Thursday, October 26, 2017

A Story for The Ages

When you are travelling, as I have been doing for the past two weeks, you are always looking for a good book to read to escape to another world while you wait for airplanes or (in my case) ferries to your next destination. Naturally I always enjoy a good romance, but when it is mixed with danger and intrigue, that sounds like just the ticket for some engrossing reading.  

This week's guest in My Writing Corner presents just such a book as author Maureen Bonatch visits My Writing Corner with her latest release, Evil Speaks Softly.  It's perfect for my October theme of all things spooky.

Maureen grew up in Pennsylvania, where she still lives. She says it's because she likes the four seasons, along with hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernating in the winter time. She also enjoys reading and writing paranormal and fantasy romance, and she shows us her skill  with her newest book. She tells us she is a "seat of the pants" writer, who finds her characters demanding their stories be told, and we're glad she is telling them!

They were never supposed to meet. Fame came easy for Liv by following in the footsteps of the female writers in her family. The cycle repeated for decades…until Liv changed the story. Her villain doesn’t like the revision—and he isn’t a fictional character. In his story, the bad guy always wins.
They were never supposed to find love. 

Liv never questioned her demanding nocturnal muse, or the strange incidents in her old, family home until she met Gage. His job was to watch her from afar, not reveal the truth about the curse and the stories of the dead. They’ve broken all the rules. 

Together they unravel secrets as they strive to stop the cycle. Liv’s ability to find love, and protect her loved ones, hangs on the fickle whims of the dead—and they’ve got nothing to lose.

Need more? Let's get an excerpt!

“I met this strange man at the bar last night. He told me some really weird
stuff.”
            I paused. When she remained silent, I continued. “He said it was related to my writing.” She watched me with the fascination of one who desperately wanted to look away but couldn’t. As if a deer blinded to the oncoming headlights, she was fixated, trapped. “He said to talk to you.”
I searched her face. I knew my Grams. When resignation settled on her features a knot clenched in my stomach from either fear, or the excitement of validating Gage didn’t fabricate the story. Perhaps he wasn’t crazy.
            Grams slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. “He found you?”
            I nodded.
             She turned to stare out the frosted window where the birdfeeder sat frozen over from the recent snow. “I can’t believe he took that risk. Watchers are never to approach the Recorders. It could totally upset the balance.” She worried her lower lip between her teeth.
             When she used the same terms as Gage, my anxiety elevated. I expected her to deny his claims and then we’d laugh about the incident. “Grams, please tell me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I took a deep breath. “Some weird things happened last night. Occasionally I notice unusual things, but it’s an old house and I have an active imagination, but this time it scared me.”

Here are the buy links:




And here is how you can reach Maureen:

Contact Info: mbonatch@yahoo.com

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

A Romantic Touch of Magic

It's October and that means guests presenting Halloween stories!  This week in My Writing Corner I have the pleasure of featuring Veronica Lynch and her newest romance, Caper Magic.

Veronica Lynch, as well as her alter ego, Kat Henry Doran, tells us  she often travels to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River to the historic Adirondack and Catskill Mountains for her settings. She likes them to feature strong characters and her books never fail to draw me in.  In her other life, she was a  nurse consultant and victim advocate. She says she and Kat have been called a lot of names, but the one they  both like best is Nana to Meredith, Ashlin, Owen and Kieran.   
 Let's start with a blurb:   
P.I. Nick Forrester comes to Cape Brendan ostensibly to assist with Caper Madness, a month long celebration of everything Halloween. In reality he is tracking a woman on the run. Within days he is confronted by Annunciata Doyle, a vivid reminder of a pain-filled past.


 After retreating to Cape Brendan in defeat and humiliation, Nunie Doyle's only hope was to make the best of forced retirement. There, in this quaint tourist town on the shores of Lake Ontario, she earned the love and respect of new friends and neighbors—and put her talent for helping women to good use.
          With the mutual goal of making Caper Madness the best ever, Nick and Nunie fight tooth and nail on the personal level, each discovering a new side to the other, sides that make them consider making drastic changes for the rest of their lives. 

         This attraction: complete madness—or sheer magic? 


Naturally I had a few questions for Nick and Nunie.

Let's start with Nick. Tell us, why is Caper Madness important?
 It is a story based on what happens when people rush to make judgments before knowing all the facts. It also brings to light the modern day underground railroad and those who assist women and children escape abuse and mal-treatment after the legal system fails them.
What’s your impression of Nunie Doyle?

Before I really knew her I considered Annunciata Doyle to be a nosy busybody, stick-up-her-ass advocate who'd bang a drum for Typhoid Mary if Mary sang the right tune. Then I saw Nunie in action, working her heart out to make Caper Madness succeed, treating others, even those who don't deserve it, with unflagging kindness, and baking pies that made my taste buds sing the Hallelujah Chorus. That woman weaves a lattice crust that will bring tears to your eyes.

What intrigues you about her?
Her laugh and unflagging belief in the goodness of others.
What makes you want to run from her?
Her laugh and unflagging belief in the goodness of others.
 Now that gives me a whole new set of questions, but let's move on to Nunie--it is your turn.

Why did you come to Cape Brendan?
After I was terminated from my position as Director of Crime Victim Services, I decided to take a long overdue vacation. I gassed up my car and drove north, heading for no place in particular. The road ended in Cape Brendan, a charming tourist town on the cusp of Lake Ontario where it pours into the Saint Lawrence River. It captured my heart and after a few weeks' stay, I decided to make a life there.
What makes you want to stay?
The people accepted me with no questions about me or my past, my mistakes or failures. They believe in me and have made me a Caper, the term they use to describe themselves.
What frightens you about Nick? He has a fearsome temper though keeps it in check. He is quite rigid in his beliefs but is not afraid or embarrassed to admit when he's wrong--about me or Caper Madness or his boss, a skeeving git of an attorney.


What attracts you? His eyes which are as blue as a Kerry lake and his smile which, when it breaks the confines of his visage, warms my heart.

Thanks for the answers. I think you've both made us all want to visit Cape Brendan. Here are the buy links:

Wild Rose Press:  https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/3329-caper-magic.html


Amazon:  wwwAmazon.com/Caper-Magic-Hauntings-Garden-Veronica=ebook/dp/B00O0FVUDC/ref=pd-rhf
Thanks, Veronica, for being my guest and introducing us to Nick and Nunie. Any questions for Veronica?


Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Captivated by An Engaging Romance

What better way to start off the month of October--when we all get to dress up and pretend we're someone else--than with a book about a heroine who is also playing pretend with a very rich hero! That's the basis for the newest book by author Charlotte O'Shay who is the guest in My Writing Corner today.

Charlotte says she was born into a big family and married into a bigger one. She tells us she honed her negotiating skills at the dinner table and that led to a career in law. After having four children, she traded in her legal career to write romance and boy, are we happy about that! She has written some wonderful stories.

She says still lives on the far west side only 3 subway stops from where she grew up, and Charlotte goes on to say that when she isn't reading or writing steamy contemporary romances featuring heroines in crisis and swoony heroes with issues, she is usually on the hunt for that perfect pair of sunglasses.

Her newest book, A Model Engagement, sounds like a great story that can sweep us all away into a fascinating world, along with her heroine.

 Lacey Reed jumps at the chance for independence with a career in the big city. But her naivety and ambition blind her to the lure of a blackmailer.  

With her savings gone she has nowhere to turn when she literally runs into financier Connor Devlin. 

Though dazzled by Lacey, Connor sees the desperation she tries to hide. He hires her as his fake fiancée. Now Lacey has a job and he has a bandage for a family crisis.

When the blackmailer ups the ante, Lacey resolves to face him down— no matter what the consequences.

Does that mean Lacey will lose the only man who’s ever seen who she truly is? 

Want more?  Let's get a short excerpt:

      In that moment, she relived just why she needed a job so damn bad. In that moment, all she could remember were the targeted emails, the strategic telephone calls ad the persuasive texts she'd received from Barry as he set out to reel her in like the very gullible fish she was. 
       It all came back like a rush of filthy sewage.
      How he’d drawn her in. Discovered her desire to reap the most financial benefit
 from her career before retiring. Then, in a seemingly normal progression, he set up a meeting at his office. Designed for shoptalk so that they could discuss photographic details of her breakout exclusive ad campaign for Mon Secret.
His home office as it turned out, complete with multiple couches and a closet full of evening wear and fur, props for the shoot. Lacey had developed a veneer of sophistication during her four plus years in the business. Or so she’d thought. But Barry’s lavish living and working space wowed her.  
She cringed as she remembered telling him how eager she was to start.
Lacey relived it all in that split second and Connor, who’d done nothing more than offer her his jacket and then a ride home was suddenly a stand in for the monster who had taken her piece of mind along with practically every red cent she possessed. 
If you'd like to get in touch with Charlotte, please do. She says she LOVES to hear from readers.
 Sign up to her newsletter to find out about giveaways and new releases: http://eepurl.com/b4lbvn

Web: charlotteoshayauthor.com
Twitter (@charlotte_oshay)
Instagram (charlotte_oshay_author)
Facebook (Authorcharlotteoshay)

The City of Dreams series are standalone books linked by the wedding in The Marriage Ultimatum.
Book 1, The Marriage Ultimatum ~ Sabrina & Vlad
Book 2, A Model Engagement ~ Lacey & Connor
Book 3, An Illicit Affair ~ Honey & Jake
 
Twitter @charlotte_oshay

Blog/Website

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15278108.Charlotte_O_Shay

Thank you, Charlotte, for being my guest today. Any questions or comments for Charlotte?


Holiday Romance

 This is that time of the year when we begin looking at those holiday stories that warm our hearts and get us ready for the holiday season a...