Maddie James's Blog

Please pick me up off the floor. I may faint.









Thank you, readers! You all are awesome!

I'm ba-ack. (I told you I would be!)



Like I said the other day in this blog post , I know I've been gone for a while. I really and truly didn't think I had many interesting things to blog about anymore -- that, in fact, is not entirely true. Heck, I'm a writer. I can find things to write about. TIME has been the factor, but...



But I've re-examined. I've had some changes going on in my life lately and perhaps they are bloggable. I'll take the risk and see what you all think.



In early April I had a scare -- a health scare. On a Sunday evening I drove myself to the ER with chest pain. I didn't feel well all day and couldn't put my finger on it. Then more symptoms, and a quick Google search, plus a call from a friend where I divulged my symptoms, and before you know it, I'm plugged up to machines and IV bags and spending the night in the ER.



No, I wasn't having a heart attack. I am grateful for that. But the next week was a flurry of doctor visits and tests -- including stress test and all that comes with it -- and the bottom line is, I now do have a cardiologist.

And even though my tests all came back normal, I'm "of a certain age" and there is heart history problems in my family, plus diabetes, and my doctor thinks I have sleep apnea, so the prescription was this: LOSE WEIGHT.



Consequently, I've added these things to my life:









Walking, generally every morning and sometimes evening. 









I now have a gym membership. 








And Zumba! OMG!!!!




(Okay, one Zumba class but I do plan to go back next week.)




And have changed my diet to this:









And this...








Yes, a plant-based diet. With restrictions on top of that. Doctor's orders. I will share more about how that is going for me in the coming days.



So yeah, there is a little bit to write about, and I'm planning on all of you holding me accountable, you here?

Okay, now that that is done....



Time for breakfast. Oatmeal, strawberries, and a drizzle of Maple syrup. (all plant-based and allowable!) Yum!



See you soon. (I have recipes!)

Wow. Long time no see, Blogger. What have you been up to?





Really? Me? Oh, I've been up to this and that. A little more of that, than this.




Yes, it's true. I've been mighty AWOL from here. I know and I am sorry. Truly.



Yes, yes...you are right. I used to be here all the time. What can I say? Life interrupted my "life unedited" blog. It happens.



I could blame it on a lot of things but putting blame anywhere is never a good thing, right? Let's just say that I haven't made blogging a priority for some time now, and even though I think about it a lot, it never seems to get done.




I know. Sad.




You miss me, you say? You've missed when I used to post about all things cupcake? When I used to share random posts about what was going on in my life? Like, redecorating my office? When I used to take pictures of my food in recipes and then do a restaurant review ? Really? You liked that?




Oh. Well then. But you really liked that stuff?



Yeah. I've heard others say that, too....




Well, thanks, Blogger. I really appreciate hearing that. This is something I need to think about a little bit...but guess what? I have sort of missed those "life unedited" posts, too.




Hm. Thinking. What IS going on with me? Is there anything interesting at all that I have to share? I just don't know....




But stay tuned. I just may have something for you....

What lasts longer than an eight second ride?



Eight seconds is a long time for a bull rider to stay on a bull's back, but it's a really short time for reading a good book.



I'm really pleased to share the release of BROKEN! I have to admit. I do love the cowboys. Maybe you like them, too? And I hope you read for a lot longer than eight seconds!



In BROKEN we have a bull riding cowboy who comes home after being gone for some time, only to find out that the girl he'd left behind has grown up. Complications abound!



BROKEN is a sensual-to-sizzle romance, not quite as spicy as some of my other stories, but the sexual tension is high throughout. Here's more info on the story....




Rodeo took him from her once. Will
it take him again?



It's
been a decade since Garth Nash left the Triple R Ranch to become a bull riding
star. Now he's back home to pay his final respects to the man he'd loved like a
father, and to console the pesky tomboy he'd loved like a little sister.



But
there's nothing pesky or boyish about Amarilla Ray now. She's a gorgeous,
barrel-racing cowgirl who knows exactly what she wants—to compete at the
Cowgirl Classic. Just once. And then she can get on with the rest of her life.



Rilla
had loved Garth like a big brother all those years ago, but today, her feelings
are taking turns in a whole new direction, and suddenly it feels like Garth
just might be the rest of her life.



But
rodeo took him from her once. And she knows he's bound to leave again. Can she
take the risk and fall in love? Can he? Or will rodeo win out again, and leave
them both broken?



Release:  April 1, 2012

Category:  Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Western

Heat Level: Sensual-Sizzle

Length:  Short Novel 40,000 words

Price: $1.99 digital ebooks (not available in print at this time)



BROKEN is available at Amazon Kindle . Barnes and Noble . All Romance Ebooks . Bookstrand . Smashwords and at the Turquoise Morning Press Book Store.



Watch for BROKEN to come available in print, and also soon to Sony, Apple, Diesel Ebooks, and Kobo!

A NEW RELEASE for me = a TWO-FOR-ONE deal for you!



My romantic suspense novel, Murder on the Mountain – revised and updated – is now available in digital formats!



Murder on the Mountain was previously published in 2008 but the book never made it to Amazon Kindle. Now, this re-release from Turquoise Morning Press brings it to Kindle, as well as to many of your favorite e-tailers.



To celebrate this special release, if you purchase Murder on the Mountain from Amazon between the dates of February 15 and February 20, 2012, I will give you TWO FREE KINDLE EBOOKS!



I have to confess, I have an ulterior motive for this special promotional offer. I would love to see Murder on the Mountain get pushed up into the Top 100 Paid Bestseller lists at Amazon, following in the footsteps of some of my other bestsellers. Crazy For You made it to #8 in Contemporary Romance last fall, and I wonder if Murder on the Mountain can make it higher?



So, here's the plan. If you decide to buy Murder on the Mountain at Amazon, can you buy it between February 15-20, 2012? Here's all you have to do:



<A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_... Widgets</A>

1. Buy Murder on the Mountain at Amazon between Feb 15-20, 2012. (It's a steal at $1.99!)

2. Forward your Amazon Kindle purchase confirmation to me at maddie@maddiejames.net. (Be sure to remove any personal information on that email, of course, but your confirmation must have the details of your Murder on the Mountain purchase.)

3. Let me send your free gifts. Tell me in the body of that email which TWO of the following Kindle ebooks you would like:


Crazy for You
The Heartbreaker
Falling for Grace
Bed, Breakfast and You
Rawhide and Roses
Freshly Dead

That's all! Easy peasy, huh? Thank you! And I look forward to hearing from you all!



p.s. If you want to help spread the news about this special TWO-FOR-ONE offer, feel free to share this blog post, share on your Facebook page, or tweet the following tweet:



Help @maddiejames with Murder! Check out her TWO-FOR-ONE offer for Murder on the Mountain. http://tinyurl.com/6q3hhym #TMPress

So, everyone likes free,  huh?





Okay, so today is your chance to get one of my books for free! Have Kindle? Or Kindle app? Then you have no excuse. 




FRESHLY DEAD, book one in my Southern fiction, romantic comedy ghost story is now available for FREE on Amazon for today. If you haven't  picked up your free copy, you have until midnight Pacific Time to run and get it!




Check out this new book of mine, written in a slightly different voice than some of my other work. Still Maddie, still romance, just tossing in a ghost, a little mystery, and a lot of Southern sass. 




So hey, here's a sample okay?




Excerpt from Chapter Two of FRESHLY DEAD: 



"And there he was, standing there all smug and proper looking, freshly dead, with that pasty pale face, and trying to order me around. Men."



Mitzi took a quick glance around the darkened bar and snatched up the shot glass of liquor the bartender just handed her. She licked the back of her hand, shook on some salt, lapped it clean away, then slammed back the hefty shot of tequila. Instantly, she bit into a slice of lime, shivered and gasped.
Marla, her other sister, the one who liked sex and tequila (thank God she had one sister who was normal), stared at her.



"What?"



"Freshly dead?"



"Yeah, like in just murdered."



"I think you need to lay off the tequila, sister."



"I'm tellin' ya…."
Marla glanced at her watch. "That's your third shot in…thirty minutes."



"I'm fine, Marla."



"Well, just watch it."



She reached up and grasped her sister's shirt collar to pull her face closer. "Mar, I just saw a real live freakin' ghost of an estranged hubby today. Don't hassle me about the shooters." She let go, and Marla sank back into her bar stool. "And he tried to kiss me."



"Ewe!" Marla shook, her face twisted into an oh-that's-so-gross look. "Crap, Mitzi. That is so wrong."



"Tell me about it." She waved toward the bartender. His back was turned. Dammit.





"Mitzi, wait. This was Ken, right? Your alienated husband who left you with a wad of past-due bills, a string of repossessors gracing your doorstep, and who stole our Grandmother's diamond ring? Ken, whom you have not seen hide nor hair of in almost two years? The Ken the bounty hunters said they couldn't find to serve him the divorce papers? That Ken? Dead and talking to you from some sort of ghostly form?"



Mitzi bit her lip and glanced away. "Yeah, that Ken, Marla. The stupid klutz. Gone and got himself killed. And right when he was about to give me a job. Damned stiff owed me that, too."
She looked back into her sister's face.



"Job? You didn't tell me anything about a job. Why would you want to work for Ken? I'm not getting this…."



"Cripes. Don't give me that look. There are too many things to get straightened out. The thing is Ken is dead. But I can't be worried about that right now."



"What?" Her sister looked stricken with horror.



"Well," Mitzi countered, "he's not that bad off if he's sitting there in the chair and talking to me now, is he? I mean, he argued for, I dunno, an hour it seemed, about me being late for the appointment. Pissed me off."



Marla shook her head. "I...I'm not getting this, Mitz. Something is dreadfully wrong here."



"Deadfully."



"No, I said dreadfully."



"Damn right, it is."



"You have a big problem on your hands. What did you do with the body?"



Mitzi arched a brow. "Nothing. It's still there."



"What? You didn't report it to the police?"



She shrugged. "Nooooo, why should I? Ken looked happy as a clam to me. He might be just a spirit, but I don't think he needs that body any longer."



Marla grasped Mitzi's arm. "My darling sister. The man is dead. He was your husband. Least of all, even if he was a slimy, weasel of a bastard, he deserves a proper burial."



Mitzi jerked her arm away and turned toward the bartender, finally signaling another shot. He nodded her way. "Knock it off, Marla. The man is too nasty to die. He's got something cooked up. I just know it. He's faking it. I know, maybe he was a hologram. No, couldn't be. There was a lot of blood. But that spirit of his lives on. Stubborn son of a bitch."



"So, what are you going to do?"



"Do?"



"Yeah."



"I'm not going to do anything but try to figure out how I can get back what Ken owes me, and then I've got to find a job. A real one that doesn't include sex and telephones."



"Excuse me?" Marla's brow knit.



Mitzi waved her off. "Later. Just another chapter of the story. The thing is the bastard is back in town. He skipped out on me with some of my hard earned cash and a credit card and yeah, Gran's ring. And I'm not over that car repo thing, either. Not to mention I'm about to lose my house. The man owes me. I'm going back to set things square with that asshole."



She picked up her purse and headed for the door. Stumbled, actually. "Even if the son of a bitch is dead." What the hell?



Marla's hand firmly grasped her bicep. "Oh no, not tonight, Sis."
Mitzi watched her sister through blurred eyes as she shoved some bills toward the bartender. Something was seriously wrong with her eyesight. The man looked awfully fuzzy. Deadlike. Ghoulish.
Was he dead, too? She grasped her tummy. Ewe. Not feeling so hot. Maybe it was time to go home.



"C'mon," she heard Marla say from somewhere far and distant. "Time to go, wife-of-a-dead-guy."


***
So, are you laughing yet? There is more to come. Get yours FREE today at Amazon.

Hi all. Happy Friday!



It's time again to share one of my favorite books with you. Jan Scarbrough's, Secrets, is a great story about finding love again, reuniting, and coming clean with the past. It's emotional and a very satisfying read. Check it out!





Secrets

by Jan Scarbrough

Formerly Titled A Father at Last (Same book, new cover and title!)



A 2011 CAPA Nominee from The Romance Studio




With her daughter all grown up and married,
single mom Kelly Baron can start her new life in North Carolina, responsible
only for herself. But first she must help her mother by returning to the small
Indiana town she fled years ago. Newly
divorced lawyer, Rob Scott, seeks solace in his small-town roots. The last
thing he's looking for is a relationship—until he runs into Kelly, and the
secret she's been keeping from him for twenty-one years.






Reviews





"Ms. Scarbrough has a way of involving
sensuality without going in-depth so that younger readers cannot enjoy the
book." ~The Romance Studio



"I thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt that
I was watching it unfold in front of me as if I was another character in the
story." ~NOR Reviews




"With a story that rings so true, the reader
will feel like they had heard it at the local beauty parlor. The craft of this
author keeps this story novel." ~The
Romance Reviews





Release: January 3, 2011

Category: Romance, Contemporary, Category Length

Heat Level: Sweet

Length: 136 pages

Price:  $0.99 digital; $8.99 print



Author Bio: Jan
Scarbrough dreamed of being a writer since she reported on freelance writing
for a career project in the ninth grade. After majoring in English at Western
Kentucky University, she taught high school English. Since 1982 she has made
her living as a writer—a technical writer—but didn't have the nerve to make her
novel-writing dream come true until after a life-threatening illness in 1988.
Jan is member of Romance Writers of America, has been active in her local
Kentucky RWA chapter, and is a member of Novelist, Inc. She has over twenty
novels in print.

As 2011 draws to a close (approximately one hour left as I write this) I sit reflecting over the past year of my writing career. There were some unexpected surprises along the way and I have to say that I am most grateful for everything.





2011 provided me with my first Top 100 bestselling romance novel on Amazon. In fact, I had a total of 5 novels place in that Top 100 bestselling list, with one of them landing as high as #8 in Contemporary Romance, this  year. This was a first in my fifteen year career as a published romance novelist. I also had two additional titles place in Top 100 bestseller lists for smaller categories. What can I say? A banner year.




The thanks go to all of you, who bought and read my books. Without you, I wouldn't have a career, and I'm forever grateful for your readership. I hope the stories entertained, made you laugh, cry, sigh... Hey, whatever they are supposed to make you do, I hope they did!




There were two other significant events that contributed to my writing year. The first, is the growth of Turquoise Morning Press. You might know that I am the owner of the publishing house, although I do that work under my "real name" and not my Maddie James pen name. Still, I make no bones about the fact that I'm also my own publisher. (Yes, I still have an editor!) In this new age of publishing, it makes sense if I am publishing other author's works, to also publish my own. Will I always put everything in my own house? Perhaps not, since all eggs in one basket may not necessarily the best thing, but I certainly do like being in control of my career. :) But me aside, I have to say that I am totally into being a publisher, and love working with authors and helping them to move their careers forward. It's a joy to work with each of them every single day. I love being writer and publisher.




Enter another unexpected surprise. In 2010, I was freelancing and writing full time, with TMP emerging early in the year. Then in April of 2011, I was presented with the opportunity to go back to work full-time for my previous employer. It was not in the 2011 plan to do this. After some thought and discussion, I decided to accept. It threw a kink in the plan, yes. I had to reshuffle the workload, and hire and train more staff at TMP, yes. I had to re-prioritize my role in the company, yes. And more....





So, let's recap:




Suddenly, I'm a full-time bestselling romance author with more books to write and publish to keep up the momentum.




Suddenly, I'm a full-time publisher of a small publishing house with authors and staff who are depending on me.




Suddenly, I'm back in my old day job, managing staff and directing a program.




Wow. Talk about a balancing act!?! And I won't tell you that it is a piece of cake. It's not.




But for six months I've survived. I did it. I've balanced and I've juggled. I've been tired, yes. I've stayed up way too late, yes. I have big bags under my eyes most days, yes... But it is okay. I'm doing it.




And now that 2012 is nearly upon me, and that I've reflected over this past year, wondering how in the world I am doing it, there is only one possible resolution I can consider, and it's this:




I hereby resolve to be more disciplined in the organization of my balancing act. 




Discipline. Organization. I can do it, right? I mean, after all, I have that new 24 hour heavy duty planner I just bought from Franklin Covey. That ought to help. Okay, getting started on that tomorrow, er, well, almost today... 




So, a big Happy New Year to each of you. I wish you health, wealth and happiness in 2012! And once more, to all of my readers, thank you so much for all of your support in 2011, and I hope to bring you some awesome new books in 2012.




Happy New Year!

I met Cat Shaffer many, many years ago and our writing careers have sort of paralleled each other over time. I remember an RWA conference many years ago, where we were waiting for agent appointments, lamenting over the fact that either a. ) our careers seemed to have stalled, or b) we were not where we wanted to be at this point in our writing careers. We both said, "we need a five year plan." 




That was way past five years ago and today, Cat is a multi-published author writing under two pen names and for two publishers (let's not forget she's also a managing newspaper editor and writes tons of non-fiction on a regular basis). We still talk about that day years ago and our five year plans, and how far we have come. 




I've recently started featuring a backlist book from one of my author friends on Fridays, so I'd like to introduce you to Cat, and her Kentucky Blues....



 





Kentucky Blues

by Cat Shaffer



Elise Drummond
never forgot her first love—and never expected to learn via the grapevine that
he was back in Brookville and living with her mother. Sam McCade had broken her
heart, and she wasn't about to let him destroy her mother's as well. A quick
trip back to Kentucky to lay down the law and she could head back to the safe
life she'd built for herself in Kansas City.



When Sam McCade
went "on the run" in the middle of the night to save his sister from her
abusive husband, there was only one person he could trust to help them, Hannah
Drummond. He expected the local gossips to have a field day with his return to
Brookville, but he never dreamed Elise would roll into town to check out the
situation for herself.



Reviews

"A truly
good read, perfect for an afternoon swinging away with the wind chimes playing
and the spring sun shining." ~Amazon Review



"…a large
dose of sexual tension--the chemistry between Sam and Elise sizzles--some great
suspense that keeps the pages turning and you have a sure winner in this story
of love lost, regret and redemption. If Kentucky Blues is typical of Cat
Shaffer's books, prepare to add her to your automatic read list." ~Amazon Review






Release: August, 2010

Category:  Romantic Suspense

Heat Level: Sensual

Length: 278 pages

Price:  Print, $14.99; digital $4.99



Author Bio: Cat Shaffer is a native Buckeye who saw the
light and moved to Kentucky over 20 years ago. Able to say
"Louisville" like a native, she adores living in the land of beautiful
horses and fast women…no, wait, it goes the other way around! Away from the
keyboard, she's a mother and grandmother, a Red Cross volunteer, and leads her
church choir. She lives with a big Sheltie and a gray tabby who keep her humble
by reminding her of her place as their servant.

For happiness,For health,For love,For wealth,For wisdom,For patience,For friendships,And for family.

Have a wonderful holiday season, one and all.

Maddie