Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 184
March 1, 2012
New Book: THE MISSION
I'm delighted to announce that the 11th Tabor Heights novel is now available at Desert Breeze Publishing!
THE MISSION
If you've spent any time in Tabor Heights, you've heard about the Mission, or even visited -- an old school taken over by Tabor Christian Church, used for a daycare, soup kitchen, senior center, with lots of rooms to use and plans to expand big-time.
The time has come for repairs, renovations, and expansion.
Claire Donnelly has made the Mission her life, and she is put off balance when Paul Hunter joins the Mission's staff as head custodian and lead on the repair work. Paul has ideas of his own for what needs to be a priority. He's trying not to step on any toes, but it's hard!
Then there's Paul's daughter, Sammy -- she's very sure God has chosen Miss Claire to be her new mommy.
And then there's the problem of all the interfering busybodies in church and town, who want to play matchmaker between Nikki and Paul -- or Nikki and Doug -- or Jennifer and Paul -- or maybe Jennifer and Doug -- or maybe Jennifer and Brock. Anybody but the couples who are slowly but surely finding themselves drawn together.
Just when things seem to be calming down and people are learning how to work together quite well, shadows from their varied pasts rise up and threaten their peace of mind and the safety of the children who come to the Mission.
EXCERPT from the beginning of the book:
Paul pulled the truck into the Holwoods' driveway and climbed out. Brock started making introductions. Paul stepped forward to shake Nikki's hand and the movement revealed a little figure curled up on the bench seat, just starting to stir. Claire barely heard Brock introduce her to Paul, who saw the direction of her gaze and turned back to the cab.
"Hey, sleepy." He reached in and gathered up a bundle of platinum curls, bare feet, and faded denim. Claire felt her face heat up. Proven wrong twice in less than ten minutes. This was not the rebellious adolescent she had envisioned. Sammy Hunter couldn't be more than five years old. An adorable, sleepy five years old. Paul cuddled her close, rubbed her back, and whispered to her as she scrubbed her eyes. When the child finally had both eyes open, her father introduced her to the three adults. Claire couldn't help comparing Paul Hunter with Rich Thomas, his obvious tenderness for his child versus the casual affection the fugitive custodian had sometimes spattered on his adoring little girl.
No doubt about it: Sammy Hunter was wanted long before she was born. Not an accident and burden like poor little Aurora Thomas.
"And this lady is Miss Donnelly. She's Daddy's new boss, too," Paul said, turning Sammy to face her.
"Miss Claire," she responded with a smile. "All the children call me that. I'm so glad to finally meet you, Sammy."
Claire felt her heart twist when the little girl's face lit up slowly, like sunrise. She sat up straight in her father's arms.
"Is she my new mommy?"
"Sammy--" Paul blushed a red so intense it was almost neon. "Miss Donnelly--"
"I prayed really hard," the child continued. "I asked God for a new mommy. I want you."
"Why?" Claire had to ask. She could barely speak, caught between an onslaught of tears, laughter, panic and hunger. Her arms actually ached with the need to cuddle Sammy close.
www.desertbreezepublishing.com
AND....
Come to the Cyber Launch Party blog on March 22 to celebrate the release of THE MISSION, talk about the Tabor Heights books and what's coming up in "Year Two," and win a mousepad with all the cover art.
Enjoy!
www.Mlevigne.com
THE MISSION
If you've spent any time in Tabor Heights, you've heard about the Mission, or even visited -- an old school taken over by Tabor Christian Church, used for a daycare, soup kitchen, senior center, with lots of rooms to use and plans to expand big-time.
The time has come for repairs, renovations, and expansion.
Claire Donnelly has made the Mission her life, and she is put off balance when Paul Hunter joins the Mission's staff as head custodian and lead on the repair work. Paul has ideas of his own for what needs to be a priority. He's trying not to step on any toes, but it's hard!
Then there's Paul's daughter, Sammy -- she's very sure God has chosen Miss Claire to be her new mommy.
And then there's the problem of all the interfering busybodies in church and town, who want to play matchmaker between Nikki and Paul -- or Nikki and Doug -- or Jennifer and Paul -- or maybe Jennifer and Doug -- or maybe Jennifer and Brock. Anybody but the couples who are slowly but surely finding themselves drawn together.
Just when things seem to be calming down and people are learning how to work together quite well, shadows from their varied pasts rise up and threaten their peace of mind and the safety of the children who come to the Mission.
EXCERPT from the beginning of the book:
Paul pulled the truck into the Holwoods' driveway and climbed out. Brock started making introductions. Paul stepped forward to shake Nikki's hand and the movement revealed a little figure curled up on the bench seat, just starting to stir. Claire barely heard Brock introduce her to Paul, who saw the direction of her gaze and turned back to the cab.
"Hey, sleepy." He reached in and gathered up a bundle of platinum curls, bare feet, and faded denim. Claire felt her face heat up. Proven wrong twice in less than ten minutes. This was not the rebellious adolescent she had envisioned. Sammy Hunter couldn't be more than five years old. An adorable, sleepy five years old. Paul cuddled her close, rubbed her back, and whispered to her as she scrubbed her eyes. When the child finally had both eyes open, her father introduced her to the three adults. Claire couldn't help comparing Paul Hunter with Rich Thomas, his obvious tenderness for his child versus the casual affection the fugitive custodian had sometimes spattered on his adoring little girl.
No doubt about it: Sammy Hunter was wanted long before she was born. Not an accident and burden like poor little Aurora Thomas.
"And this lady is Miss Donnelly. She's Daddy's new boss, too," Paul said, turning Sammy to face her.
"Miss Claire," she responded with a smile. "All the children call me that. I'm so glad to finally meet you, Sammy."
Claire felt her heart twist when the little girl's face lit up slowly, like sunrise. She sat up straight in her father's arms.
"Is she my new mommy?"
"Sammy--" Paul blushed a red so intense it was almost neon. "Miss Donnelly--"
"I prayed really hard," the child continued. "I asked God for a new mommy. I want you."
"Why?" Claire had to ask. She could barely speak, caught between an onslaught of tears, laughter, panic and hunger. Her arms actually ached with the need to cuddle Sammy close.
www.desertbreezepublishing.com
AND....
Come to the Cyber Launch Party blog on March 22 to celebrate the release of THE MISSION, talk about the Tabor Heights books and what's coming up in "Year Two," and win a mousepad with all the cover art.
Enjoy!
www.Mlevigne.com
January 31, 2012
Vote for TRAITORS and THE WOLF THAT WAS
Long and Short Reviews LOVES me!
Well, they love my books, at least. TRAITORS, and THE WOLF THAT WAS.
Long and the Short Reviews has a monthly poll to find out from readers which book or story sounds like the best read based on their reviews.
My novel "Traitors" is book #3 in the Faxinor Chronicles.
Book #2: "Lorien," won the EPIC Award for Inspirational Novel in 2006.
"Traitors" is up for Book of the Month honor this week (voting runs from Saturday, February 4th through Sunday, February 5th) at LASR.
Read the review
Information on voting will be visible on the 1st of February.
Please check out LASR and vote.
And of course, I hope you check out all the Faxinor Chronicles books -- epic fantasy with a strong dose of faith.
Book #1: Heir of Faxinor
Andrixine is chosen as bearer of the Spirit Sword, to lead in the defense of her country, Reshor, against its ancient enemy, Sendorland. All this in the middle of finding and rescuing her kidnapped mother, and figuring out who has tried to kill her twice.
Book #2: Lorien
Lorien is Andrixine's younger sister, the quintessential lady, and chosen to act as Sword Bearer's voice, representing her sister in the king's court. She is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for Reshor and go into a loveless political marriage. Until someone suggests that just maybe, if she wants to serve Yomnian, the Creator wants to give her the desires of her heart.
Book #3: Traitors
The story hinted at in the previous 2 books: the love story of Andrixine and Lorien's parents. Lord Edrix Faxinor was sent as ambassador to Sendorland to forge peace with Reshor's ancient foe. Lady Arrienna of Traxslan was ordered by her cruel cousin to capture Lord Faxinor's interest and either persuade him to become a traitor, or lure him into a compromising position, to become Sendorland's pawn.
THEN ....
THE WOLF THAT WAS (sequel to my EPIC Award finalist, BITTER SWEET) received a "BEST BOOK" rated review last year and has earned a spot in the LASR Best Book of 2011 poll. The voting will run from February 16 through 29, ending at midnight Eastern time on February 29.
Check out the poll page AFTER February 16th.
I'm so excited!!!!
Well, they love my books, at least. TRAITORS, and THE WOLF THAT WAS.
Long and the Short Reviews has a monthly poll to find out from readers which book or story sounds like the best read based on their reviews.
My novel "Traitors" is book #3 in the Faxinor Chronicles.
Book #2: "Lorien," won the EPIC Award for Inspirational Novel in 2006.
"Traitors" is up for Book of the Month honor this week (voting runs from Saturday, February 4th through Sunday, February 5th) at LASR.
Read the review
Information on voting will be visible on the 1st of February.
Please check out LASR and vote.
And of course, I hope you check out all the Faxinor Chronicles books -- epic fantasy with a strong dose of faith.
Book #1: Heir of Faxinor
Andrixine is chosen as bearer of the Spirit Sword, to lead in the defense of her country, Reshor, against its ancient enemy, Sendorland. All this in the middle of finding and rescuing her kidnapped mother, and figuring out who has tried to kill her twice.
Book #2: Lorien
Lorien is Andrixine's younger sister, the quintessential lady, and chosen to act as Sword Bearer's voice, representing her sister in the king's court. She is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for Reshor and go into a loveless political marriage. Until someone suggests that just maybe, if she wants to serve Yomnian, the Creator wants to give her the desires of her heart.
Book #3: Traitors
The story hinted at in the previous 2 books: the love story of Andrixine and Lorien's parents. Lord Edrix Faxinor was sent as ambassador to Sendorland to forge peace with Reshor's ancient foe. Lady Arrienna of Traxslan was ordered by her cruel cousin to capture Lord Faxinor's interest and either persuade him to become a traitor, or lure him into a compromising position, to become Sendorland's pawn.
THEN ....
THE WOLF THAT WAS (sequel to my EPIC Award finalist, BITTER SWEET) received a "BEST BOOK" rated review last year and has earned a spot in the LASR Best Book of 2011 poll. The voting will run from February 16 through 29, ending at midnight Eastern time on February 29.
Check out the poll page AFTER February 16th.
I'm so excited!!!!
January 18, 2012
Splickety!
Check out SPLICKETY magazine -- a quarterly magazine of Christian FLASH fiction.
I'm proud to say I have a story in the premier issue, which was just released this last week.
MIDNIGHT MAGIC is told from the perspective of Lanie Zephyr, a little girl with a big secret, who is adjusting to life with her adopted parents, Charlie and Rainbow Zephyr, hippies giving their new daughter a Norman Rockwell-style Christmas.
What happens? Read it and see.
Here's the link to the MagCloud site where you can either order a paper/printed copy, or download the PDF.
I have it in PDF loaded on my iPad, in the iBooks app. Easy to read!
January 16, 2012
BUTTERFLY, The Hunt #3
Now available at Writers Exchange.
When odd weather patterns start rolling across the country, Beth McGuire is in the right place to notice and analyze them. Part of the Gifted and Talented program at her high school, she is spending the summer at a government weather station.
What she observes about the storms reminds her of a secret she's almost forgotten: she is a member of the Hunt, a group of children sent to Earth years ago to hide them from the invader, Gahlmorag.
With the appearance of the storms, Beth wonders if finally she will meet up with other members of the Hunt. She spends the summer remaking herself, to be ready for whatever challenges they might face. Her new, slimmer, more confident self attracts the wrong attention at school in the fall, however, and she finds she needs friends and allies for the first time.
I'm working on the 4th book in the series, Finders, Keepers, and it should be out later this year from Writers Exchange.
Check out the other titles in the Hunt series at my web site: Dawn Memories , and Quartet .
December 24, 2011
Blessed Christmas to You and Yours
May you have a truly blessed Christmas, and know the assurance that the Prince of Peace, God's gift and promise, is the center of your life, now and in the year to come.
December 18, 2011
Christmas Gift
There's still time to take advantage of a great offer.
Buy one of my titles that takes place at or around Christmas, send me your electronic receipt, and you'll get a PDF of a new, unpublished Christmas story.
OR
Donate to Samaritan's Purse, send me your electronic receipt, and you'll get the PDF as well.
Just go to my web site for all the details. But don't wait -- time is running out!
But wait -- check this out!
Desert Breeze Publishing is having a 99-cent sale.
And some of my Desert Breeze titles are on that list.
Now's your chance to test run a Tabor Heights title for a very low price, PLUS you get a Christmas-type story, free.
But don't wait very long, because time is running out!
Merry Christmas!
Buy one of my titles that takes place at or around Christmas, send me your electronic receipt, and you'll get a PDF of a new, unpublished Christmas story.
OR
Donate to Samaritan's Purse, send me your electronic receipt, and you'll get the PDF as well.
Just go to my web site for all the details. But don't wait -- time is running out!
But wait -- check this out!
Desert Breeze Publishing is having a 99-cent sale.
And some of my Desert Breeze titles are on that list.
Now's your chance to test run a Tabor Heights title for a very low price, PLUS you get a Christmas-type story, free.
But don't wait very long, because time is running out!
Merry Christmas!
December 10, 2011
She Blinded Me with Science -- Vote for Book of the Week!!
The Long and the Short of It romance reviews has a weekend poll, asking YOU, the readers, which book or story sounds like the best read based on their reviews. 
She Blinded Me With Science was reviewed this week and is up for Book of the Week honor this weekend.
Voting runs through Sunday, December 11th.
Please click on the link above, go read the review, and vote!
(Umm, for my story, please???)
She Blinded Me with Science is the 3rd story in the 4 novellas that make up the All's Fae in Love and Chocolate series, put out by Uncial Press.
What's it about?
Sophie is working on her doctoral disertation -- asserting that magic is a psychosomatic phenomenon. People don't take her too seriously, because she has weird relatives and pointed ears.
Kevyn has family problems, too, despite them being Fae. They want him to be an advocate (lawyer), and have hunters looking for him all over the Human world to drag him back to the Fae realms and force him to be respectable. Kevyn makes his living as a day actor, staying under the radar.
Sophie finds Kevyn at a science fiction convention, where he's working the drama production all weekend. She realizes what Kevyn is, and decides to take him home to study for her dissertation. Kevyn lets her, to get away from the hunters who have tracked him to the convention.
And that's when the fun begins!
Something on the order of the mice running experiments on the scientists ...
Please go over to LASR reviews and vote for my story!!!
December 8, 2011
Looking for some Christmas romance?
So, you have a taste for romances with a holiday setting?
Step right up, folks, I've got what you're looking for!
The following stories take place at and around Christmas:
From Tabor Heights:
Common Grounds
Detours
The Second Time Around
From Turkey to Mistletoe (in the Seasons anthology)
From Neighborlee, Ohio:
Divine's Emporium
Have Yourself a Faerie Little Christmas
Midnight Magic -- Coming in the first issue of SPLICKETY Magazine.
Want to get an original (not even WRITTEN yet) Christmas story?
Here's what you need to do:
Go to my publishers, or B&N or Amazon or All Romance E-books or any other online e-book distributor.
Buy one of these stories.
Send me a copy of your electronic receipt. And if you already own one of these stories, you can send me an old electronic receipt!
You'll get a PDF of the story sent to your email on Christmas Eve.
(Promise!!!)
That easy?
THAT EASY!
And if you really want to get into the Christmas spirit, I highly recommend making a donation to Samaritan's Purse. Maybe you've heard of Operation Christmas Child, where people assemble boxes of Christmas goodies and educational and hygiene supplies for children around the world? Samaritan's Purse does more than that. They have a "gift catalog" they put out every year, with all different opportunities to donate to disaster relief or to help children get an education in foreign countries or provide better housing, medical care, clean water, and a chance for families to support themselves.
Check them out, and consider giving a gift that really makes a difference!
December 5, 2011
ACFW Ohio Christmas Greetings 2011 at OneTrueMedia.com
Check out the cover art and Christmas greetings from my fellow members of the Ohio chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com
Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com
Look out, Werewolves!
Now available from Amber Quill Press:
Sequel to Liar, Liar, Hearts On Fire...
While Lauren and Ray fall in love, Tiger guards Lauren's lookalike cousin, Lori — and enjoys it. She's easy to look at, and Tiger grows to like and admire the clever woman inside the too-pretty packaging.
To convalesce, he takes Lori to Fredonia, the strange, isolated mansion Lauren inherited from her uncle Zeppo, a place filled with secret passages and wacky treasure hunts straight out of a Marx Brother's movie. But the two-couple vacation becomes a party of seven when Chief Michael Anguilano arrives with Deborah Riley, his romantic interest, and her grandfather, Vince, who needs a place to hunt werewolves without bothering the neighbors.
Then Pete, Lauren and Lori's deranged cousin, escapes prison. Now, since it's only a matter of time until Pete comes for revenge, Fredonia prepares for war. Fortunately, Vince has built lots of werewolf traps...
Come see how Lori and Tiger meet the newest nuisance from her psycho cousin, learn Chief Anguilano's big secret ... and maybe see if Ray gets dropped on his head once again. (Hey, the first time didn't bring any improvements...)
Want some laughter with your romance this holiday season?
Come battle the werewolves, and see the resolution to this series of books I call The Five Sisters:
Picture This
How to Bury a Millionaire
Just Peachy
Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire
Never Moon a Werewolf.
Sequel to Liar, Liar, Hearts On Fire...
While Lauren and Ray fall in love, Tiger guards Lauren's lookalike cousin, Lori — and enjoys it. She's easy to look at, and Tiger grows to like and admire the clever woman inside the too-pretty packaging.
To convalesce, he takes Lori to Fredonia, the strange, isolated mansion Lauren inherited from her uncle Zeppo, a place filled with secret passages and wacky treasure hunts straight out of a Marx Brother's movie. But the two-couple vacation becomes a party of seven when Chief Michael Anguilano arrives with Deborah Riley, his romantic interest, and her grandfather, Vince, who needs a place to hunt werewolves without bothering the neighbors.
Then Pete, Lauren and Lori's deranged cousin, escapes prison. Now, since it's only a matter of time until Pete comes for revenge, Fredonia prepares for war. Fortunately, Vince has built lots of werewolf traps...
Come see how Lori and Tiger meet the newest nuisance from her psycho cousin, learn Chief Anguilano's big secret ... and maybe see if Ray gets dropped on his head once again. (Hey, the first time didn't bring any improvements...)
Want some laughter with your romance this holiday season?
Come battle the werewolves, and see the resolution to this series of books I call The Five Sisters:
Picture This
How to Bury a Millionaire
Just Peachy
Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire
Never Moon a Werewolf.
