Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Celebrating the Old Year

This is the time of year when I usually take stock of things I did and didn't get done in the past year in preparation for making up a list of things I want to do in the New Year. (I don't usually check on last year's list--in case I didn't get everything done.






Usually I do this in terms of my writing and whether or not I got a book done or something published. Unfortunately I came up empty on the fiction front this year, but I did manage to get two non-fiction booklets published with my co-author Sue Viders. (see Let's Write a Story blog). Editing on the third book in the series should be done in the next week.




And while I did a lot of writing I am sad I didn't totally finish anything, but I have several stories on the verge of having The End written.




So what are my accomplishments? Well, one of the things I like to note in my writing classes on setting is to set the mood, know the location. One of the ways I do that is first hand observation.


This year I spent a lot of time first-hand observing in a series of trips that often were totally unexpected. They were not only fun but continue to give me pleasure as I get to write about them. 

The spring took me to Washington state and Vancouver, BC, which I hadn't visited in several years. Driving north of Seattle took me back to the fictitious location of Redfern Manor, and brought me new ideas for a story set in the Northwest. A spectacular sunset on a Vancouver beach provided all the inspiration I needed. While my sister took pictures, I was coming up with story ideas and new possibilities for a sequel.




A summer trip to southern Colorado took me back to my roots and an early morning visit to Trinidad, Co,  where I am setting a western historical romance. You can totally plot a story while traveling across 100 miles of empty prairie and being part of the location can really pull you into thoughts of the past and wagons struggling to roll across the land.


My final trip of the year took me to New Mexico, where my Dead Man series is set and just driving across the country there also gave me new ideas for the final book, which I am just in the process of finishing.  Again, there is a certain feel for the landscape and talking to and listening to the people of the region that you often only get through real interaction. I spent quite a bit of time simply wandering around and soaking in the flavor of the city, and doing some writing of a scene set in Santa Fe.


As it turned out, I guess when I look back I did accomplish a lot of things in the past year. Between research and editing I have several stories that are almost ready for an editor.


Bring on 2017!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

A Holiday Romance from Across the Sea

Today I am continuing my quest for holiday themed romances with one from another time in a different realm. My guest today in My Writing Corner is Mary Morgan, the award-winning author of the Dragon Knights' series.

Mary, where do you get such great story ideas?

Where do I begin? Inspiration comes to me in so many forms--from my love of history, romance, travels, and life. These are all powerful sources of motivation for me. In truth, I've always had a story inside my head. On my first trip to Scotland, the Dragon Knights were born. I was sitting on a boulder in the Highlands during twilight. The inspiration for their stories began to unfold. I'll never forget the feeling.


Tell us about your writing process. Do you plot carefully or wing it?


I'm definitely a plotter in the beginning. Since I write medieval romances (my love of history), I have to "feel" the ancient. Therefore, I start all my stories by writing down as much as I can in a leather journal--from character descriptions, environment and general outline. However, once I get started writing on the computer, the character inevitably take over the story. I'm hardly ever in control, especially at the back end of a story. It's similar to a freight train and the words fly across the pages.


Tell us about your latest book and what made you want to write it?


A Magical Highland Solstice was inspired by my love for the holidays. After finishing the Order of the Dragon Knights series, I wanted to wrap up the year with a holiday-themed romance. It was a labor of love to write this story. I took a major secondary character from my series, Cormac Murray, a true and loyal friend to the Dragon Knights and gave him his "happily ever after." He deserved his own book.
 
What do you like best about your hero?


I've always admired Cormac's steadfast loyalty to the Dragon Knights, especially after the death of their sister, Margaret MacKay. He never judged them. In addition, he had a great sense of leadership when it came to taking care of his clan and people--qualities I truly admired in this character. He jumped out at me from the very first story.


What about your heroine?


Eve was such a joy! She was giving, supportive, and she was putting other's needs before her own. I wanted to be her best friend.


How about a blurb?


Laird Cormac Murray has witnessed how love destroyed his own father after the death of his mother, and he vows to never take a wife. Yet, when he comes upon a bewildered lass traveling alone, he finds his heart will no longer listen to his mind. In the end, Cormac risks everything to claim the love of a woman not of his time.


Eve Brannigan loves helping others and baking. After winning a contest, she is stunned to learn that the Clan Murray has requested her assistance to cater to their guests during the holiday season. When a lost path in Scotland leads her to a handsome but gruff Highlander, Eve fights the temptation to allow love to enter her heart for the first time.


Can the Fae and the magic of the Yule season bring together two souls who have forsaken love? Or will tragedies from the past separate the lovers forever?


That sounds like a wonderful romance for the holidays--perfect for a calm evening of reading after wrapping presents.


Buy links:


Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Highland-Solstice-Mary-Morgan/dp/150921125X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482355984&sr=8-1&keywords=Mary+Morgan


Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-magical-highland-solstice-mary-morgan/1124809203?ean=2940156815203


AppleBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-magical-highland-solstice/id1164090401?mt=11


All Romance ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-amagicalhighlandsolstice-2150328-143.html


The Wild Rose Press:  http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4714-a-magical-highland-solstice.html




How can readers get in touch with you?


Website: http://www.marymorganauthor.com
Blog: http://www.marymorganauthor.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/mary.morgan.564


Thank you, Mary, for bringing us this week's holiday romance.  Any comments or questions for Mary?











Wednesday, December 14, 2016

A Bewitching Tale for the Holidays

The cold days of winter are a perfect time for reading, so what could be more fun than a holiday-themed story that combines romance, animals and the paranormal. My guest today is author Tena Stetler who has done just that in her latest book, A Witch's Holiday Wedding, which was just released last week.


Tena, why don't you tell us about this book and what made you want to write it.
It's a sequel to A Witch's Journey which released in June. It's a story of redemption, magic wildlife rescue, true love and paying it forward. When I finished A Witch's Journey, I discovered the characters Laten and Pepper were not done with their story.

What gave you the idea for it?


I have been involved with animal rescue and have always wanted to visit Maine, so I combined the two and wrote the story. I wanted to make people aware of wildlife and animal rescue and rehab but to make it a fun romantic read in a magic setting.

How did you come up with the characters for this book?

My characters, like my stories, just come to me fully formed, with names and personalities.

What do you like best about your hero?

He's experienced tragedy in his life which estranged him from his family, but he learns from his mistakes and is a better man for them.

What about your heroine?

She is strong willed and believes in doing the right thing, even if it costs her. But in the end she is rewarded for her actions.


How about a blurb?


Elemental witch, Pepper McKay, and former Navy SEAL, Lathen Quartz, have built Lobster Cove Wildlife and Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on enchanted McKay land. During a romantic interlude on Halloween night, Pepper happily agrees to become Lathen's wife. What better day than Winter Solstice for their wedding in a town that loves celebrations and Christmas? However, planning a wedding and operating their wildlife center takes a toll on both Pepper and Lathen. When the couple takes a much-needed break for Thanksgiving with family in Colorado, a Maine snowstorm fills the center with injured wildlife. Lathen finds himself drawn into a cover military mission, while trying to deal with issues concerning friends and family. Pepper wants to cancel the wedding. Is she having second thoughts? Will the nosy McKay ghosts, Lathen's werewolf pack, Pepper's parents and her best friend help or hinder the wedding and holiday plans?


That sounds like a lively story with lots of twists and complications. How can readers get in touch with you?


Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/TenaStetler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler
Amazon:  www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler/
The Romance Reviews: http://www.theromancereviews.com/tenajean


Thanks, Tena, for being my guest.  Any questions or comments for Tena?



Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Going Back in Time with A New Mystery

I've always been a big fan of books set in Los Angeles, even before I moved there and eventually set a murder mystery there. I also love stories about the City of Angels set in the past. Today's guest in My Writing Corner meets both of those criteria.  Meet Jennifer Kincheloe, whose latest mystery is set back in early 1900s Los Angeles.


Did you always want to be a writer?


No! When I was young I wanted to be a jungle doctor in deepest darkest Papua New Guinea. But I changed my mind. I learned I could have a bigger impact on the world if I used public health interventions to protect whole populations instead of dealing with individuals the way a doctor would—one on one. I got a Masters in Public Health and then a PhD in Health Services Research. I did research at UCLA looking at how to improve the health of vulnerable populations. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that it even occurred to me that I could write novels. Before that, it was scientific articles and policy reports.


Where do you get story ideas?


Old newspapers. I read them cover to cover—everything from want ads to the fashion section to crime. I read memoirs. In my first book, THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC, there is a character called The Boyle Heights Rape Fiend. He comes straight from the memoirs of an LAPD officer who used to dress up in women’s clothes and stroll out on the arm of another cop in order to capture the criminal.


Tell us about your writing process. Do you plot carefully or wing it?


The first book started out as a screenplay. I wrote the screenplay using a plotting system from a book called SAVE THE CAT. Lots of fiction writers use it as an outlining tool. It basically helps you think of the book in a three-act structure. Although my second book (which is coming out in Fall of 2017 and is yet to be named) never was a screenplay, I still used SAVE THE CAT to do the outline. Same for book three (coming out Fall 2018)


Tell us about your latest book, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, and what made you want to write it?


THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC is just out on audio. I wrote it as a tribute to Alice Stebbins Wells, the first female cop in Los Angeles in 1910. But when I began writing, the protagonist flowing out of my fingertips—Anna Blanc—was nothing like Alice Stebbins Wells. Alice was a middle-aged, middleclass, former Christian minister working as a police matron, helping women and children who came into contact with the criminal justice system and protecting them from the cops. She was promoted from matron to cop and given full police powers. Anna Blanc is young, beautiful, rich, naïve, and self-absorbed. In that way, she’s nothing like Alice. But she’s incredibly brave, grows immensely, and in the end we see what she’s truly made of. Anna does all the same work that Alice did as a matron. However, I didn’t think Anna was quite ready for full police powers in book one. (For one thing, even male cops had to be at least 26 years old and Anna is only 19) We’ll see what happens down the line.


Your newest book is also being put on audio. Tell us about that, and any special challenges you faced.


Yes! It’s a dream come true for me, but I faced an enormous obstacle in casting it. When THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC took place, people were pouring into LA from all over the world. LA tripled in population between 1900 and 1910. My characters reflect this diversity. I had to find a narrator who could do lots of different accents: English, Scottish, French, Mexican, German, East Coast, Southern, Midwestern, and Californian. She had to do both male and female voices, upper class and lower class. The narrator I found—possibly the only person on the planet who could pull this off—was Emmy, Audie, and Audible Book-of-the-Year award-winning actor, Moira Quirk. Fun fact about Moira: she’s English. At one point, I have her singing in a male, American voice and she manages to make him sound kissable. Now that’s AMAZING.


How about a blurb?


RT Book Reviews describes the novel as “I-Love-Lucy meets Agatha Christie,” which I think really fits. But here’s what’s on the back cover:


It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels—but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself. If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding. Midway into her investigation, the police chief's son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity. And shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose—either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.


How can readers reach you or find you online?


Readers, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you. If you like old pictures from around the turn of the twentieth century, that’s another reason to find me on line. I’ve collected thousands while researching my books.


Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out my Pinterest page. www.facebook.com/TheSecretLifeofAnnaBlanc
www.pinterest.com/jkinchel
www.jenniferkincheloe.com
@jenkincheloe


Becky, thanks so much for having me!


Thank you for being my guest.  Any comments or questions for Jennifer?

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Short Stories for the Holidays

Busy as this time of the year is, don't we all want to find a few minutes to just sit and read for a while? And it's even better if we can find something shorter to read since we don't have a lot of time to linger. Today's guest in My Writing Corner, Leslee Breene has an offering that is just the ticket--a collection of short stories.


Becky, Thank you for having me as a guest author on your blog! It’s always fun to share the writing journey with fellow writers and friends.


Did you always want to be a writer?
Probably since elementary school. In the First grade, I wrote a play entitled “The Princess Who Had Fleas” that the class performed with paper mache hand puppets. The title reveals my early imagination. Obviously, the play was not a romance. How did you get started? By taking workshops in the craft of short story writing and joining writers’ groups. The National Writers’ Association was where I had my first taste of critique with other fledgling writers in Aurora, CO. It was bittersweet, but when you have that innate passion to express yourself in the written word, a critique group is where you start…even if it can be painful at times.


Where did you get story ideas?
A memorable week-long seminar in Santa Fe, combining short fiction and poetry, comes to mind. It was called Recoursos. In the early 1990’s, this was the ticket to rub elbows with university profs and published literary writers. I learned that the story idea must first originate in the mind, then the heart. Every word counts in short fiction.


What is your writing process. Do you plot carefully or wing it?
Since I’ve been a commercial women’s fiction writer, I’ve learned the value of creating a working synopsis for every book. This is a must! The literary writer has more leeway, but the ending for that genre should make sense. Personally, I prefer a storyline that reaches a satisfying resolution.


Please tell us about your debut short story collection, and what made you want to write it?

Christmas in My Heart is the result of combining four awarded holiday short stories, a few of them I revised, to share with family and friends. And hopefully, by word of mouth, many more will want to add this collection as a “keepsake” of favorite Christmas stories to read again every year. The beautiful, inviting cover by graphic artist Lori Corsentino is one that I’m especially proud to place on my coffee table!


What is unique about your current heroines?
The heroines’ ages in Christmas in My Heart range from 11 to 27. Each heroine faces a challenge that will change her life. The settings take place in Minnesota, New Mexico and Colorado.


How about a blurb?
Here’s a sneak peek at the back cover of Christmas in My Heart. The collection also includes a teaser from my last novel, Journey to Sand Castle.

The Caretaker -- In a blustery 1875 winter, a Scandinavian immigrant farm family prepares for the arrival of a baby. When the baby wants to arrive too soon, eleven-year-old Selma must take a challenging journey that transforms her life. ~Women Writing the West LAURA Finalist, 2009


Snow Angels of San Marcial -- Christmas is coming in a small Mexican town and young Angelina wants to give her hard-working widowed mother a special gift. But will her unpredictable brothers cooperate? ~ByLine Magazine Christmas Fiction Contest, First Place, 1998


Carpenter’s Crib -- Lauren, a recent widow, hires a carpenter to make her baby son a crib before Christmas. Turns out, the carpenter is a widowed single dad. It’s too soon for romance yet when a tragedy threatens his small Colorado business their mutual attraction cannot be denied.


The Christmas Gift -- In 1883, Miriam takes the train to Denver to deliver her orphaned baby nephew to her married sister. But the sweetness of his touch upon her cheek makes her heart tighten. When the time comes, how will she ever let him go? ~Amazon Top Ten YA short fiction ebook , 2014


What a wonderful variety of stories! How can readers reach you or find you online?


Four of my published novels are available on Amazon.com. Starlight Rescue and Journey to Sand Castle are also available in Kindle ebook.


Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSJWZG0
Website: www.lesleebreene.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslee.breene?ref=profile#!/pages/Leslee-Breene-Author-Page/182908742994



Thank you, Leslee for bringing us your collection of short stories, just in time for the holidays. Leslee is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter on today's blog. If you'd like to be in the drawing, please leave a comment or feel free to ask her a question.


Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Let's Visit a Romantic Spot!

Ever since I began reading short stories, I've enjoyed those with great romances or romantic elements. This week in My Writing Corner I am featuring a new anthology, Welcome to Serenity Harbor, with a romantic story by Kat Henry Doran. I love small town romances and Serenity Harbor sounds like just the place to find a few.

Madeleine Flynn returns to Serenity Harbor intent on restoring her beloved home to its former grandeur. Nothing will get in her way. Including a man whose jeans fit in all the right places and who handles a staple gun with the with the grace of a philharmonic conductor.

Acting on their own agenda, local power brokers expect general contractor Azrael Hanson to monitor renovations on That House--and toss in a few diversions whenever possible. 


Torn between duty to superiors and a private life he craves, Az knows standing with Maddy will damage his career beyond salvage. If he follows orders, he'll lose a future with the only woman who has brought a new word to his life: hope.
 
Writing under the pseudonyms of Veronica Lynch and Kat Henry Doran, author Kathy Cottrell uses her past experience as a nurse, victim advocate and insurance investigator as fodder for her award winning stories which center around women and men who stand for the “less thans” of the world and manage along the way to find that one person who completes their lives.




She also channels her creativity into creating tote bags. Outside of writing and the tote bags, she is a devoted hand maiden and personal slave to the four brightest lights in the universe: Meredith and Owen, Ashlin and Kieran.

Let's get an excerpt from Kat's story, "It Had to Be You," part of Welcome to Serenity Harbor:




     “Hanson,” she rasped between swollen, broken lips. “Are you from around here?”
      He nodded. “Born and raised. Why?”
      “I remember a family with six, maybe seven kids. All were named after the minor archangel. Are you part of that clan?”
      “I am. My family owns Hanson Scapes.”
      “So, you're from here, too,” he said, feeling more than a little stupid at the lame statement. Despite the ER doc's warning to not let her talk, Az liked the sound of her voice. She may have lived in Serenity Harbor long enough to know about his mother's obsession with angels, but she hadn't stuck around long. With her height and that Lauren Bacall voice, a woman with her looks stayed in a man's mind. And this one fell under RLT. Real Looker Territory.
      “My name is Maddy Flynn.”
      One of his nastier habits was spitting out the first thing that came to mind. What came out of his mouth earned both feet, one elbow and the opposite fist all in one bite.
      “Oh, sure. You're the girl who wants to rehab the whorehouse.

Doesn't that sound like a winning story? And it comes in a whole host of tales that should be just as fun to read.  Here are the buy links:


D2D: https//books2read.com/u/m2XRPK BN:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/welcome-to-serenity-harbor-maggie-robinson//1124773371?ean=2940153499062
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en_us/ebook/welcome-to-serenity-harbor
iBooks:  https://geo.itunes.apple.com/US/book/welcome-to-serenity-harbor/id1162465860?mt=11
 Amazon:  https://amzn.com/BO1LXRQEZ7




If you would like to know more about Kat Henry Doran, you can visit:


Email:         WildWomenAuthors@yahoo.com
Blogs:         www.WildWomenAuthorsx2.blogspot.com
                   www.ApronsWithAttitude2.blogspot.com
                   www.LoneTreeEditing.blogspot.com
Amazon:     www.Amazon.com/author/katdoran
Facebook:   www.Facebook.com/wildwomenauthors


Thank you, Kat, for being my guest today. Questions or comments for Kat or on Serenity Harbor?  

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A Romantic Journey Back in Time

Studying history is one of my passions besides my writing, and it is always great to find books that really pull you in to the time period and the story. Visiting with me today in My Writing Corner is Jean Jacobsen, who writes about New York in the 1830's in her new series. Jean, tell us about yourself and your new book.


Hi Becky, I’m so excited to be here with you today. We share a love of history, research, travel and writing. I’ve come to writing later than most and only at the suggestion of a fellow writer who had asked for help with a chapter. When she read my suggestions, she said, “You should write your own story.” Soon after that conversation, a character popped into my head and wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote down her story. I must say, it was a most interesting experience to listen to someone I didn’t know. That’s where I got my first story idea and I worked on it for twenty years as I learned about the writing and storytelling process.


Through the years, I’ve developed a writing process that is both a structured and writing raw, as I sometimes call it, process. I plot the story and have my outline. The writing raw part comes when I sit down to write, look over the outline and start writing whatever pops into my head about the story. Later I fit it into the appropriate chapter, rather than writing linier.
My current series, Chronicles of the Hudson River Valley, is set in the 1830s in New York State, about thirty miles north of New York City in the Hudson River Valley. Book one; The Reluctant Debutante, the heroine, Clarissa Tanner fights to save her beloved Thoroughbred horses and family estate after the tragic death of her parents. Her father’s long time enemy purchases the outstanding debts and imposes a 90 day deadline for repayment thus throwing her into the dreaded marriage mart of New York’s high society. She fears she won’t find a man who will allow her to work with the horses she loves, who understand who she is and let her be herself. Her strength of will and early feminist views in this male dominated world ruffles the feathers of fellow horse breeders. Love finds her in the form of her handsome dance instructor, Nicholas, preparing her for the society debut and sets sparks flying.


Stay tuned for the soon to be released:
Book two, The Reluctant Heir


The hero, Liam, Nicholas’ brother has a weakness for gambling and flees from the strong arms trying to collect a debt owed to the card dens of Boston. Liam finds friendship and love with the lovely tavern maid Erin as together they dodge the strong arms and search for pirates treasure on Clarissa’s estate in the Hudson River Valley.
Readers can find me at my website https://www.JeanJacobsen.com  and Amazon at http://geni.us/DebutanteAmazon


Thank you, Jean, for being my guest. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

An Intriguing New Romance for Fall

With Daylight Saving Time about to end, we have more of those long evenings we can spend with new books to read.  This week I am looking at a new book that really caught my attention and interest. It combines two of my favorite things -- suspense and the Northwest. Author C.B.  Clark is the guest today in My Writing Corner.


C.B. says she has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn't until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada's Northwest Territories and Yukon. After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology she worked as an archaeologist and an educator, teaching students from primary grades through the first year of college.

She says she enjoys hiking, canoeing and show-shoeing with her husband and dog near her home in central British Columbia. She explained why she wanted to write her new book, Cherished Secrets.


I love writing. I love creating new worlds, peopling them with interesting characters, and then upping the stakes and watching them scramble to reach their goals. Having lived most of my life in small towns, I am intrigued by the power wielded by local gossips. Imagine living for years under the suspicion of having committed a vicious murder. You know you're innocent, but no one else believes you, not even your closest friends. How do you clear your name? As the hero in Cherished Secrets says, "Suspicion is like a stink that follows you around. No amount of washing will ever erase the smell."



What an interesting premise.  Here's a blurb for Cherished Secrets:

Twelve years ago sixteen-year-old Carrie Ann Hetherington, pregnant with the child of a murder suspect, fled the small town of Cooper's Ridge for the anonymity of Seattle. Now, faced with a family dilemma, she must risk her carefully re-invented life and return to her childhood home.


Eighteen-year-old Declan McAllister's prom date is found beaten and strangled to death, and he becomes the prime suspect accused of the grisly crime. Now this successful Dallas businessman returns to Cooper's Ridge to find the true murderer and finally life the cloak of suspicion he's faced all these years. In his quest to prove his innocence he must join forces with the woman who shattered his heart to find a devious killer who will stop at nothing to protect a shocking truth.


Caught up in a menacing web of secrets, deception and danger, they struggle to overcome past betrayals and present danger. Can they tear down the barriers they've erected around their hearts and rediscover true love.


Here are the buy links for Cherished Secrets:


Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Cherished-Secrets-C-B-Clark-ebook/dp/B01LDDGMXQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478038942&sr=8-2&keywords=cherished+secrets


Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/cherished-secrets


Book Strand: http://www.bookstrand.comb/cherished-secrets


Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/wcherished-secrets-c-b-clark/1124707112?ean=2940156696079


The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4623-cherished-secrets.html?search=cherished+secrets&results=2


Here are the links to reach C. B. Clark:


Facebook: cbclarkauthor@facebook.com
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15029617.C_B_Clark


Thanks for being my guest and telling us about Cherished Secrets. Any questions or comments?

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Some Ghostly Tales to Enjoy

Just in time for Halloween we have some wonderful ghostly tales of romance from a group of talented authors. It's an anthology called The Good, The Bad and The Ghostly. Here's an overall look, along with blurbs on the individual stories.

What do you get when you combine cowboys and ghosts? A collection of eight (stand-alone) amazing stories from the Old West with haunts of every variety.
Get your love of alpha cowboys on and feed your addiction for the bizarre (and sometimes spooky) world when you purchase The Good, The Bad and The Ghostly.

Bestselling and Award-winning authors are pleased to save you more than 75% on this fantastic boxed set! (Price if books sold separately).
Buy link: http://mybook.to/GoodBadGhostly


Wild, Wild Ghost by Margo Bond Collins


When Ruby Silver traded in her demon-hunting rifle for a badge at the Tremayne Psychic Specters Investigations, she didn't want another partner—losing the last one was too traumatic. But when a new case in the Texas Hill Country pairs her up with the slow-talking, fast-drawing Trip Austin, it will take all their combined skills to combat a plague of poltergeists in this German-settled town.


Comes An Outlaw by Keta Diablo


Wen a tragic accident claims her husband's life, Jesse Santos must find a way to keep the ranch, the only home her 12-year-old son has ever known.  The ranch hands have abandoned her, a gang of cutthroat ranchers want her land and an ancient Yaqui Indian insists a spirit has taken up residence in the house.



After a fifteen year absence, her husband's brother, Coy, returns to his childhood home. He doesn't plan on staying, and he certainly doesn't intend to settle down with a widow and her son…no matter how pretty she is.


He's an outlaw, after all, and made a decision to put an end to his gun-slinging days long ago. Will his conscience let him walk away from family, or will his heart overrule his head?



Long A Ghost and Far Away by Andrea Downing
 When Lizzie Adams returns as a ghost to a life she led in the 1800s, she is surprised to find herself on a ranch in Wyoming, but delighted to learn she was married to a handsome and loving man.  The reasons for her return become clear when she discovers how she died, yet the unresolved issues surrounding her death leave her unable to either live in the 1800s or return to her present life.


Colby Gates misses the wife he loved, yet a ghost is a poor substitute. Re-married to a woman he doesn't care for, and with outlaws searching for buried gold on his ranch, the spirit of his wife is a further complication.


Perhaps if the questions surrounding Lizzie's death can be answered, the two can be together.


For all time.


A Ghostly Wager by Blaire Edens

Even a skeptical detective needs a little otherworldly help.

Nineteen-year old Annabelle Lawson hops a train to Reno to escape a marriage to a man twice her age. Alone and nearly destitute, she spots an employment advertisement that might change her life. If she can use the dreams that have haunted her for the last four years to land a job with the mysterious Treymane PSI Agency, she might be able to buy a train ticket home to Kentucky.

Agent Cole Swansby is an up and coming detective for Tremayne PSI. There’s only thing that can sink his career: if the boss realizes he’s a skeptic. He’s solved dozens of cases using old-fashioned logic, but he doesn't believe in the paranormal. Now he’s under tremendous pressure to solve a new case before the president of Midas Mining shows for a week of R&R at The Blade Saloon.

Cole can’t solve this case without some otherworldly help, though, and Annabelle is just the woman for the job. As the two of them are drawn deeper into the mystery of the woman in green, they may not be able to banish the ghost without losing their hearts. To each other.



How the Ghost Was Won by Erin Hayes



From orphan to saloon girl to ghost whisperer, Hattie Hart has been and seen a lot of things in her time. Her new job as a detective with the Tremayne PSI Agency takes her out to the remote town of Carolina City, Nevada on a vague assignment to investigate the disappearance of a US marshal.

Except, when she arrives, she meets the devilishly handsome Grant Madsden, a US marshal who is alive and well. Certainly not missing, but certainly the man of her dreams. So why did her boss send her out to this small boomtown when there’s nothing for her to investigate?



She soon discovers that in Carolina City, there are strange happenings from the afterlife that threaten to kill her or worse. She’ll have to race against time to save her life, the town, and the US marshal she was sent to find—and maybe, if she's lucky, her heart.



McKee's Ghost by Anita Philmar



His fiancée called off their engagement after being accosted by a ghost in his house. Now, a beautiful ghost detective has shown up at his ranch, saying his brother has hired her to take care of the unwanted spirit.
Konnor McKee is more than happy with P.S.I Agent Ruth Oliva Wilson. One look and he's hooked. Now, if he can only get some help from a ghost, he might be able to secure himself a bride after all.

With the return of his ex- fiancé, his life is turned upside down by an angry ghost, a vindictive woman, and a sexy medium. Konnor doesn’t know which way to turn.
Can he get everyone out of this alive and marry the P.S.I Agent? Or has he lost all hope of a happy future because of the ruthless ghost of one of his ancestors?



A Ride Through Time by Charlene Raddon



Ghosts. Murder. Love.  P.S.I. Agent Burke Jameson travels to Eagle Gulch, Colorado to investigate a report of ghost activity at a house where a murder took place in 1881. When his vehicle carrying his P.S.I. equipment dies, and a riderless mare appears, he mounts up, hoping the horse will lead him to her fallen rider. What he finds is a whole new life beyond his imagination.
Clorinda Halstead believes she’s a widow. After all, she was the one who shot her husband, Horace, on a violent night in 1881. He deserved it, the jury concluded. Living with the town marshal and his wife, all Clori wants is to be left alone. Then a stranger, Burke James, joins the household and nothing is ever the same again.


How did Burke find his way through time to the year 1881, and who is haunting the lovely but distant Widow Halstead? Can Burke find the ghost of Eagle Gulch without his P.S.I. equipment? And how will he ever choose between going home to his own time and a life of love and happiness with Clorinda?



The Ghost and the Bridegroom by Patti Sherry-Crews



Life is looking rosy for Abbott Foster when he brings his new bride to his ranch in Arizona. But when he is unable to consummate his marriage due to a malevolent spirit in the bedroom, he is forced to call in Psychic Specters Investigations.



Agent Healy Harrison doesn’t want to accept this case. She has her own demons and likes her quiet life, lived in the anonymity of St. Louis. But Tucson is where she finds herself—with instructions to “Have an adventure! Have a romance!” Things get interesting when she meets handsome Pinkerton detective, Aaron Turrell. Is this the romance she’s meant to have, or when their two cases intersect, will it drive him away?
Want more?  Here's an excerpt from Long a Ghost and Far Away:

        Colby pulled the bedroom door shut behind him and got a kettle on the cook stove before reaching up for his whiskey. Was she play-acting? She used these made-up words, cursed like one of the hands, and genuinely seemed puzzled. 2016, she had said! What must that be like, that year? Not only another century, another millennium, a foreign country to him, a place he could not envisage.
      The bedroom door creaked open, and she stood, head peeping out, somewhat embarrassed. “Ummm, you, Colby, husband dearest? This stupid get-up you have me in, this corset, a few of the hooks in the front are too tight for me to undo. Would you mind?”
      He couldn’t help his mouth turning up into a small smile, remembering the number of times he had undone her corset prior to some precious and wild time together, passionate love-making during which she let herself go, and became everything he wanted her to be. He strode over to her, grinning.
     “All right, look, you needn’t think this is so damn funny. Where I come from, people undress each other all the time.”
      “Really?” He lifted a brow, amusement puckering his mouth.
      “Yes. And you’d be surprised, you here in eighteen whatever year, how we all lay about practically undressed on beaches and…and….”
      His hands lay on her naked shoulders for a moment, obviously having an effect on her train of thought. He felt the familiar fine skin beneath his hand, the warmth of her body, and looked into those hazel eyes to which he had so often fallen victim—their depths, their flashes of color changing with the light. His hand moved to the long silky hair, a deep brown that showed glints of copper. Lizzie looked at him perplexed. Was she remembering, too? Was her body telling her what he knew to be, that she loved him, had always loved him?
     “Who are you?” he whispered. “2016? Elizabeth, oh, Lizzie….”
      As he bent toward her, just brushing her lips with his, she seemed to snap awake.
     “Okay, look, just get me out of this thing and give me a shirt maybe, a pair of jeans, something I can be comfortable in. This, this is just screwy, this whole thing.”
      Colby snapped the last hook and eye undone and, as he did so, Lizzie gasped and turned to hold the corset against her before she ended up standing there bare-breasted with just the pair of bloomers on. She faced the mirror.
      Her mouth hung open.
      She gasped.
     “Where am I?”
      Colby shook his head. “Buffalo, Wyoming, I told you.”
     “No, no! Look!”
      He came up behind her and looked in the mirror. Where the two of them should have been, Colby’s reflection came back alone.
      Lizzie extended her hand and waved it in front of the mirror. Nothing.
      Colby took her by the shoulders and moved her in front of him. The mirror showed him alone, his hands in mid-air like a begging puppy.
     “What the…Oh, my God! I’m a ghost!”


 WEBSITE AND BLOG:  http://andreadowning.com


Twitter:  @andidowning  https://twitter.com/AndiDowning



Thanks to all the authors for the ghostly tales. I just got this book, and I'm looking forward to reading them all!  Any questions or comments?



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Imagination... Take me Away

 By Kathy Clark (writing as Bob Kat)


Where would you go if you could travel back in time?  Who would you want to meet?  What historical event would you like to witness?  What era’s pop culture, fashion and music would you like to experience?  Of all the concepts, I think time travel would be the most amazing adventure.

That was the idea that sparked our Young Adult series TIME SHIFTERS.  How would it be for four teenagers to be able to go back and see how average people lived, and, along the way, experience the feelings and textures of different times and places?  What kind of challenge is it for them to do without things they thought they couldn’t live without while having to deal with issues (such as no electricity and child labor) that they’ve never thought about?


Bob and I have had over forty books published (as Kathy Clark and as Bob Kat), but most were written for adults…about adults.  Writing a YA presented new outlooks on everything from friendship to romance to problem solving.  Obviously, a sixteen-year-old is going to react differently to almost everything than an adult would.


And even though dragons and witches and vampires are very popular, we wanted our teens to be real.  No magic spells or mythical creatures save them.  Instead, they have to deal with their issues using only their own ingenuity, creativity, and the friendship they share.


My favorite books when I was growing up were Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew mysteries, as well as Agatha Christie and Mary Stewart.  I wanted our teenagers to be 21st Century versions of the very interesting and intelligent characters from those famous novels. 


Having never written a book with lead characters under the age of twenty-one, we were a little nervous about capturing the innocence, insecurities, and youthful logic of teenagers.  But the four characters we created became so real to us that we easily slipped into their heads and their hearts.  Their vulnerabilities and dreams are so pure and yet so heart-breaking as they discover the cruelties of the real world.


Basically, this series allows Bob and me to do a little time travelling, too, as we go back to the memories of our own teenage years and hang out with our four new friends, Kelly, Austin, Scott, and Zoey as they learn how to love and live and survive in a world that’s not always kind.


Come along.  Whether you’re twelve or ninety-two, you’ll enjoy the trip. 


Visit us at our website www.LoveRealityRomance.com or write us at Kathy@Nightwriter93.com.  We would love to hear where and when you think our teenagers should travel to in the next book.  Reviews are always appreciated.


Bob Kat loves to hear from their fans.  Write us at TheThrillOfSuspense@gmail.com and tell us where you’d like to have Kelly, Scott, Austin and Zoey travel to next.
 
Email:         LoveRealityRomance@gmail.com
Sign up for our Newsletter at http://nightwriter93.us4.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=36aefea91512cdbd3abf603cf&id=b02a931508
Twitter:       @93NightWriter
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kathy-Clark-Reality-Romance-1608739986057729/
Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/author/show/150098.Kathy_Clark
Pinterest:   www.pinterest.com/BobKat1993/
Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Clark_(American_author)
Link to purchase NOT MY LIFE on Amazon:  http://lrd.to/not-my-life
Link to purchase ANOTHER CHANCE on Amazon:  http:// lrd.to/another-chance


Here's More about Bob Kat:

Long ago and far away (in Alvin, Texas) Kathy Clark began her career writing and performing plays for the neighborhood kids.  She charged a nickel, but the attendees got a free bottle of ice cold Coke along with their entertainment.  Flash forward a few years and Kathy Clark still loves telling stories. 

She started writing solo for such publishers as Harlequin and Dell.  In 1993, she met and married her prince charming, and after his career as a business executive, he became her co-writer.   Together they have had fourteen books published, bringing her total to thirty-seven.  Their books are about real people caught up in unexpected and extraordinary circumstances, and just happen to fall in love in the process…just like Kathy and Bob did!

They write adult romance and romantic suspense under the pen name Kathy Clark and YA romance/time travel/mysteries under the pen name of Bob Kat. 

They currently live in Colorado Springs near their five sons.  When they’re not plotting their next book on what they call their Authors’ Deck with a glass of wine, they love to travel to far-away places…always together.


NOT MY LIFE is #5 in the Time Shifters YA romance/time travel/mystery series.  The first four books have won numerous Readers’ Favorite and other awards. 

Our latest adult romantic suspense series, Austin Heroes had book #2 ALMOST FOREVER released in July and book #3 ANOTHER CHANCE to be released in November.  We are currently working on a new adult romance series called Breathless that is set in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

We love to hear from our readers and encourage everyone to leave reviews.  Add your name to our newsletter at  http://nightwriter93.us4.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=36aefea91512cdbd3abf603cf&id=b02a931508  and receive updates on our books, household hints, recipes, and contests. 
Thank you, Kathy and Bob for being today's guest bloggers!  Any comments or questions?

Getting Into The Story

I've said it before, but it bears repeating--one of the reasons I began doing a blog on writing and writers was because I loved the idea...