is my pleasure to feature your latest release.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
Usually I start with a very broad plot, then I try to develop various scenes, and finally I start developing the characters. Developing characters takes the most of the time for me. In some cases, I have some sort of a “prototype” for the character, in others, I need to combine several people into one, and this takes more time. However, as the book progresses, some of the characters turn out quite different from the way I imagined them in the beginning. They take a life of their own.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
My debut novel is solely based on my travels. All the scenes in this book take place in locations which are very dear to my heart, for one reason or the other. I enjoy writing about the places I had visited in the past as this helps me relive the happy memories, as well as share them with the readers. May be one day they’d want to visit them too!
The majority of scenes are set in Kyiv, my beloved home town where I was born and raised, and Washington DC, where I had lived for almost 20 years (until starting a posting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last summer).
I also write about Tanzania, an incredible African country which I had fallen in love with. I had been there many times for work and I got to know a lot of wonderful people there. It was only natural for me to pick Tanzania as the setting for my novel.
Jekyll Island, another important location for my debut novel, is where I’ve been vacationing with my family for many years. It’s a gorgeous island off the coast of Georgia where one can enjoy the beach and various outdoor activities and also learn a lot about history. Back in the late 1800s James Hill, George Baker, William Rockefeller, William Vanderbilt, and some of their powerful contemporaries selected Jekyll Island as a perfect place to spend their winters. The exquisite Jekyll Island Club was constructed there. Its clientele controlled an enormous one-sixth of the world’s worth! Given my fascination with this island, it was impossible for me not to include it in my first book.
When did you begin writing?
I started writing when I was in middle school. Back then, I was writing in Russian and Ukrainian. I had always enjoyed writing and illustrating all kinds of stories and articles. I also had an older cousin who shared my passion for writing. We co-authored quite a few children’s’ books, but never published them unfortunately. All these books are lost forever, as none of them were typed on a computer, and I have no idea what happened to them after all these years. Later, my life got consumed by university studies and eventually work. I focused on writing academic articles and reports in economics and finance. Then one day I thought it was time to start writing fiction again. This time, I decided that I will write in English and get my novel published. I’m glad it’s finally happening.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
Generally speaking, with my full-time day job, I cannot devote too much time to writing. My goal is to write one page a day, which doesn’t take very long, but helps me to move in the right direction. However, on some days, I will deviate from the goal. Sometimes, I might get a lot of inspiration (no idea where it comes from!) and will write 10 pages or so. On other days, I will just put a few paragraphs down, and this will be it.
I try to make sure not to push myself too much and have fun with the writing. If I have ideas, I will try to put them down immediately. If no great ideas come to mind, I don’t stress out. It’s better to take a break that day and wait for another.
What does literary success mean to you?
Many different things! Thousands of readers excited about my books…Writing as a full-time career…A Hollywood movie based on my book…No sure if they are achievable, but I think every writer dreams about them. Never hurts to dream!
What project are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on the sequel to the Secrets We Keep. From the start, I envisioned to write a trilogy about a Ukrainian family, so my hope is to publish two more books in order to finish the story.
The idea of the trilogy came from reading Kevin Kwan’s books. I am a big fan of Crazy Rich Asians. At one point, I thought that it would be really cool to have a trilogy about Ukraine similar to the way Kwan wrote about Singapore and China. Naturally, my characters are very different from Kwan’s characters, and they face a very different kind of problems (nobody is crazy rich, that’s for sure). But I hope the readers will also fall in love with the Ukrainian family I portray in my books.
The plot of my second book greatly evolved from what I originally planned to write it about. It sort of got overtaken by events.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, I knew that I needed to stage my second book in Ukraine during the war. There was no other way. I had so much pain in my heart that I needed a way to let it out, and writing was a perfect opportunity for me. I started writing the sequel last year, and I already have it almost finished. It was not an easy book to write, given the real emotions involved. Some scenes were heartbreaking for me as I knew that this was not fiction and my friends and relatives were experiencing similar moments in real life. Luckily, I am already editing the book now, and I know that most of my characters have survived, and they finally see the light in the end of the tunnel.
AUTHOR BIO:
Valeriya Goffe was born and raised in Ukraine and spent most of her adult life in the USA. She works for a large international organization leading developmental projects in various countries. During her career, she has traveled extensively in Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. She hold a PhD degree in finance from the Kyiv National University of Economics in Ukraine and an MBA degree from Kogod School of Business, American University in Washington DC. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. Valeriya is trilingual in English, Russian, Ukrainian and also speaks French and Spanish.
Please join me in welcoming author Josie Riviera. If you enjoy holiday romance in December, look no further that Cocoa’s Christmas Love for your next read.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Cocoa’s Christmas Love
Author: Josie Riviera
Genre: Sweet and wholesome holiday romance
BLURB:
A florist’s Wishing Blooms rekindles the faded Christmas spirit of a disillusioned hometown photographer, but can her cheer, a rescued pup, and the magic of the season revive his holiday hope and love?
AUTHOR BIO:
Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovations.
I’m pleased to welcome back author Anne Hamilton Fowler for an interview. Her memoir, I’ve Worn Many Hats, recounts what led to her shift from a successful career to a life dedicated to philanthropy.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: I’ve Worn Many Hats
Author: Anne Hamilton Fowler
Genre: Memoir
BLURB:
This memoir is the no holds barred account of my unorthodox life lived in a manner regularly viewed as risky and on the edge, frequently laughable, on occasion full of hardship, but never boring! The candid account that spans decades of a long bumpy life evokes many emotions; laughter, empathy, shock, admiration. As you read the first half, you may find yourself going back, re-reading and thinking, “she did what?!” In the second half of the book, you will discover what inspired me to make such a drastic life change, leaving behind a long successful career in Human Resources to pursue philanthropic work with the people of Honduras. http://anne.honduranhope.net
INTERVIEW:
Welcome!
Where do you get your ideas?
It was all based on my surprisingly prolific memory!
What has been your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was having the nerve to put my life, the good, bad and ugly, “out there”!
What does literary success mean to you?
The book’s profits were always intended to help fund my Honduras programs and to that end, sales have been a huge help. What was not anticipated, was reader’s personal responses sharing their own traumas. Here is an example. It is an email I received this summer:
“The consensus of opinion by our book club members who have been reading “I’ve Worn Many Hats” is that it’s definitely not your average run of the mill memoir!!! Content spans a wide range including: humor, outrageous behavior, tragedy and redemption. Life experiences are laid out so honestly it was impossible not to identify with some of them. For the first time in many years one of our group shared her experience with rape and its consequences. We strongly recommend that you buy this entertaining book not only for your own enjoyment but to support the author’s work with children in Honduras. Anne Hamilton Fowler is a true inspiration! “
When did you begin writing?
This is the only book I have written but to answer your question, I guess I actually began writing in Grade four. I was an avid Nancy Drew reader and I wrote a mystery play for my classmates to perform for the school assembly! Over the years I wrote articles for local newspapers, several fund raising cookbooks and more speeches than I care to remember!
Please join me in welcoming author L. B. Joyce. A Grand Slam Kind of Christmas is a perfect pick for cozy mystery fans looking for a seasonal read to kick off a new series.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: A Grand Slam Kind of Christmas
Author: L. B. Joyce
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
Everyone wants to live in a small town. The kind of place movies are made, happy endings always a given.
Having grown up in Blossom Falls, Ohio, Jessie Carter would be the first to tell you, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. This was exactly why she left. After landing a job as a lawyer in one of the most prestigious firms in Chicago, she was ready to take on the world.
But things don’t go as planned. Reeling from a failed relationship, her integrity is suddenly under question at the firm. So, it only takes a hysterical call for help from her nine-months pregnant sister Crystal, to have her packing up and heading home.
After all, it’s the middle of December, the busiest time of year for Crystal’s local business, Crystal’s Coffee Cakes. With her husband stationed in Afghanistan until January, she needs all the help she can get.
As one of the most sought out professional baseball players around, Max Kirby surprised everyone when he signed with the first team to offer him a long-term contract. This means for the next seven years he plans to call Cleveland his home.
Little did he know an unplanned visit to Blossom Falls would lead him to Jessie. While he’s attracted to her from the start, it’s more than obvious she wants nothing to do with him. Even with Crystal’s numerous attempts to bring them together.
With Christmas only a few days away, the gifts collected for the town’s annual Coats and Toys for Tots drive are suddenly found missing. When Max doesn’t even hesitate to step in and offer his help, Jessie’s heart begins to thaw, her feelings for him completely flip-flopping.
The series of events that follow lead up to a Christmas they’ll both never forget.
AUTHOR BIO:
L. B. Joyce lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A freelance artist by day, with designing Christmas ornaments her specialty, she’s also a writer by night. She loves getting lost in a good book, has redecorated almost every room in her house more times than she’d like to admit, loves baking up a storm in her kitchen, hates housework with a passion and will drive just about anywhere because of her fear of flying.
A Grand Slam Kind of Christmas is the first book of the new Holidays in White Oaks Valley series. L. B. Joyce is also the author of the series Twelve Months, Twelve Love Stories.
Ever since a traumatic experience as a college freshman four years earlier, Clare Matthews has had an aversion to men. But when she goes to spend the summer on one of Georgia’s Golden Isles as a companion for her cousin Sally, she finds herself drawn to Jon, a handsome young security guard who works on the family estate. When the feeling seems mutual, she hopes she has at last been healed. Then signs of his possible involvement in a dangerous criminal activity crop up, and Clare must make a decision that will affect the rest of her life.
EXCERPT:
Reaching the island, she turned on her GPS and keyed in her uncle’s address. The system’s confident female voice guided her over circuitous roads until she reached a wide concrete drive blocked with closed wrought iron gates. The GPS told her, “You have reached your destination.” She didn’t remember those gates. They were like those at the entrances to exclusive communities. Then, seeing the sign Sanderson Estates, she realized that this was such a community—the one her uncle had established since her last visit.
She pulled up to the gates and stopped. A tall, well-built, very tan young man in a white Oxford shirt and jeans—a security guard—came out of a small brick building beside the drive. Clean shaven, with dark curls cropped short and strong, even features, he reminded her of the statue pictured on the cover of her high school Latin textbook. She lowered her window, and he looked in at her, examining her with direct gray eyes. He held a clipboard and had a gun tucked into his belt.
Her hands grew cold. “I’m Clare Matthews, Sally Sanderson’s cousin. They know I’m coming.”
He looked at the clipboard, unsmiling. “You have some identification, Miss?”
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! What was the inspiration behind The Last Golden Isle, your latest release?
The title was inspired by the fourteen barrier islands off the coast of Georgia, which are sometimes referred to as “the golden isles.” The name originated in the 1700’s with early explorers of the coast who hoped to find glittering treasure in them. They were disappointed in that respect, but the name stuck, perhaps because of the color of the island beaches in sun or the vast marsh grasses in winter. While my novel is set on an imaginary golden isle, I was specifically inspired by a visit to Tybee Island with its sandy beaches, sea shells, gorgeous sunrises—and from a boat, dolphins and a sunset, with the sky stained pink and the moon rising.
Where do you get your ideas?
Many are from my life and people I’ve known—transformed of course. I once compared the use of experience to a kaleidoscope, the experiences being the little chips of glass being turned and forming new patterns and shapes. Newspaper articles and experiences told by friends also give me ideas. For example, a friend told me about her daughter’s experience with a “spiritual guide” in South America, and that inspired the spiritual guide sequences in The Last Golden Isle.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
In the case of The Last Golden Isle, the idea for the plot came first, inspired by a little novel I’d written as a high school student about a Northern girl who goes to spend the summer with her pen pal in Virginia and discovers this family has dangerous secrets. I changed the setting to Georgia, where I, a Northern girl, ended up living— but much of the basic plot remained the same. However, I added to the protagonist’s character and included as part of the mystery the young man she becomes involved with there.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
Most of my settings are from places I’ve lived—the Great Sacandaga Lake in the Adirondacks of upstate New York, Athens, Georgia, location of the University of Georgia—or places I’ve visited, like Tybee Island. Thus, I didn’t need to do a lot of additional travelling to “research” these settings. But currently I am working on a novel based on my German immigrant ancestors, who in 1850 came up the Rhine by barge to Rotterdam, and from there crossed the Atlantic to New York City. In May 2022 I took a wonderful cruise up the Rhine to Amsterdam (close to Rotterdam), taking in the landscape, ancient bridges, and castles they would surely have seen. I think I can count this as research.
When did you begin writing?
In grade school I wrote little stories, illustrated them with crayon, and fastened them with safety pins. Later on, in high school, I typed up novellas for my friends to read. I continued writing fiction in college, but put it aside when I went to graduate school, then on to a college teaching career. Only since retirement have I had time to return to that first love, writing fiction.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
It varies of course, but when I’m going full steam ahead on a novel, at least four hours.
AUTHOR BIO:
I grew up in Johnstown, New York, an historic town near the Mohawk Valley, where my parents were both public school teachers. I earned a BA from the University of New York at Albany, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison—all in English. While on the faculty at The University of Georgia, I authored or co-authored a number of academic articles and books. Now retired, I’ve published three contemporary romantic suspense novels—Stranger in the Storm, Shadows of Doubt, and The Student in Classroom 6, with this fourth, The Last Golden Isle, to be released December 11.My short story “Falling,” which came in second in the Atlanta, Georgia, Writers Club’s 2021 Terry Kay Prize for Fiction, was published in the Fall 2022 issue of the online journal Knot. I live in Athens, Georgia with my husband Hubert, also a retired UGA professor. Our son Ed lives in nearby Atlanta.
Author Meryl Brown Tobin is joining us today for an interview. Read on for the inside scoop on the inspiration behind her latest romantic suspense novel, Broome Enigma.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Broome Enigma
Author: Meryl Brown Tobin
Genre: Romantic Suspense
BLURB:
On a working holiday in Australia’s cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer and artist is open to romance and adventure.
At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.
Is Joe the person she thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can Jodie and Joe stop their relationship from developing until they have answers and know if he is free to love her?
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
Various visits to Broome, an exotic Outback town in Western Australia and seeing a young man with film star good looks but a ‘damped down’ personality at a holiday village doing cleaning and groundsman’s duties. He didn’t seem to ‘fit’ his job. I played the ‘What If?’ game until I came up with the some of the plot for ‘Broome Enigma’.
Where do you get your ideas?
From life––from my experiences and those of others, from the people I meet, reading, TV, observations.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
It varies. In the case of ‘Broome Enigma’, Broome was such an intriguing place to set a novel, I kept it in my head for a setting. Then, when I saw the young man who seemed so out of place working in a caravan park, I had one of my main characters. A second person at the park, the man who managed the park and pretended to be unaware of the gross overcrowding there, became the inspiration for an unpleasant minor character.
Years ago I had an elderly dentist who mentioned that during WW2 he had been stationed at Broome. This opened up a whole new area of Australian history to me that I researched and used in the novel.
Experiences also helped. For instance, when my husband and I visited China, we visited the Underground City in Beijing. That experience has never left me and gave me ideas for expanding the plot in ‘Broome Enigma’.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
Yes, whenever we travelled in the past, I took field notes which I used for my travel articles which I then used in my travel book ‘Exploring Outback Australia’ and in my fiction writing, including ‘Broome Enigma’. I did not specifically travel for ‘Broome Enigma’ as I already knew the areas I was writing about, although I did add to that knowledge through research.
When I was writing a travel book, ‘Exploring Outback Australia’, I found there were a few gaps I needed to fill and photos my husband, my photographer, needed to take. We planned a trip specifically to cover the areas we had missed.
When did you begin writing?
When I was about eight, I used to belong to two children’s clubs attached to newspapers and I used to contribute material. When I was eleven a short story journal published a short piece on a trip to a wildlife sanctuary. In secondary school I contributed lots of material to our school newspaper and, when in Year 11, I ended up as its Assistant Editor.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
Maybe eight hours a day. I write when I don’t have to do something else or think I should be giving something else priority. Most days I write most of the day with breaks for formal and informal exercise, housework, various appointments and family, friend and community catch-ups.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Setting up my own publishing house. A publishing house had contracted to publish my picture storybook ‘LEFTY’ but it was taken over and the new owner did not wish to publish my book. As compensation, I was given the art work the first publisher had organized. After publishing ‘LEFTY’, I subsequently published several more of my own books and one by a group I belonged to. However, as it took so much of my creative writing time, after some years I closed my publishing house down.
What does literary success mean to you?
Once it meant getting everything I wrote published and receiving fitting payment for it. While I got some return on my writing, especially on my educational puzzles and also my travel articles, it would not have been enough to give up my day job.
I now have a big body of work to show for the years I have spent writing. I am content in myself that I have produced something worthwhile for the huge amount of time, effort and creativity I invested in it. Getting my first novel ‘Broome Enigma’ published is icing on the cake.
What writing tips or marketing advice would you like to share?
Write what you know and what you think you could do. For instance, one night when I was bringing up my young children, I was doing a crossword puzzle and decided I could make up one as good as the one I was doing and did so. It started a career of writing crosswords and educational puzzles. So far, this has provided my biggest income from writing.
Joining writing groups, attending workshops and doing courses, especially my Diploma of Arts (Writing & Editing) at a tertiary institute, gave my creative writing a great push upwards. I would strongly recommend those serious about their writing to do the same.
The Wild Rose Press Editor, Val Mathews, gave me another great push with her enthusiastic support and for referring me to two excellent books, ‘A Writer’s Guide: Active Setting: How to Enhance Your Fiction with More Descriptive, Dynamic Settings’ by Mary Buckham and ‘Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It): Learn how to find––and fix––told prose in your writing’ by Janice Hardy.
Which authors inspire you?
Many, but the two mentioned above are two of them ––Mary Buckham and Janice Hardy. Others are Australian writers, Richard Flanagan author of ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’, for which he won The Man Booker Prize 2014, Chrissie Michaels who writes Australian historical fiction for teenagers and Bruce Pascoe, who wrote a brilliant book, ‘Dark Emu’ and Stan Grant who wrote ‘Talking to My Country’.
What project are you currently working on?
I am working on several completed novels that I want to rework in the style that appeals to The Wild Rose Press editors, that is, the style described in Buckham and Hardy’s books, a style I now prefer for my novels and short stories.
AUTHOR BIO:
Meryl Brown Tobin is an Australian writer and a former secondary teacher of Humanities subjects. She writes short and long fiction for adults and children, non-fiction, especially on travel and the environment, poetry and educational and other puzzles.
She has had 21 books published. These include puzzle/activity books, black-line masters books of educational puzzles, work books for primary students, a travel book, a children’s picture storybook, a poetry collection and a haiku collection with four other poets. In total, nearly 300,000 copies of her first four puzzle books were sold in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Hundreds of her poems and puzzles, scores of her short stories and travel and other articles, and some cartoons have appeared in more than 150 magazines, newspapers and anthologies in Australia and elsewhere, including the US. ‘Broome Enigma’ is her debut novel and more novels are in the pipeline.
Please join me in welcoming author Brenda Whiteside. Today, Brenda is sharing a guest post from the perspective of her amateur sleuth, Nicole Earp. Enjoy this up close and personal introduction to a delightful character and her story.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Reading, Writing, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Book 2)
Author: Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program.
Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm.
When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller.
With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?
GUEST POST:
An Invitation from Nicole Earp as told to Brenda Whiteside
My name is Nicole Earp, but everyone calls me Nic. And everyone, on first meeting, asks if I’m related to the infamous brothers. Well, I’m not, but my second husband claimed he was a distant cousin of Wyatt Earp. I’ve kept the name and have fun with the connection, especially since I live in Wyatt, Arizona. I’m a freelance travel writer so my days can be different from month to month depending on the assignment I’ve picked up. When home, I dabble in candle making. But it’s the relaxing weekends I spend twice a year at the Dulce Inn in Wyatt that I’m sure you’ll find much more interesting.
My birthday is in the spring and my sister Em’s is six months later in the fall. What perfect timing for our twice-a-year getaways and at least one celebratory chocolate martini in the Azul Saloon inside the inn. Our tradition has earned us a nickname from the staff—The Chocolate Martini Sisters.
A typical day at the inn finds Em on an early morning run while I sleep in after having stayed up late reading a mystery. I rise, practice a short yoga session, and shower. On this visit, our schedule includes a writers’ conference. I’m hoping to perfect my craft while Em is excited to pitch her first mystery novel to an agent. Regardless of what we’re doing on our birthday weekends, we always have fun.
And then there’s the dead body we’re prone to discover.
Em and I do love sharing a good murder mystery. Solving the crime will put us in the faces of two detectives who might deserve some credit for helping us crack the caper. The Chief Homicide Detective Bennett Guthrie is particularly fun…for me anyway. He really gets under my sister’s skin. She’s analytical and compassionate which seems to rub him wrong. He’s tenacious, determined, and focused, but really hates admitting how much we help him. I operate on gut instincts, coming to conclusions a bit too fast at times. Gah! I have fun anyway. Guthrie takes himself far too seriously, so I enjoy a good jab at him now and then.
I hope you’ll join us on one of our weekends at the inn. You’ll love Wyatt, Arizona, located at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains, two hours north of Phoenix. Wyatt Earp frequented the historical Dulce Inn and the Azul Restaurant and Saloon located inside the hotel. The town has a slight old west feel with turn of the century buildings. See you there!
AUTHOR BIO:
Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.
Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Please join me in welcoming author C.B. Wilson. Cozy pet mystery fans are sure to enjoy Dachshund to Death, book 7 in the Barkview Mystery Series. C.B.’s author photo brightened my day. The inspiration behind this delightful series is clear.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Dachshund to Death
Author: C.B. Wilson
Genre: Cozy Pet Mystery
BLURB:
A murdered chef, a missing gingerbread recipe and a holiday secret to die for…
A murdered pastry chef and a stolen family recipe turn Barkview’s annual holiday gingerbread doghouse competition into a canine cat-astrophy.
Has this competition turned dog-eat-dog or is it something more sinister? A tent full of knife-proficient suspects complicates everything. When Sandy’s sister is accused of the crime, Cat Hawl is on the scent. The deeper she digs she realizes that the recipe itself leads to something far more valuable than the perfect holiday treat.
With the help of two devilish Dachshunds, Cat must run with the big dogs to find a 1930’s treasure before the prize is eaten by time.
AUTHOR BIO:
The award-winning author of the critically acclaimed Barkview Mysteries series, C.B. Wilson’s love of writing was spurred by an early childhood encounter with a Nancy Drew book where she precociously wrote what she felt was a better ending. After studying at the Gemology Institute of America, she developed a passion for researching lost, stolen and missing diamonds–the big kind. Her fascination with dogs and their passionate owners inspired Barkview, California, the dog friendliest city in America.
C.B. lives in Peoria, AZ with her husband. She is an avid pickleball player who enjoys traveling to play tournaments. She admits to chocoholic tendencies and laughing out loud at dog comics.
Author Karina Bartow is joining us today for an interview. Accidental Allies, Book 3 in the Unde(a)feted Detective Series, is now available for pre-order.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Accidental Allies
Author: Karina Bartow
Genre: Mystery
BLURB:
Everybody’s experienced a rocky start to a new job, but few can top Minka Avery’s return to Orlando PD.
After six years as a stay-at-home mom, Minka’s nervous but excited to sit at a detective’s desk again. Before she has a chance to break in her badge, however, her career resumes with a bang when someone bombs the county courthouse.
With many disillusioned with the justice system, several brow-raising suspects emerge right away. Minka and her new partner, Renee, follow several tips that lead to dead ends, until they zero in on the courthouse’s former security guard. Their attempts to apprehend him send the city and police department into chaos. Meanwhile, Minka contends with the lingering suspicion of another party being involved. Could his accomplice be closer than she thinks?
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
Accidental Allies is the third installment of the Unde(a)feated Detective Series, so I had to decide what turn I wanted the series to take. In its forerunner, Brother of Interest, Minka Avery, the protagonist, had taken a break from the police force, but she loves detective work so much that I knew she’d eventually return to the Orlando PD. Let’s just say I opted to bring her back with a bang!
Where do you get your ideas?
From all over, really. Minka is deaf, so I draw a lot of her experiences off of the hurdles I face from living with a disability—Cerebral Palsy, in my case—and yet wanting to pursue the goals you desire to.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
Almost always the characters. Once I start developing them, they form the plot.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
Yes, I have. As a matter of fact, I went to see the courthouse where the bombing takes place in Accidental Allies and even had lunch at the diner across the street from it. I like to engage all of my senses when I’m setting scouting!
When did you begin writing?
I started writing little stories when I was nine years old, but I didn’t take it too seriously until I was eighteen.
How many hours do you dedicate each day towards writing?
Usually three to four.
What has been your biggest challenge?
I was born with Cerebral Palsy, so I only have limited use of one hand. Naturally, that affects my ability to type, but I’ve always been determined to do it all on my own, unless I’m on a deadline.
What does literary success mean to you?
Of course, it’d be thrilling to land the best-sellers list or a movie deal, but what matters most to me is having people enjoying my work. I really endeavour to make readers feel what the characters are going through and form a connection with them.
What writing tips or marketing advice would you like to share?
All aspects of it require commitment and perseverance, from writing a draft to seeking a publisher/agent to lining up promotional stuff. Because of that, I always say don’t give up!
Which authors inspire you?
I’ve enjoyed Nicolas Sparks’ style as well as Marie Benedict. They both can really throw you into the story and get lost in the characters.
What project are you currently working on?
Another novel in the Unde(a)feated Detective Series, as well as two mini-installments in the form of short stories that Author TG Wolff will feature on her Mysteries to Die For podcast.
AUTHOR BIO:
Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her works include Husband in Hiding, Brother of Interest, Forgetting My Way Back to You, and Wrong Line, Right Connection. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!
I’m pleased to feature Joan Ramirez’s writing handbook, The Write Rules. Reviewers have found this book to be a useful tool for verbal and written communication skills.
BLURB:
IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY OR LATE TO FULFILL YOUR DESTINY. My writing handbook, for Engineering, Technical, and English as Second Language professionals, will enhance your written and verbal communications skill set. After reading this book and using the examples, you will be able to attract and retain clients. The concise but effective guidelines in the handbook will ensure your business grows to its full potential. However, you will have to work hard to achieve your goals. Success, unlike oatmeal, isn’t instant!
Please join me in welcoming back author Susie Black. I thrilled to spotlight her latest novel, Rag Lady. This story features sleuth Holly Schlivnik, from the Holly Swimsuit mystery series, as a recent college graduate navigating the career world.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Rag Lady
Author: Susie Black
Genre: Women’s Fiction
BLURB:
Recent college graduate Holly Schlivnik dreams of being a writer, but fate has other plans. A family crisis throws her into an improbable situation and her life will never be the same. Determined to make her own luck when things don’t happen the way she plans, the irrepressible young woman takes a sledge hammer to the glass ceiling and shatters it to smithereens. The wise-cracking, irreverent transplanted Californian takes you on a raucous, rollicking rollercoaster ride of her hysterical adventures as a ladies apparel sales rep traveling in the deep South as she ends up finding herself along the way.
AUTHOR BIO:
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Please join me in welcoming author Vicky Burkholder. I’m excited to spotlight her novel The Cane, the Puzzle, and Magic. Paranormal romance readers have a new novel to add to the tbr pile.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: The Cane, the Puzzle, and Magic
Author: Vicky Burkholder
Genre: Urban Paranormal Romance
BLURB:
Facing down an ancient evil, special agent Elizabeth St. John is outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched. Local cop Kaeden Pike is the perfect choice to help her but letting him—or anyone—into her life and heart is the most difficult challenge she’s ever faced. Kaeden has never found the one person who fit him, until now. But how can he convince Liz that they make the perfect pair, especially when the end of the world is coming? Someone has to gather the forces of good to win this fight, but when Liz accepts the role, she finds that being alone isn’t a choice she has to make. Almost losing Kaeden to the evil who already took the only other person she’s ever trusted convinces her to open her heart and let him in…where he belongs.
AUTHOR BIO:
As her alter-ego, Vicky has multiple homes all over the universe. She looks human – for the most part – but when she starts writing about characters being able to move things or flicking fire from their fingertips, or changing the course of rivers, people tend to get a little freaked out. She found the one guy out there in the universe who loves her for who she is and they’ve been together forever and raised four wonderful (now) adults. Her career includes work as a technical writer/editor, a stringer for the local newspaper, and an editor and copy editor for various publishers. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a computer specialist, a DJ, and a librarian. When not editing or writing, she can be found in the kitchen creating gluten free goodies for her family.
I’m excited to welcome USA Today Bestselling Author, Kathryn Knight. Tis the season for a spooky tale that checks all the boxes. The Haunting of Hillwood Farm offers readers a ghost mystery and romantic suspense.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: The Haunting of Hillwood Farm
Author: Kathryn Knight
Genre: Ghost Mystery/Romantic Suspense
BLURB:
After tragedy strikes, Callie Sinclair is left with a gift she never wanted—the ability to communicate with ghosts. But when a desperate widow begs for her help, she reluctantly agrees to investigate the strange occurrences at Hillwood Farm. She quickly realizes she’s dealing with a dangerous presence beyond anything she’s ever experienced, and something else becomes equally clear—the only other living person in the house, Mrs. Turner’s handsome grandson, thinks she’s a scam artist. While she’d prefer to just ignore him, her heart beats a little faster every time he’s nearby.
Luke Turner doesn’t believe in spirits. He’s moved back to restore the family farm, but living on the property serves a dual purpose—he can watch out for his grandmother. He’s not happy about the sudden appearance of a self-described psychic, or his inexplicable attraction to her. His initial suspicions crumble as evidence points to an actual haunting, but he’s still determined not to fall for Callie—the past has taught him it’s best to avoid relationships.
As Callie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she becomes the target of a vengeful spirit, and Luke can no longer fight his feelings for her. Unable to resist their desire, passion ignites…even as the paranormal activity escalates to a final deadly confrontation.
AUTHOR BIO:
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kathryn Knight writes books filled with steamy romance, dangerous secrets, and haunting mysteries. Her novels are award-winning #1 Amazon and B&N Bestsellers and RomCon Reader-Rated picks. When she’s not reading or writing, Kathryn spends her time exploring abandoned places and searching for ghosts. She lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband, their two sons, and a number of rescued pets. Please visit her at www.kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com.
Please join me in welcoming author Kitty Shields. Her latest novel, Stone Heart, looks like a great pick for historical romance readers. Who doesn’t love a second chance romance? Especially one set during the late 1700s…
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Stone Heart
Author: Kitty Shields
Genre: Historical Romance
BLURB:
Some love stories are written in stone.
What if the woman you loved gave her heart to you in the form of a perfect red diamond? And what if you were an absolute imbecile and broke that heart into pieces? Edward, the Marquess of Winchester, doesn’t believe in nonsense and he certainly doesn’t believe that the woman he cast aside six months ago was true to him. But when the death of a famous actress leads him to realize he’s made a grave mistake, Edward sets out across 1790s Europe to save his love, battling jewel thieves, demons, and old family foes along the way. The question remains: can he put the pieces back together and heal a stone heart?
AUTHOR BIO:
Kitty Shields (she/her) lives outside Philadelphia, where she writes to overcome the fact that she was born a middle child with hobbit feet, vampire skin, and a tendency to daydream. In her spare time, she binds books, takes bad photos, and tries to avoid the death traps her cat sets for her. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Arcadia University in 2015 and has been published in several journals including The After Happy Hour Review, Furious Gazelle, and Sick Lit among others.
Please join me in welcoming Rosemary Kubli as she shares how she brought a long-held goal of becoming a published author to fruition. I whole-heartedly agree with the belief that it is never too late to pursue a dream. Romantic suspense readers are sure to enjoy her latest novel, Gullible.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Gullible
Author: Rosemary Kubli
Genre: Romantic Suspense
BLURB:
Siena Ricci is shrewd, seductive, and an expert in the art of deception. Masking her identity behind the guise of Marie Lacroix, a specialist in antiques and objets d’art, she swindles her employer’s wealthy clients out of their valuable possessions. She hasn’t yet met the man she can’t manipulate, but then the con she’s playing in Jonathan Woodward has only just begun.
Jonathan proves to be an easy mark, but he’s also enticingly irresistible. As their relationship heats up, her plot to steal his multi-million-dollar trinkets begins to unravel. Noticing a subtle change in Jonathan’s demeanor, Marie questions whether she’s still in control of the con or if she’s blindly become to gullible victim of her own scheme.
GUEST POST:
I know it’s a cliché, and I can envision you rolling your eyes as I say what I’m about to say, but I have always wanted to be a published author. Life, however, got in the way and when I at last got serious about writing, I blundered into the process wearing blinders. You see, I don’t hold a degree in creative writing or journalism and, aside from the occasional how-to manuals I’ve written for my employers and the literally thousands of emails I’ve composed since the invention of the internet, I had never written anything of note. What I did have, though, was a burning desire to one day walk into a bookstore and see a novel sitting on the top shelf with my name on the cover as the author.
So, one night, I decided to get serious. I sat down at my computer and began to write one of those stories that had been rambling around in my head. I joined a local writers’ critique group and entered a few writing contests. I read numerous books and articles about how to improve your writing skills. I received a lot of feedback and, most importantly, I listened to what the professionals were saying. I wrote and rewrote my novel multiple times until I was satisfied with the outcome. Next, I learned what a query letter is and how to write a synopsis. I began pitching my manuscript and bit my nails as the literary agents’ rejections flooded in. Some agents expressed interest but, ultimately, they all took a pass.
After six years, I was about to throw in the towel and chalk the whole process up to experience when an editor from a small press publisher responded to my query by saying, “Your story and characters are riveting.” My persistence had paid off! I’d finally connected with that one person who believed my work was worth sharing with the world. Sixteen months later, when I strolled into our local big chain bookstore and saw my novel displayed on their top shelf, I nearly burst into tears. It had taken close to eight years, but my dream had finally come true!
C.S. Lewis tells us, “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.” So, my question to you is, what’s holding you back? Have you always wanted to play the piano? Sail a boat? Tap dance? Then go for it! You don’t need to become an expert, just do it for your own personal satisfaction. Take it from me, you’ll be happy you did!
AUTHOR BIO:
Rosemary Kubli writes the type of books she loves to read – intrigue and suspense mixed with a pinch of romance and a clever plot twist or two. Her professional experiences run the gamut from Human Resources and training to accounting and banking, with publishing being her most recent endeavor. Aside from the seven years she lived in southern California, she has always called the northeast corner of Ohio her home. Rosemary and her husband of 45 years enjoy traveling – on land to visit family and friends and on sea to any destination a cruise ship will take them. When not working on her next novel, she can be found discussing the latest in literary fare with her book club, playing a rousing game of Bunco with some of her oldest and dearest friends, researching her ancestry, volunteering in her community, burying her nose in a book, or obsessing over the latest binge-worthy TV series.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch dish.
Beat together sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add bananas, flour, walnuts, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and salt; mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the prepared dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost as desired.
Please join me in welcoming author Judythe Morgan. As we move toward fall, I’m excited to feature Christmas Prom Rerun. ‘Tis the season to begin thinking about organizing a holiday reading list. This sweet, holiday novella looks like a perfect read to start the pile.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Christmas Prom Rerun
Author: Judythe Morgan
Genre: Sweet Romance Novella
BLURB:
Welcome to Dawson Springs, Texas
Where dreams are big and love always wins.
Shannon O’Leary always had a plan for her life: escape Dawson Spring and strike it rich as a personal trainer to the stars. Her plan crashed and burned when her two-timing husband squandered every penny of her hard-earned savings.
Broke and divorced, Shannon retreats to her parent’s home to regroup. She takes a teaching job at the high school she once attended. Unfortunately, that also means facing Tyler Evans, the high school sweetheart she jilted, along with responsibility for organizing the annual Christmas Prom.
Being in the familiar place where they’d fallen in love becomes a challenging walk down Memory Lane. Shannon knows she needs to put her life back together before she thinks about love again. She believes she doesn’t deserve a second chance. But she also knows she never stopped loving Tyler.
Can she put the pieces of her heart and life together when her heart insists on falling in love all over again with him?
AUTHOR BIO:
I’m a native Texan with deep Irish ancestry. After years of roaming as an Air Force daughter and then Army wife, I’m home again in a small Texas town writing full time.
My husband and I have raised three children, six Old English sheepdogs, one rescue terrier mix, and a tiny Maltese. We have eleven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and nine granddogs who fill our lives with fun and laughter. Plus lots of material for my stories.
I’ve been a Department of Army civilian employee, a schoolteacher (public, private, and church), an antique dealer, a former mayor’s wife, and sometimes a church pianist. Those crazy experiences help fill my books with interesting twists and turns.
All my books feature strong characters tackling real-life situations from a Christian worldview.
Besides writing fiction, I share a weekly blog with my urban farmer/music teacher daughter at www.judythewriter.com
The book I’m sharing today is Christmas Prom Rerun, my latest release. It’s a sweet short story of second chance love that just might bring back some high school prom memories.
Author ML Barrs is joining us today for an interview. Read on for the inspiration behind her new mystery release, Parallel Secrets.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Parallel Secrets
Author: ML Barrs
Genre: Mystery
BLURB:
Parallel Secrets is a contemporary mystery, featuring a strong but conflicted female protagonist. After a young girl goes missing, former TV crime reporter Vicky Robeson joins the search with the help of her attractive new love interest. They take his RV to a tiny town in rural Missouri that’s filled with odd characters and darker secrets. But Vicky has secrets of her own. She believes this kidnapped girl may be linked to a case she reported on nine years ago, when a mystery child was found walking on levee, bloody and unable to speak. Back then, Vicky failed to follow up clues only she knew. Now, she has a chance to redeem herself. As she uncovers secrets, it becomes clear someone will kill to keep them hidden.
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
The idea for Parallel Secrets came about after a road trip stop for breakfast in Arizona. The young woman who served us was beautiful, remarkably graceful, and clearly tough. She had spiky blonde hair and a floral tattoo on one arm. When we got back in the car, I told my husband that she would be a great character in a book. For the next hundred miles or so I talked about what her story could be. She was the genesis for Sam, the secretive café owner in Parallel Secrets.
Where do you get your ideas?
Life around me. I find people endlessly interesting. I read constantly–I’m the sort who stops to read historical markers. And working in news, there was a constant, sometimes overwhelming, stream of real-life drama that could be fictionalized.
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
Characters. My protagonist, TV journalist Vicky Robeson, lived in my mind for years. When I started writing, I was determined that my protagonist, Vicky, would be everywoman; that is, emotionally healthy, average physique, etc., who was good at getting people to talk and at seeing connections others did not. She would not be a super fit cop with a eidetic memory and flawed personality, not a surly agent with remarkable intuition and a drinking problem, etc. As Vicky’s character evolved, however, it became increasingly obvious that her troubled past shaped her persona. She and her inner thoughts became more interesting. And she still constantly battles a few extra pounds.
When did you begin writing?
I channeled my urge to write into a career in journalism. I did not write fiction until after I retired from my last job in television management.
What has been your biggest challenge?
I assumed that since I’d written and edited news stories for decades, writing fiction would be easy. Just make stuff up! I had trouble with basics like establishing and maintaining clear POVs, assuming readers would follow along as I hopped from head to head. My first experience with a professional editor was truly humbling.
AUTHOR BIO:
ML Barrs ran TV newsrooms for years, guiding and managing the content and production of more than eight hours of live newscasts a day. In her debut novel, Parallel Secrets, protagonist Vicky Robeson shares that kind of experience as well as the author’s passion for justice, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of children and other vulnerable people.
ML Barrs grew up one of thirteen children—the first girl, with three older brothers—a birth order she believes shaped her essence by the time she was eight. A girl’s gotta be a bit pugnacious to get along in that environment. Amid the chaos of fourteen people living in a mobile home (not a double-wide), she turned fifteen, dropped out of school and ran away from home.
Being homeless, then working minimum wage jobs quickly grew old. She earned her GED and went to college, got married, and had two children. After starting as a ‘one-man-band’ TV reporter, she moved into management. After a successful career as a television news director and general manager, she decided that what she really wanted to do is write mysteries. Parallel Secrets will be published September 2023, and its sequel is in the works.
I’m excited to welcome Diana Rubino, author of From Here to Fourteenth Street. This historical romance, set in 1894, is a fantastic read. I love that the author’s great-grandmother was the inspiration for the main character. Take a peek at today’s interview for all of the details.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: From Here to Fourteenth Street
Author: Diana Rubino
Genre: Historical Romance / Suspense
BLURB:
It’s 1894 on New York’s Lower East Side. Irish cop Tom McGlory and Italian immigrant Vita Caputo fall in love despite their different upbringings. Vita goes from sweatshop laborer to respected bank clerk to reformer, helping elect a mayor to beat the Tammany machine. While Tom works undercover to help Ted Roosevelt purge police corruption, Vita’s father arranges a marriage between her and a man she despises. When Tom’s cousin is murdered, Vita’s father and brother languish in jail, charged with the crime. Can Vita and Tom’s love survive poverty, hatred, and corruption?
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! How long have you been writing?
I always wrote short stories as a kid, but wrote my first novel when I was 22, with the encouragement of my college journalism professor. I completed my first novel in 1982.
Why did you decide to write a mystery?
Many of my books are mysteries or have mystery subplots; it’s my favorite genre, and I enjoy creating the red herrings, clues, and finally when the sleuth finds the killer, the surprise for the reader (I realize some astute readers can figure it out sooner, but I hope each one is a surprise).
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
I always create the plot first, but only one book I wrote, BOOTLEG BROADWAY, (the sequel to this book), I started with 3 main characters, with nothing to do yet. All I knew was that I needed to get the hero, the scatterbrained musical genius Billy McGlory, into one mess after another. That was easy once he was developed.
I do believe it can be an advantage to create the characters first; then you’ll know the story is character driven. But since mysteries are more plot driven, it’s best to have a solid logical plot developed first.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
Very much a plotter; I draw up detailed thorough outlines, which I always deviate from once the story gets going and takes its own turns along the way.
Have you ever traveled when researching information for a book?
Yes, my first historical, TO LOVE A KING, set in Henry VIII’s court—I went to England to all Henry’s famous sites, and CROWNED BY LOVE, set in Richard III’s court, I visited all the sites associated with Richard. This was pre-internet, and the trips sure were helpful.
How many hours do you dedicate each day toward writing?
No matter how long it takes, I complete 2,500 words (ten pages) a day.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Because I write historicals, the research is the best part. Losing myself in these long-ago worlds and getting to know these people is fascinating.
What advice would you like to share with aspiring authors?
Never give up on your dream! Find a critique group of like-minded authors who write in your genre and are your potential audience. Be disciplined—don’t wait for the muse to show up. You must show up.
If you could have dinner with another mystery author, who would it be?
I’ve always enjoyed Lawrence Block’s books, and when I first started out, we corresponded for a while. I asked him if we could meet for lunch but he said he was much too busy.
What are your favorite genres to read?
Besides mysteries, historical fiction, biographies, books about astronomy.
Do you write in other genres?
I recently started writing biographical novels, some have no fictional characters, some do. My latest novel, about Edith Roosevelt, (Theodore’s wife) has a cameo appearance by Vita Caputo, the heroine of FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET.
Did any books from your childhood influence you as a writer?
I never read Nancy Drew, but read most of the Trixie Belden books, which are similar. She’s a teenage sleuth, and she and her friends always find mysteries to solve.
What part of this book was the most fun to write?
It’s set in 1894 New York City and Vita is an Italian immigrant, based on my great-grandmother. Writing about Italian people and customs was a blast.
Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?
I do relate to Vita because she became successful, as a headstrong determined woman who had the confidence to know she’d make it.
Upcoming books, events, appearances, giveaways:
My next book, about Edith Roosevelt, doesn’t yet have a release date, but in the story Edith solves several mysteries in New York City, by finding a serial killer of the poor women she helped to escape poverty.
AUTHOR BIO:
Diana writes about folks through history who shook things up. Her passion for history and travel has taken her to every locale of her books: Medieval and Renaissance England, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial Virginia, New England, and New York. Her urban fantasy romance FAKIN’ IT won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. She is a member of the Richard III Society and the Aaron Burr Association. With her husband Chris, she owns CostPro, Inc., a construction cost consulting business. In her spare time, Diana bicycles, golfs, does yoga, plays her piano, devours books, and lives the dream on Cape Cod.
Spinach balls are a family favorite and only brought out for special occasions a few times per year. They can be eaten hot or cold. Either way you choose to indulge, you’ll be popping them like potato chips.
Ingredients:
2 boxes of frozen spinach (10oz each)
2 cups herb stuffing
½ cup grated cheese
1 small onion, minced
8-10 tbps butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Dash of garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Steps:
Defrost spinach.
Preheat oven to 350ᵒ.
Melt butter and cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Mix all ingredients together.
Roll into one-inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Spinach balls should be slightly browned around the edges.
Please join me in welcoming back author Susie Black. Death by Cutting Table is the latest in the Holly Swimsuit mystery series. I never tire of these book covers and am happy to share a new release for your beach read list.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Death by Cutting Table
Author: Susie Black
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
Butch Oldham didn’t have an honest bone in his body. So, the question wasn’t who wanted him dead. The question was, who didn’t. Mermaid Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik finds colleague Queenie Levine standing over Mermaid CEO Butch Oldham’s bloody corpse nailed to a fabric cutting table with a big honkin’ pair of cutting shears plunged deep into his chest. When the cops discover Queenie’s blood-soaked sweater, learn about her stormy relationship with the victim, and her public threats to make Butch pay for destroying Mermaid Swimwear by stealing it blind, Holly’s colleague shoots to the top of the suspect list. When Queenie is arrested, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a slinky, and nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent for revenge.
EXCERPT:
I cracked open the forward door and stuck my head out. I scoped a one-eighty around the dock. The street lights were on, as well as the lights at the top of the gangplank. A half-dozen apartments were also lit. A single light shined inside a cabin cruiser two boats from mine. My boat seemed to be the only thing in the marina with no power.
This isn’t the first time I’d been the only one with no power. When I first bought the boat, I learned the hard way don’t let the coffee maker, microwave oven, and television run at the same time or the circuits overload. But in the middle of the night with no appliances running or an electrical storm to cause a power outage? The blood froze in my veins. The answer isn’t inside the boat. I hoisted myself over the forward deck onto the dock with my heart in my throat.
A faint hint of smoke wafted from the breaker box and power outlet as I reached the end of the dock. I yanked the damaged plug out of the outlet and threw it in the water. I blasted the dock power outlet and breaker box with the fire extinguisher and pulled the other end of the power cord out of my boat power outlet. Eight minutes after my nine-one-one call, the cavalry arrived in force and all hell broke loose.
****
The psychedelic light shows of the emergency vehicles flashing strobe bubbles created an eerie specter as they bounced off the walls of the apartment buildings across from the marina. While the firemen examined the breaker box, two LA County Deputy Sheriffs kept my dock neighbors at a distance from my houseboat now swathed with yellow crime scene tape.
After the Deputy Sheriffs arrived, Antonio, the security guard, called the Dockmaster to bring her up to speed. Twenty minutes later, Dock Mistress Audrey Camarillo showed up at my slip to consult with me and the first responders.
A fireman squatted in front of the breaker box and electric outlet. “See this?” Siggie sidled over next to the fireman and the nosy parker hound rested his head on the guy’s shoulder for a closer look. The fireman laughed and gave my curious canine a howdy-do scratch behind the ears.
The fireman pointed to the marine power cable connected from the outlet to my boat. The interior guts of the marine cable are covered by a protective rubber encasement. The cable was slit open, exposing the wiring inside mid-cable to the prongs of the tampered plug. Several strips of aluminum foil anchored in place by a fistful of pennies laid on the dock adjacent to the breaker box.
The fireman said, “Whoever did this is no amateur. They knew exactly what they were doing. If they hadn’t been interrupted, they would’ve jammed the pennies in the breakers and wrapped the breakers with the aluminum foil. The breaker would’ve blown and ignited a fire. With the rubber-coated power cable serving as a connector, the fiberglass boat would’ve burned to a crisp in a matter of minutes.” He stroked his gloved hand across Siggie’s head. “It’s a darned good thing Ms. Schlivnik’s dog scared them off.” He turned a one-eighty around the basin. “With all the gasoline-powered motors, they came within a hair of blowing up the dock and burning this entire basin to ashes.” The fireman shoved his helmet to the crown of his head and whistled through a gap in his front teeth. “Somebody wanted Ms. Schlivnik dead. They came mighty close to succeeding.”
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department detective turned to me and asked, “Any idea who is responsible?”
I motioned to the gate above the gangplank. “That’s a security gate. You need a key to get into the basins. Every tenant has a key to the gate and their key works on every gate in the marina. I’m not saying boaters don’t let outsiders in, because we all do. But this time of night, I doubt if a boater is still out, and if someone was, they certainly wouldn’t let a stranger in.”
Audrey shrank back in horror. “You’re saying one of our tenants is responsible?”
I nodded. “Yeah, and I’ve got a pretty good idea which one. She was aboard her boat last night.”
FAVORITE REVIEW:
“Holy guacamole, Susie Black does it again in Death by Cutting Table. I enjoyed reading the fourth entry in the Holly Swimsuit mystery series, and Black offers another hilarious murder story starring Holly Schlivnik, her Yenta buddies, and best friend, Queenie Levine. Holly describes herself as a nosy parker who cannot fake sincerity, and she is correct. When her friend Queenie comes under suspicion for the latest murder (the CEO of their company), Holly springs into action again with her own investigation. CEO Butch Oldham has bankrupted his company, stolen his job from a friend, and dumped his wife … for starters. There is no shortage of suspects for an overbearing detective pursuing Oldham’s killer, along with helpers that are “uniformed versions of Starsky and Hutch.” As with her other Holly Swimsuit books, Susie Black keeps the reader guessing until the end. I love the characters, probably the most vital component of this series, but the descriptions of the fashion industry and everything that goes with it make marvelous stories. This is a strong recommendation for all the Holly Swimsuit books, but Death by Cutting Table may be the best in the series.” ~Mark Edward Jones, Thriller Author
AUTHOR BIO:
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Please join me in welcoming author M.S. Spencer. Fans of cozy mystery and romantic suspense are sure to enjoy The Wishing Tree.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies, and Spies on Chincoteague Island
Author: M. S. Spencer
Genre: Cozy mystery/Romantic suspense
BLURB:
Will the wind whip her token from the Wishing Tree and make her wish come true?
Addison Steele dreams of the day her husband—lost at sea—returns to her. Instead, she meets Nick Savage, whose every word may be a lie. She is soon embroiled in mystery, all related to the top secret science station at Wallops Island, Virginia.
After a Belarusian scientist at Wallops is murdered, the questions multiply. Was it because he caught the person stealing classified documents or because he wanted to defect? Is Nick the spy—or is it his brother? How can she trust the man who is slowly claiming her heart when his story keeps shifting?
AUTHOR BIO:
Librarian, anthropologist, research assistant, Congressional aide, speechwriter, nonprofit director—award-winning, multi-published author M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents and holds degrees in Anthropology, Middle East Studies, and Library Science. She has published sixteen romantic suspense and mystery novels. She has two children, an exuberant granddaughter, and currently divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
Please join me in welcoming author Helen C. Johannes. Frederick Fly-Catcher is a middle grade fantasy sure to keep your child entertained this summer and is on sale though the end of the month for $1.49 on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1244386 .
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Frederick Fly-Catcher
Author: Helen C. Johannes
Genre: Children’s Middle Grade Fantasy
BLURB:
“A fun adventure that was a hit with my nine-year-old!” 5 Stars, Amazon
What happens when Frederick, a champion fly-catcher, is confronted with a human? After all, humans are dangerous! And worse, this human is carrying a thing of troublesome, powerful magic. What if Frederick can’t get it to stop?
This fast-paced chapter book will entice young readers to keep turning pages to find out what happens next. Connecting with Frederick’s frog’s-eye view reminds children to treat all creatures with respect and to be open to friendships with new or different people. Parents can use the story events as jumping-off points to talk with children about problem-solving and teamwork strategies as well as simply being kind.
“Children of all ages will love this one for its adventure and for the animals that talk.” 5 Stars, NN Light Book Heaven 2020 Book Award Winner
AUTHOR BIO:
Helen C. Johannes writes award-winning fantasy inspired by the fairy tales she grew up reading and the amazing historical places she’s visited in England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany. Multi-published, she writes tales of adventure and romance in fully realized worlds sprung from pure imagination and a lifelong interest in history, culture, and literature. Warriors on horseback, women who refuse to sit idly at home, and passion that cannot be denied or outrun—that’s what readers will find in her adult books: Brave men, bold women—hearts in search of home. Fast-paced, fanciful, family-friendly fun inspired by her own children is the hallmark of Frederick Fly-Catcher.
Please join me in welcoming author Tena Stetler. Today, Tena is sharing the inspiration behind Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic. The trailer will surely pique interest in this story.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic
Author: Tena Stetler
Genre: Paranormal Mystery/Romance
BLURB:
Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small town in the Colorado Rockies with a population of unique townspeople. Blaze, a dragon shifter, and Wynter, a witch, are neck-deep in wedding preparations, when Wynter’s mother, Jade, goes missing after opening her new antique store, and attending the Simon estate sale where she procured an ancient jelly bean machine. Frantic with worry, Blaze and Wynter track her last movements via the store’s ancient, grainy, security footage. What it reveals is nothing short of shocking. As deputy sheriff, it’s Blaze’s responsibility to find his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But at what cost?
My inspiration for Writing Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic
What possessed me to write Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic? Several things actually. This book is kinda a follow-up to Meringue Snowflake Magic (Both books can be read as stand alones). I wasn’t ready to let the characters or town I’d created in Meringue Snowflake go. They were so fun, and still had stories to tell. So, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic was born. I take a look at how the characters have settled into their new town. Then add in a few new quirky characters, a romance, a mysterious ancient jelly bean machine, a disappearance, and time travel an poof you have a new and exciting tale. I love jelly beans. Don’t you? I guarantee after reading Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic, you’ll never look at jelly beans the same way again. Am a finished with Raven’s Hollow and the characters? Only time will tell. <grin>
Now let’s see what my new release, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic is all about.
Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small town in the Colorado Rockies with a population of unique townspeople. Blaze, a dragon shifter, and Wynter, a witch, are neck-deep in wedding preparations, when Wynter’s mother, Jade, goes missing after opening her new antique store, and attending the Simon estate sale where she procured an ancient jelly bean machine. Frantic with worry, Blaze and Wynter track her last movements via the store’s ancient, grainy, security footage. What it reveals is nothing short of shocking. As deputy sheriff, it’s Blaze’s responsibility to find his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But at what cost? How about a sneak peek between the pages of Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic?
“Let’s not jump to the worst-case scenario. Relax, we’ll find her.” Using his calm cop voice, he felt anything but calm. My gut is telling me she’s not here, and I’ve no idea how to find her. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He could see that his calm voice did little to soothe her.
She nearly vibrated. “Mom is missing. Our wedding is in less than two weeks. Tammy’s baby is due soon. I gotta find a part-time employee and you’re telling me to relax?” Another clap of thunder shook the building and an involuntary scream flew out of her mouth.
He wrapped his arms around her tight and held on. “We’ll find her. Everything will be all right. One step at a time. We’ll stop over to Ms. Roost’s place as soon as the storm subsides. Then we’ll come back here and view the surveillance footage, if there is any. That’s the plan right now. Don’t think it’s smart to try to view it while the storm rages. Electrical current could cause a surge, fry the system, and then where would we be?”
“My head knows you’re right. My heart is at war with my head.”
“I understand. Off to Ms. Roost’s first.” He shut off the lights and unlocked the door.
She set the antiquated alarm, and locked it after they were outside. Thunder still rumbled around with only an occasional flash of lightning. The torrents of rain had turned into a drizzle as they ran to his vehicle.
AUTHOR BIO:
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award-winning paranormal tales. Some call her crazy others creative. She deals with the voices in her head by writing them down and creating a fantasy world and characters you won’t soon forget. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Colorado is home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a fifty-two-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.
With his Texas ranching family’s lottery win, TC Tomlinson is finally able to build a ranch with alternative livestock. TC has a lot to prove, starting with his new ostrich herd, so when he catches a beauty scooping up an escaped baby bird, TC chases her down, assuming she wants to meet him for his money.
When Hallie Armstrong sees the injured baby ostrich, she jumps into professional mode. A former vet tech, she’s moved to Last Stand to work at her aunt’s wildlife rescue and heal from an attack. She’s skittish of the handsome cowboy, but when he starts to flirt, she decides two can play at this game—the rescue needs fundraising, and TC is an eligible bachelor.
As they brainstorm ideas for a bachelor auction and work to solve the mystery of local sheep attacks, TC finds himself falling for the feisty cowgirl. But when he learns she’s still in danger, his protective instincts threaten to drive the independent Hallie away. Can TC convince Hallie she can have her independence and him too?
Praise for Charming the Billionaire Cowboy:
“I loved watching them make the slide from tentative friendship into something more, especially given Hallie’s hesitation in trusting any man. Now TC can be stubborn, he isn’t afraid to toss money at a problem, but he’s also compassionate and falling so deeply for Hallie that it’s a joy to watch. I’m enjoying this series so much.” – Happily Ever After Romance
“A charming story of a cute couple destined for love.” – Paula on BookBub
“I loved seeing TC and Hallie building a relationship of friendship that leads to more. There are lots of animals to enjoy along the way. Family is important, animals are important, and safety is important in this heartwarming story. I highly recommend this series and especially Charming the Billionaire Cowboy. You will be charmed too.” – Pwall on BookBub
“From dangerous attraction to irresistible romance, Bock knows how to bring the drama. Hallie and TC walk a fine line between unpredictable and heartbreaking. An intriguing whirlwind of emotions.” – Isha on BookBub
“I really enjoy this series. It is well written and the characters are very likable. It is fun to return to Last Chance and see the familiar businesses and people from other books. TC and Hallie go well together and it was interesting to read about both the rescue and his ostrich business. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.” – Sue on BookBub
EXCERPT: Chapter 1
Hallie drove down the country road between green fields. Nothing looked familiar. Was that because she was lost or because her memory was faulty? She pulled to the side of the road, got out of the car, and looked around. A sudden rustling came from the ditch beside the road. Then an odd trilling noise filled the air. A bird or frog? But the rustling sounded like a large animal.
Hallie headed for the ditch, prepared to race back and dive inside the car if she needed to escape danger.
She stared down at a fluffy ball that rustled the grasses as it moved. It looked like a giant feather duster had come to life. A tiny head bobbed on a long neck. A beak opened and chirped. What was that thing? Some kind of bird, judging by the beak. A large bird, with a body the size of a basketball.
She looked around. No one in sight. So this wasn’t a bizarre prank. She was pretty sure she wasn’t dreaming, since she had the presence of mind to wonder if she was dreaming. Her memory might be shaky, but it had yet to give her hallucinations.
She crouched for a closer look. The animal chirped and tried to get up, but it quickly pitched forward, flapping short wings. It must be caught or injured somehow. She could do something about that. Many animals calmed down if you covered their eyes. That made it easier to handle them. She didn’t have a towel in the car, and on this warm spring day, she hadn’t brought a jacket. Oh well. Hallie peeled off her long-sleeved T-shirt, leaving her in a sturdy sports bra in cheerful purple and turquoise.
Hallie duckwalked into the ditch and tossed her shirt over the creature. She knelt beside the bird and wrapped her shirt around its head, loosely tucking the long sleeves around the neck a few times to hold the shirt in place.
The animal gave a few last pathetic peeps and settled down. She put her arm around its body. The gray-brown feathers were downy, silky against her bare skin, so it must be young. She gently straightened at the waist, still on her knees, revealing the bird’s long legs with knobby knees and two large toes on each foot. It might be young, but it would stand about three feet high. An ostrich? She recalled hearing about an ostrich farm around here.
Well, they apparently weren’t very attentive ostrich farmers, because this little critter had escaped and was far from the herd or flock or whatever ostriches had. It also had a gash on its leg, shallow but long, still oozing blood.
“Okay, let’s get you help.” She rose to her feet with a grunt. The bird must weigh fifty pounds.
She got the squirming bird in the car, dodging its bobbing head. As she shifted toward the driver’s side door, she glanced down the road. An oversized red pickup truck was coming up fast. Hallie hadn’t noticed the truck approaching, and now it was within fifty feet. She slid into the car, yanked the door shut, and turned the ignition.
That truck was almost on top of her. She’d wait for it to pass.
She glared as the shiny red truck pulled past. It was enormous, so apparently somebody felt the need to compensate for something.
The truck swung across the road and stopped in front of her. A door slammed. A tall, lanky cowboy strode around the front of the truck, scowling.
Hallie gave a squeak worthy of the baby ostrich and hit the automatic door lock.
The man stormed up to her door. He had to lean way over to peer in at her. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
Hallie gaped at him. How was she supposed to answer that? She thought she was minding her own business.
He rapped on the window. No way was she going to roll it down.
Hallie put the car in reverse. He was blocking the road ahead, so she’d go back the way she came.
He tried her door handle. Thank goodness she’d locked it.
He knocked on the window again, his fierce face a foot away. “Open up!”
Hallie shook her head vigorously. She eased off the brakes so the car started rolling backward.
He skipped back from the car. Hallie let out a shaky breath and touched the gas. She couldn’t go too fast in reverse, though, or she might back into the ditch. Then she’d really be in trouble.
The angry cowboy ran after her, shouting something.
Please join me in welcoming author Alana Lorens. Today, she’s sharing details for Voodoo Dreams. The book trailer below is sure to grab your attention and lead you to your next summer read.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Voodoo Dreams
Author: Alana Lorens
Genre: Romantic Suspense
BLURB:
When her big trial goes bad, corporate attorney Brianna Ward can’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh. The Big Easy seems like the perfect place to rest, relax, and forget about the legal business. Too bad an obnoxious—but handsome—lawyer from a rival firm is checking into the same bed and breakfast.
Attorney Evan Farrell has Mardi Gras vacation plans too. When he encounters fiery and attractive Brianna, however, he puts the Bourbon Street party on hold. He’d much rather devote himself to her—especially when a mysterious riddle appears in her bag, seeming to threaten danger.
Strangely compelled to follow the riddle’s clues, Brianna is pulled deeper into the twisted schemes of a voodoo priest bent on revenge. To escape his poisonous web, she must work with Evan to solve the curse. But is the growing love they feel for each other real? Or just a voodoo dream?
AUTHOR BIO:
Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, after working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.
Nothing like a book launch to brighten a Monday! A Sour Note is a cozy mystery perfect for readers looking for a beach read this coming holiday weekend. Escape to Hampton Beach, NH between the pages of a story offering second chances, resilience, family, and friendship mingled with all the twists and turns of a mystery.
Book Blurb:
On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?
Please join me in welcoming author Kim Janine Ligon. If you’re looking for a romantic suspense novel to kick off your summer reading, Landing on Her Feet is sure to keep you turning pages by the beach.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Landing On Her Feet
Author: Kim Janine Ligon
Genre: Romantic/Suspense
BLURB:
Kat Russell narrowly escaped death at Dirk Crowe’s hands six years ago. He’s out of prison. To protect her family, she must flee Philadelphia—the only home she’s ever known—with her five-year-old son, Timmy. Is Wisconsin far enough away to escape evil?
Chase Merrick, father of Timmy’s new best friend, wants to help. What is Kat hiding? Why does she insist she must face whatever it is alone?
When Can Kat stop constantly looking back over her shoulder? Will secrets and shame stop her from accepting Chase’s protection? Or unite them in the face of danger to keep their sons safe?
AUTHOR BIO:
Kim Ligon has been writing stories for most of her life—some on paper and some only in her head. She has lots of source material growing up as the oldest child in a large family in a small town in Wisconsin. Her father was a veterinarian so there were not only lots of children around, but all manner of house pets and farm animals too. Her love of reading comes from her mother who was seldom seen sitting down without a book in her hand. After a demanding career in healthcare information technology, she is now getting to do all the creative things she loves which includes writing her stories to share with you. She lives with her chief encourager and personal romantic hero, her husband of almost forever, in Alabama. Please follow her further adventures at www.spinningromance.com
Please join me in welcoming author Jennifer Ivy Walker. The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight will sweep you into a world of nymphs, faeries, and ghosts. But I’m also enchanted by Jennifer’s author bio. Her former high school students were gifted with a very talented teacher.
Wielding a trio of enchanted Elven weapons to battle a dark wizard and a legion of diabolical dwarves, Tristan is faced with the impossible choice between saving the woman he loves or defending his endangered kingdom. Inexplicably compelled to remain in the sacred forest where he hears the voice of her heart, the heir to the throne of Cornwall incurs the wrath and scorn of his army when he decides to hunt for his captive mate.
Her verdant magic greatly enhanced by the mystical Morgane la Fée, Issylte must summon a coalition of Naiad nymphs and celestial fairies to destroy a nascent evil as she fights to reclaim her rightful crown.
When the Black Widow Queen unites with a malignant menace and a ghost from Tristan’s haunted past, the Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight must ally with a triad of shapeshifting warrior tribes to defeat a Viking Trident and defend their trinity of Celtic kingdoms.
Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.
As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, “Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête”–an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of “Tristan et Yseult” and the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.
“The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight”—book 3 and the conclusion of “The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven” trilogy–is a blend of her love for Celtic legends, the romantic French language, and epic fantasy. It is a paranormal fated mates adaptation of the medieval legend of “Tristan et Yseult” (Tristan and Isolde), interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies, and magic.
Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.
Please join me in welcoming author Rachel Brimble. Fans of historical romance are in for a treat with Victoria and Violet as they follow the main characters on their journey of love, secrets, and scandals.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Victoria & Violet
Author: Rachel Brimble
Genre: Historical Romance
BLURB:
It should be a dream come true to serve the Queen of England…
When Violet Parker is told she will be Queen Victoria’s personal housemaid, she cannot believe her good fortune. She finally has the chance to escape her overbearing mother, a servant to the Duchess of Kent.
Violet hopes to explore who she is and what the world has to offer without her mother’s schemes overshadowing her every thought and action.
Then she meets James Greene, assistant to the queen’s chief political adviser, Lord Melbourne. From entirely different backgrounds and social class, Violet and James should have neither need nor desire to speak to one another, yet through their service, their paths cross and their lives merge—as do their feelings.
Only Victoria’s court is not always the place for romance, but rather secrets, scandals, and conspiracies…
AUTHOR BIO:
Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of 29 novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). Her latest novel, Victoria & Violet was released 17th October 2022.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Society of Authors and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
Please join me in welcoming authors Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell. Read on for the inspiration behind The Chocolate Martini Sisters cozy mystery series. You’ll enjoy learning how Brenda’s personal birthday tradition at a historic hotel frequented by the Earp brothers piqued her imagination.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Book 1)
Author: Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
It’s a birthday weekend with the gift of murder.
Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning.
Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer.
Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder?
GUEST POST:
The Inspiration, by Brenda Whiteside
My birthday falls at the end of summer, and my sister’s birthday is in the spring. Twice a year, on our birthdays, we have a chocolate martini in the Peacock Room located in the historical hotel, the Hassayampa Inn. The inn is on a busy street in the heart of downtown Prescott, Arizona. If you’re at all familiar with Arizona, you’ll know Prescott is a western-flavored city where the Earp brothers as well as other colorful old west characters hung out. Sitting in the Peacock Room that boasts original everything, I can practically see Wyatt strolling in, plunking his boot on the rail, and asking for a whiskey.
After a few birthdays, my sister and I started calling ourselves, the Chocolate Martini Sisters. As soon as those words were uttered, my writer’s mind took off with an idea. Hadn’t we sat sipping our martinis while imaging all kinds of stories about the patrons and inn employees? The bartender hid his mysterious past behind crystal blue smiling eyes. The dark-skinned cowboy sitting at the end of the bar sipping his beer wasn’t a cowboy at all but a spy working for the owner of the inn. The surly food critic demanding attention might be attracting more than a waiter’s service. I saw mystery brewing on each of our birthday visits.
My ideas took form. I knew a cozy mystery series waited to be written, and I knew I needed the expertise of my friend Joyce Proell to help me weave the mysteries. The stories are written from two sisters’ points of view. I get to write Nic and Joyce creates Em. We’re having a lot of fun with the Chocolate Martini Sisters mysteries. I know our readers will be entertained.
AUTHOR BIO:
Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.
Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Please join me in welcoming author L.B. Joyce. I love everything about the idea of her Twelve Months, Twelve Love Stories series and am excited to spotlight Book 5, An Unexpected June.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: An Unexpected June, Book 5
Author: L. B. Joyce
Genre: Contemporary/New Adult Romance
BLURB:
It’s not looking good for Livy Mazzori.
She lost her job. Then, she lost the man she gave six years of her life. So, it’s time to leave New York. Maybe even shake the independent streak she’s been hanging onto. Along with the heavy glasses and shaggy hairstyle she’s been hiding behind since high school.
Yes, she’s almost thirty and running away… but back home this time.
Sam Bridges is a big part of the draw. She met him last November when he was in New York. Since then, he’s been a persistent reminder in her thoughts of how things could be different. Maybe a good different?
Sam is bewildered by his feelings for Livy, that he can’t stop thinking about her. It doesn’t make sense since she led him to believe she isn’t interested… not by a long shot. He hopes to figure it all out when she comes home for her sister Carrie’s wedding.
One little problem? He’s pretty sure she’s back with her boyfriend Zack, or whatever his name is.
So, it’s not looking promising for either of them.
AUTHOR BIO:
L. B. Joyce lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A freelance artist by day, with designing Christmas ornaments her specialty, she’s also a writer by night. She loves getting lost in a good book, has redecorated almost every room in her house more times than she’d like to admit, loves baking up a storm in her kitchen, hates housework with a passion and will drive just about anywhere because of her fear of flying.
The series, Twelve Months, Twelve Love Stories –
A Million Decembers
For the Love of July
February’s Angel
Promise Me November
An Unexpected June
A January to Remember
September’s Moonlight Serenade
Goodbye Heartbreak, Hello May.
Along with the new series, Holidays in White Oaks Valley – A Grand Slam Kind of Christmas.
Please join me in welcoming author Anne Hamilton Fowler. I’ve always been fascinated by what inspires authors to tell their personal stories. Today Anne is sharing the events that pushed her toward writing her memoir.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: I’ve Worn Many Hats
Author: Anne Hamilton Fowler
Genre: Memoir
BLURB:
Get ready to experience a roller coaster ride of emotions!
Laughter, sadness, empathy, outrage. Canadian Anne Hamilton Fowler appeared to have it all. However, life is not always as idyllic as it seems and at age twenty a series of events almost destroyed her. Emerging from the wreckage she reinvented herself, started over, and proceeded to live on the edge with a risk-taking lifestyle. Then in 1993, an event experienced during a trip to Central America changed everything.
“I’ve Worn Many Hats” is an inspirational read that demonstrates our human frailties, one’s ability to survive personal adversity, and how we can learn to forgive both ourselves and others. It is a story of redemption.
Anne Fowler is a retired Canadian who divides the year between her Haliburton summer cottage and Central America. This memoir is her first book and all proceeds will go to support Anne’s ongoing humanitarian work in Honduras.
GUEST POST:
Why did I write my story? I did it on a dare from one of my closest friends who was moving to the west coast plus Covid hit and I needed something to occupy my time! People had been encouraging me for years to stop procrastinating and write about my rather unorthodox life. But aside from wanting to entertain I struggled with how my memoir could serve a purpose and demonstrate that one CAN reverse the less than admirable path they’re following! To do that, I wrote the book in two parts; my life before Honduras and the one I now lead. I knew that by writing a completely candid account not only would the book provide entertainment but it would demonstrate the power of self -forgiveness and acceptance. Yes, my story is amusing, informative, enlightening to friends, family and strangers but one result that I’d certainly not anticipated, or seen coming, was it forced me to really look at events and my actions from the past along with the resulting consequences from the fallout. For the first time in my life I truly had closure. I think this note from a reader best sums up the book and the reaction I had hoped for when I wrote it.
“Your candid account spanning decades of a long bumpy life evokes many emotions; laughter, empathy, shock, admiration. As I read the first half, I kept going back, re-reading and thinking, she did what?! In the second half of the book, I discovered what inspired you to make such a drastic change in your life and accomplish “all this.” You are truly an inspiration! The memoir is hard to put down, in fact I read it twice! Bravo!”
AUTHOR BIO:
Born and raised in Toronto I grew up an only child in a traditional middle class Canadian family of the 40’s and 50’s. But my life has been anything but traditional! After finishing school my career included flight attendant with American Airlines, model, travel agent, world traveller, sales and marketing plus almost 30 years in Human Resources as an entrepreneur/ business owner. In 2001 I closed my company Hamilton Enterprises and retired to take up another role, that of humanitarian. As someone once said when they described my various life pursuits during their introduction of me as that night’s speaker, “and she’s only 108 years old.” I now live 6 months of the year in Honduras where I have spent the past 22 years developing a variety of community health and education programs for children. Visit my web page for pictures and details:
Thank you to Wendy Rich Stetson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BLURB
Two different men. Two different lifestyles. One impossible choice.
When Tessa’s big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania’s Amish Country.
Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel’s tie to the land and his family’s Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she’d glimpse from the inside?
This was my first time reading an Amish romance, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story.
Tess is unemployed and returns to her hometown to house sit for her parents in Pennsylvania. She soon finds herself torn between an ambitious doctor and an Amish farmer. Who doesn’t love a love triangle? This is an emotional, yet heartwarming, page-turner. Readers will easily connect with likable characters and enjoy determining who Tessa should choose.
Please join me in welcoming Ruth A. Casie, author of The Lady and the Barrister. This gorgeous cover and blurb is sure to appeal to romance readers. .Take a look at the inspiration behind Ruth’s writing, her upcoming project, and an excellent definition of success.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: The Lady and the Barrister
Author: Ruth A. Casie
Genre: Historical Romance
BLURB:
She swore she’d help him find his soul mate. Will she realize he has met his match?
After two failed London Seasons the fussy heiress doesn’t have a suitor. Her close friend, a newly minted duke cannot keep the mothers with single daughters away. They make a pact to pretend to court while they find each other the perfect mate. When will they realize, they don’t have to look very far.
Lady Anna Ravencroft, a shy but much-admired organizer and hostess, has accepted that marriage might not be in her future after two failed seasons. Lord Fraser Castleton, a London barrister and her long-time friend, confides in her about being the target of every mother with an unmarried daughter. Together, they decide to find a mate for each other. Meanwhile, Richard Younge, a political aspirant, wants to marry a wealthy woman, and he sees an opportunity in Lady Anna. As two men vie for her affection, Lady Anna must decide who she truly wants.
INTERVIEW:
Where do you get your ideas?
Some of my story ideas come from my family or things I’ve experienced. For instance, The Lady and the Quill. It’s the story of a Regency female author who gets a bad review and thinks her career is over. I took the idea from the first review I ever received. I even used some of the phrases in my story. Nearly 25 books later, it was my revenge!
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge is conflict. I know. A story is all about conflict and conflict resolution. Parts of my first draft has everyone cooperative, likable, and it’s all boring! I go through and ask “what is the worse that can happen to [fill in the character’s name].
When I wrote the sequel to my time travel romance and the hero said he would never leave the heroine. I made him return to his time. I cried when I wrote him realizing he had to leave. I cried when she tried to stop him and couldn’t. I rooted for her when she was determined to find a way to him. I love that story… Knight of Rapture.
What does literary success mean to you?
My biggest thrill is to sit somewhere public, the NY subway, a park, an airport and see someone reading my book. So far, the best thing that made me feel successful happened at a recent book signing. A reader hurried over to me and said her sister sent with a list of my books to buy. I was thrilled. As she pulled the list out of her wallet, I hope it was really my name on the top. It was!
What I’m saying is, success isn’t always money. I would love to make lots of money. But I want to make lots of readers happy with my stories. I want readers to interact with me. Play my Facebook games, ask me questions, and really hope we have a great time together.
What project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on book 3 in the series The Return of the Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea, The Lady and the Rogue.
Lady Euphemia Brandt fights off an English nobleman who mistakes her for a “lady of the night,” and borrows money from him to hire a carriage home. Later, she sees the same man, Lord Cayden Palmer, at a country house party and tries to avoid him. Palmer is actually searching for the woman who knocked him out and robbed him of information about a plot against the Prime Minister. He presents himself as a suitor to Euphemia and falls in love with her, but when she is abducted, he must risk everything to rescue her.
Upcoming books, events, appearances, giveaways:
The next release in The Return of the Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea series is The Lady and the Earl. Currently on pre-order, The Lady and the Earl release is scheduled for June 6.
AUTHOR BIO:
RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical adventures from the shores of medieval Scotland to the cobblestone streets of Regency London. Within the pages you’ll discover ‘edge-of-your-seat’ suspense, mind boggling drama, and heart melting emotions featuring strong women and the men who deserve them. She currently has four historical series, The Druid Knight, The Stelton Legacy, The Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea, and The Return of the Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea.
Ruth lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at a major international bank where she was a product/ marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing romance. Grab your favorite cup of tea, or an ale if you prefer, and join her heroes and heroines as they race across the pages to find their happily ever after. Ruth hopes her stories are your next favorite adventures!
It gives me great pleasure to welcome back author, Susie Black. Today, I am featuring the latest in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series: Death by Surfboard. This series is beyond fun, and I never tire of the book covers. Be sure to check out Susie’s complimentary swimsuit fit guide.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Death by Surfboard
Author: Susie Black
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BLURB:
Set in the competitive Los Angeles apparel industry, Death by Surfboard is the story of how one man’s life of lies, delivered by smoke and mirrors, cost him everything. No one is more stunned than Mermaid Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik when a fisherman hooks her unscrupulous colleague’s battered corpse attached to a surfboard and hauls it onto the Washington Street Pier. The ME ruled Jack Tyne drowned, but “had help dying”, and Holly’s boss is wrongly arrested for the crime. To save the big cheese from a life behind bars, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur detective dons her sleuthing hat to find Jack’s real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a pretzel, and nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent for revenge.
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Please join me in welcoming author Gayle M. Irwin. It is my pleasure to spotlight Rescue Road. The path to mending broken hearts is set against a backdrop of land disputes over what should become an animal sanctuary are found in this sweet romance novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Rescue Road
Author: Gayle M. Irwin
Genre: Sweet, contemporary romance, pet rescue romance
BLURB:
Broken hearts and coveted lands divide them – can fences and lives be mended?
Freelance writer Rhiann Kelly gave up on romance years ago. Her dream of starting an animal sanctuary takes deep roots when she finds the perfect location in southwestern Montana, land once owned by her grandmother’s family that she purchases for back taxes.
Levi Butler, Colter Montana’s beloved EMS supervisor, knows his elderly friend, George, left the property to him in his will. Levi anxiously awaits the finalized probate so he can plan his retirement and begin his dream of raising and selling horses.
When Rhiann and Levi find each other at the ranch, sparks fly – and not the romantic kind. Yet their mutual attraction deepens as they spend more time together, especially when unscrupulous land developer Dallas Patterson sets his sights on obtaining the ranch.
Can Rhiann and Levi find a solution in which neither needs to give up their dream? Will their broken paths, and broken hearts, allow them to travel the rescue road together?
AUTHOR BIO:
Gayle M. Irwinis an award-winning Wyoming author and freelance writer who has been recognized by Wyoming Writers, Inc. and the Wyoming Press Association for several of her works. She is a contributing writer in eight Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including the January release “Lessons Learned From My Dog.” Gayle is the author of many inspirational pet books for children and adults, including sweet, contemporary romance stories set in western states called Pet Rescue Romance. Her children’s books about dogs weaves life lessons such as friendship, courage, and perseverance. She volunteers with various animal rescue organizations and donates a percentage of book sales to such groups.
Thank you to Linda Carroll=Bradd for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BLURB
The new Butte Chamber of Commerce manager, Mitzi Lambrecht, has to organize the board of directors’ entry for the St. Patrick’s Day float. Her suggested frontier theme is opposed by a handsome but infuriating jokester.
Proud of his Irish roots, charmer Declan Rourke views softening the uptight manager a challenge he can’t resist.
When elements of their float disappear, Declan and Mitzi must work together to discover who is sabotaging their efforts. Can they work together as a team, or will Mitzi fail at her first big assignment?
Growing up. I enjoyed many St. Patrick’s Day parades, so the mere mention of the holiday gave me incentive to read. But the mingle of romance, mystery, and a charming cast of characters kept me reading.
After a broken engagement, Mitzi is embarking on a fresh start in Butte, Montana. As the new manager of the Butte Chamber of Commerce, she’s planning a float for the parade. Enter Declan, who has his own ideas for a theme. I enjoyed following the pair as they navigated differences of opinion, a no business and pleasure rule, and office politics. With theft and sabotage at play, readers will comb through a series of potential suspects.
This is a wonderful story that fans of sweet romance are sure to enjoy.
Please join me in welcoming author J. Arlene Culiner. Today she is sharing the inspiration behind the setting for Desert Rose, the third book in her Blake Folly Romance series. J. Arlene sets readers up for an intriguing read with secretive characters. Be sure to scroll to the end and check out the trailer.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Desert Rose (A Blake’s Folly Romance, Book 3)
Author: J. Arlene Culiner
Genre: Contemporary Romance
BLURB:
Secrets are the best protection against love
Rose Badger is the local flirt, and if the other inhabitants of backwoods Blake’s Folly, Nevada, don’t approve, she couldn’t care less. With a disastrous marriage and a dead-end career far behind her, settling down is the last thing she intends to do. Newcomer Jonah Livingstone is intriguing, but with his complicated life, he’s off limits for anything other than friendship. Besides, Rose has a secret world of her own—one she won’t give up for any man.
The last person geologist Jonah Livingstone expected to meet in a semi-ghost town is the sparkling and lovely Rose Badger. But Rose, always surrounded by many admirers, doesn’t seem inclined to choose a favorite. So why fret? Jonah keeps his personal life well hidden…and that’s the best way to avoid disappointment.
GUEST POST:
Once upon a time, I found myself in a clapboard, rusty trailer, semi-ghost town in Nevada, where an ever-buffeting wind dragged dust across the frozen ground, rattled grasses, and set the doors of abandoned shacks tapping. The hotel I stayed in was a rundown has-been: ceilings soared high, and the lumpy, almost colorless wallpaper was surely a century old.
In the hotel’s bar, a talentless band whined out bad country music, and eccentric locals dished up tall tales, wry humor, and suspicion. It was a singular community, quite magical, and I’ve recreated it as Blake’s Folly, the setting for my three romances: A Room in Blake’s Folly, All About Charming Alice, and Desert Rose.
In the late 1800s, Blake’s Folly was a silver boomtown that boasted three mining companies, a railway line to Reno, a lot of cash, many saloons, and quite a few brothels, but the glory didn’t last. When the silver ran out, those sane enough to do so, pulled up stakes.
Today, it’s a backwoods community of shacks, wooden sidewalks, and one saloon set in an unrelenting flatland. Who would live in such a place? Odd independent characters and rebels, people who would never fit into neat houses with tidy gardens.
In Desert Rose, my half-Paiute hero, geologist Jonah Livingstone, takes great pleasure in sighting the other inhabitants of this territory: mule deer, bobcats, desert tortoises, sidewinders, rattlers, and little gray lizards. There’s another attraction, too: the lovely Rose Badger. How does Rose feel about Jonah?
Well… that’s the problem. Both Jonah and Rose are secretive people, and that makes them mysterious as well as intriguing. Secretive folks are very disciplined, and they often have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they keep hidden (Rose has a very complicated secret life). It’s hard to know what they’re thinking, or feeling, so forming close, trusting relationships is a definite challenge for them—even though the dazzle, the zip, and all the necessary magic is right there, just waiting to be discovered!
EXCERPT:
Rose approached the little group slowly, still peeking carefully into the shadows of booths lining the wall.
Jonah was watching her every movement. “You’re looking strangely furtive.”
“I’m avoiding my mother.”
Lance laughed; Jonah chuckled.
She scrunched up her face with mock pain. “Okay, okay. I know how infantile that sounds, but I just got rid of the woman. She staggered over to the shop about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Staggered?”
“Four sheets to the wind, as usual. She does make a habit of it.” Rose wrinkled her nose. “Now, she wants to drive into Reno with me on Saturday.”
“On Saturday? I thought you didn’t do Saturdays,” said Lance laconically.
“Really?” Jonah raised one quizzical eyebrow and turned to Lance. “What do you mean, she doesn’t do them? She wipes them off the calendar? Crams everything into a six-day, Sunday to Friday, week?”
“It’s her secret day. No one knows what she gets up to on Saturdays. Only that she isn’t available. Ever.”
“Aha. I was about to ask her to meet me this Saturday evening.”
“She’ll say no. She always does.”
Exasperated, Rose threw both men the dirtiest look she could manage. “I’m not unavailable every Saturday. I intend to be here, in Blake’s Folly, for the Get-Together, and that’s two Saturdays away. Now, would you both please stop talking about me in the third person? I’m here, right in front of you. You can address me directly, and I can speak for myself.”
“Except you don’t. Not when it comes to Saturdays.” Lance’s voice was calm.
AUTHOR BIO:
Writer, photographer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and all weeds. She particularly enjoys incorporating into mysteries, non-fiction, and romances, her experiences in out-of-the-way communities, and her conversations with very odd characters.
Few things are more challenging for me to write than a simple tagline. Summing up a 250 page novel into one catchy sentence isn’t for the faint of heart. Yet, some authors manage this task so well. My latest tagline for the soon-to-be released A Sour Note is revealed in today’s featured image. But todays post focuses on some of the best taglines I’ve come across. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for tagline resources.
“Life is never like love songs.” The Happy Ever After Playlist, by Abby Jiminez I haven’t read this yet, but the cover and tagline roped me in. Amazon
“Winning will make you famous. Losing means certain death.” The Hunger Game Games, by Suzanne Collins Fantastic trilogy – the tagline didn’t let me down. Amazon
“Don’t go into the water.” Jaws, by Pete Benchley Amazon “Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.” Jaws II
“Behind every great love is a great story.” The Notebook, byNicholas Sparks Amazon
“Growing up is tough. Period.” Are You There God, it’s Me Margaret, by Judy Blume This was an insanely popular book when I was growing up. Joy of joys, the movie releases Friday 4/28/23! Amazon
“There are two sides to every story.” Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn An extreme example of true words. Amazon
“What you see can hurt you.” The Girl on the Train, byPaula Hawkins Amazon
“Good guys don’t fall for bad girls.” Things We Hide from the Light, by Lucy Score Amazon
“His mistress is dead. His. wife is his only hope.” The Perfect Marriage, by Jeneva Rose I just downloaded this book and cannot wait to read it. The tagline absolutely piqued my interest. Amazon
“It was supposed to be the perfect getaway.” The Island, by Elin Hidlerbrand Amazon
“In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are.” The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah Love, love, loved this book. Amazon
In a previous post, I shared a few resources that I found helpful. Anything worth doing once is worth doing twice – with a few extra sites offering examples of some great taglines.
Please join me in welcoming author Jennifer Vido. Today we are spotlighting Serendipity by the Sea. Sweet romance, second chances, and secrets are found in this new release.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Serendipity by the Sea
Author: Jennifer Vido
Genre: Sweet Romance
BLURB:
Will her wanderlust ex-boyfriend’s return allow a hopeless romantic a second chance at love?
Cate Ainsworth is poised to land her dream job when an ex-boyfriend—the guy she once loved who left town with no explanation—returns to their Lowcountry hometown. Their long-denied attraction tugs her in a new direction, but will she risk everything for a second chance at love?
A freelance photographer, Knox Price seeks adventure, not commitment. Back in town to care for his uncle gets complicated when he crosses paths with Cate, igniting a spark he can’t ignore. But can he confess the truth about why he walked away?
AUTHOR BIO:
Jennifer Vido is the author of the Gull Island sweet romance series. An avid booklover, she interviews bestselling authors for her bi-weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. A longtime Arthritis Foundation advocate, she teaches an arthritis-friendly water exercise class to seniors in the morning before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit in her community. The proud mom of two sons, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband, two rescue dogs, and a finicky calico cat.
Jill Piscitello 