Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 163

#Excerpt: SPOONING DAISY by Maggie McConnell

His laugh was immediate. Daisy realized how ridiculous her allegation was. Max Kendall's particular brand of woman didn't need lies to motivate her into his bed. His women were fun and adventurous and, unlike Daisy, didn't have impossible expectations.

"I thought we were talking about you," he said with a dying chuckle. "But if you think you're helping the enemy..." With his good leg bearing the brunt of his weight, he rose from the bed. Grabbing the handles on his duffle bag, he slowly stepped toward the bathroom.
"If the lights were dim and the music soft and the wine expensive." 
Max turned at the door. "And?"
"And what?"

"I don't believe for one second that you, Daisy, would be undermined by lights, music, and wine."
"And… if I thought you were...special."
"And what makes a man special?"
Daisy hesitated at the fork in her road. She could give Max an honest answer or… "Well, for one thing, he's very forgiving--"
His eyes crinkled as his grin returned.
"--And he would never use all the hot water just to prove some ridiculous point."
"I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble giving a straight answer. See you when the water runs cold." The bathroom door clicked shut.
"And he makes me smile," Daisy murmured, smiling.
  BLURB:
Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce to die for. But Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen after a "bit of trouble" at her last job. Now blacklisted from Seattle to San Francisco, Daisy's sole job offer is from Wild Man Lodge in Otter Bite, Alaska, where the end of the road is just the beginning.
NOTE: Spooning Daisy will be on sale for 99 ¢ until January 2, 2017
Amazon Buy Link:https://www.amazon.com/Spooning-Daisy-Otter-Bite-Romance-ebook/dp/B015VA3O10
Barnes & Noble Buy Link:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spooning-daisy-maggie-mcconnell/1122713766
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood overseas as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local humane shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes dog Molly, cat Sara, horses Quinn and Teena, and an ever-growing dynasty of chipmunks. Every year, like the Gray Whale, Maggie returns to Alaska.Website:  http://MaggieMcConnellRomance.com
Facebook Author Page:https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMcConnellRomance/

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#Excerpt: GAWAIN AND THE GREEN NIGHT by Stefan Emunds

Gawain’s eyelids quiver like butterflies in a thunderstorm.
His brain is on fire.
“Argh!”
He shakes his head but stops at once. It feels as if his brain is loose and banging against the inside of his skull.
“Swyve!”He pushes his forehead against a cold rock.
“What’s that noise?”
Fifty yards away a river whirls fire, water, and stones into the air. It’s a ferocious, elemental wall, ready to obliterate anything that gets too close. The deafening clamor pumps up the pain in his head.
“Where am I, by God’s bones?”
His tongue is a lump of hot sand, his body limp as if bled out, prostrated on a rock. He summons a prayer and rolls over. A vast, flat stone desert boasts there. On the horizon soars a violet, oval mountain of perfect proportions. Raindrops are floating in the air.
Awe adulterates his agony.
“This is no common land. How did I end up here?”
A few meters away a horse snorts, weary, feeble, and twisted like him. From its mouth leaks thick, green saliva.
“Were we poisoned?”
He worms his way to the horse and leans against it. The horse’s skin shivers and it moans with appreciation. The horses sweat smells like urine. He pats the horse, swipes through the air and wets his hand, then his forehead.
“That’s better!”
He does the same for the horse.
“What happened to us?” An inky fog clouds his mind. He fumbles for his memories like a blind man who lost his stick and dog. Nothing. His spirit implodes into the void of his mind.
“My God, who am I?” He shakes his head again, this time he ignores the painful throbbing.
“Did the poison take my memory?”
He looks down at his body. It is glowing with a mysterious, amber light. “Am I a ghost? Did I die?”
He pinches himself and welcomes the pain.
“I think I’m alive!”

BLURB:
Sir Gawain serves as the most honorable knight at King Arthur’s Round Table, and after an encounter with the mysterious Green Knight, Gawain’s fate becomes intertwined with that of his own honorable death - a destiny he must fight for to the bitter end. After accepting a beheading challenge from the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is awestruck to find the knight quite alive, despite his mortal wound.
In the year that follows, Gawain strikes out across the land in search of the green chapel, just one link in the chain of a perplexing and ancient mystery behind the Green Knight, and the circumstances of Gawain’s voluntary execution. Along the way, Gawain’s strength, duty, and honor will be tested as he fights through treacherous trials and carnal temptations. Trapped in a terminal karmic scenario, and honor-bound to seek out his own death, Gawain leaps into the ethos of mythology as a hero of legend.
A classic retelling of the story of Gawain and the Green Knight, this story of karma and honor brings the legend back to life as a mystical romance and epic adventure tale that will whisk you away to an era of chivalry, honor, and divine purpose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Stefan loves to write spiritual, visionary, and inspirational fiction and non fiction. He was born in Germany and enjoyed two years backpacking in Australia, New Zealand, and South-East Asia in his early twenties.
Although drawn to philosophy and spirituality since adolescence, Stefan chose a career in the telecommunication industry. Since then, he has worked as a business development manager in Europe, Middle East, and in South East Asia.
For almost three decades, Stefan has pursued a spiritual career at B.O.T.A., a modern mystery school teaching Tarot, Qabalah, Gematria, esoteric Astrology, and Alchemy.
2012 Stefan kick-started his author hobby career. He writes about the mysteries of life and beyond and likes to tickle people’s spiritual bone. He has set his heart on promoting a contemporary, spiritual Christianity too. Of course, he also writes to entertain. Spirituality is fun.
When Stefan isn’t writing, he spends his time with his children and works on his spiritual career, in the hope to meet God face to face in this lifetime.
Email: stefan@emunds.meHomepage: http://www.stefanemunds.comSpiritual Blog: http://www.nuchrist.comInspirational Blog: http://www.dailyinspirer.netTwitter handle: @EmundsStefanTwitter URL: http://twitter.com/EmundsStefanFacebook: Emunds.StefanThe Nu Christ Facebook pageThe Daily Inspirer Facebook pageStefan on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/grstemPinterest: pinterest.com/semundsGoogle+Google+ Page God ChildGoogle + Page Daily InspirerThe God Child YouTube channelThe Daily Inspirer YouTube channelAuthor YouTube channelLinkedIN: http://de.linkedin.com/in/emundsstefan

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#Excerpt: LIGHT IN MY DARK by Jean Gilbert and William Dresden

With an arm out front as a shield, Jack pressed through the unnatural pitch-black, swiping back the grasping monsters. Up ahead, there was a change in the darkness, a lightening of sorts. The nightmarish dread clung to him as he fought to reach the break ahead.
And then he was through.
All around him was a world of twilight. Gone was the crisp autumn air of Glen Eden. Instead, the air weighed on his body, thick like that of a humid summer day.
"Harper?" he called out as he scanned the half-light of the night.
It appeared to be evening, dusk, or just after.
Nervously, he walked forward, stumbling a little as his sneakers caught on the flat stone platform in front of the shadowed wall he had just come through. At the end of the platform, there was a set of steps that led down into a grassy glade that was surrounded by a thick hedge of tall shrubs. Two great shadowy figures flanked the steps like ghostly statues of some ancient cemetery. He could not see their faces, for they were turned away from the wall.
"Harper? Are you there?" he called out again.
When no one answered, he crept forward and down the steps, eyeing the stone statues as he passed between them. The air became heavier, making him nervous, but he kept going.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Sixteen-year-old Harper Deveraux has longed for an adventure ever since her mother died of cancer four years ago. Much to her dismay, she is stuck in Glen Eden, a small mountain town in upstate New York that does little to fuel her hopes and dreams.
Another year of high school has begun, and with the Moon Dance only a few weeks away, Harper suddenly finds herself torn between the affections of two boys: her best friend Jack, and a new boy from the City named Knes who might not be from this world.
Strange things begin to happen in Glen Eden when Harper uncovers a mystery that involved her mother and a realm shrouded in darkness that lies beyond the wall... A realm that Knes intends to take her to. Only Jack stands in his way.
Light In My Dark, is an action-packed modern YA fantasy, filled with dark forces, love, and self-discovery.
BUY LINKS:
ITUNES:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/light-in-my-dark/id1153359302?mt=11
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Light-My-Dark-Beyond-Wall-ebook/dp/B01LVVONUS
AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-My-Dark-Beyond-Wall-ebook/dp/B01LVVONUS
AMAZON CA:  https://www.amazon.ca/Light-My-Dark-Beyond-Wall-ebook/dp/B01LVVONUSKOBO:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/light-in-my-dark
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/light-in-my-dark-jean-gilbert/1124599371  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR BIOS: William Dresden is an author and award-winning screenwriting. He spent several years as a script doctor and pursued the dream of writing hollywood blockbusters. Now he mostly writes fiction and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. William currently lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
Jean Gilbert is an award winning speculative fiction writer from New Zealand. She is a Core member of SpecFicNZ, and is also the coordinator for SpecFicNZ Central. Jean's novels include the Vault Agency Series: Shifters, Ardus, and The Vault. You can find her short stories Blonde Obsession in Baby Teeth: Bite Size Tales of Terror, and Pride in the Contact Light Anthology.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES:
Authors Websites: www.williamdresden.com www.jeangilbert.com
Authors Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WilliamDresden  https://twitter.com/jean_gilbert
Authors Facebook www.facebook.com/william.dresden.31www.facebook.com/jean.gilbert.7370

Publishers Twitter:  https://twitter.com/readroguehouse
Publishers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/roguehousepublishing
Publishers Website:  http://www.roguehousepublishing.co.nz


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The Vacation Route to Completing a Novel by Terry W. Ervin II

Just about every writer, and a good number of readers, knows one way to categorize writers is Pantsters vs. Plotters.
A ‘pantster’ just sits down and writes their novel, not knowing what happens next, until they reach the end of the story.

A ‘plotter’ outlines or plans their book and uses that as a guide while writing the novel, from beginning to the end of the story.
Of course, the division isn’t as black and white as that. For example, the degree to which an author plans or outlines their novels varies greatly.
In any case, this article isn’t intended to discuss which method is superior/should be used, because, in truth, there isn’t any single ‘right way’ to write a novel. What works for one author may or may not be efficient or effective for another. Anyone who believes there is only one ‘right way’ is, well, wrong. Otherwise, every successful author would use the exact same writing process—which they don’t.
What I am going to share is what works for me, and has worked for a number of writers that have struggled in the past…either ‘pantstering’ and writing themselves into a corner, or leaving a jumbled, rambling storyline with plot holes and tangents galore—something unmanageable to work with. Or the writers that can’t get beyond the outlining stage. And, if the outlining authors do, they can’t transition that outline into a compelling story.
I think of the way I outline and plan a novel before writing it as similar to planning a road trip for a vacation. For a vacation, you plan out a route to your ultimate destination. You plan where you intend to stop and visit along the way. How long the stop will be and what sights will be seen. As with any vacation, there will be detours and unexpected sights to see. Some anticipated stops will be shortened or bypassed all together. Some stretches of road will take longer than anticipated, with construction or crowded bottlenecks. Other sections will breeze by faster than anticipated. Still, along the way, even on the road, there are things to see and experience.
Just as with the vacation road trip, I plan out my novel, from the starting point to the final destination—how it will end. I identify major plot points or events along the way (major places to stop and visit). While I have an idea how long it will take to write certain scenes containing the various plot events, sometimes it takes more words (stay there longer). Sometimes I write something unanticipated (stop at an unanticipated destination along the way) and sometimes I eliminate something from the plot (bypassing a planned stop along the way).
The thing is, an outline isn’t written in stone, just as vacation plans shouldn’t be. The flexibility allows the story to grow and become more interesting along the way. Me? I plan in a spiral notebook, taking up about fifteen pages. I jot down relevant events, bits of interesting dialogue or places or characters to be introduced, things like that. With a two novels, I transferred the handwritten version to a Word document. This makes it easier to add or delete information, as opposed to adding new ideas in a different color pen or crossing things out. See, that outline is dynamic, and as ideas strike me over the course of writing, I have an organized place to jot (or type) them as they come to me.
Another hidden benefit is that I don’t get writer’s block. Why not? I know exactly which mile marker (event within the plot outline) I am at, and what mile marker (plot destination) I am traveling (writing) towards. At least that is how writing has worked out for me.
So, if you’re a writer that struggles (or a reader thinking about maybe writing a novel), whether you’re a pantster or a plotter, consider giving my method a try. Modify it to your needs and writing style (some authors use index cards or spread sheets). If you’re an avid reader who thinks you might have a good novel inside of you…consider starting out with this method to organize that novel (or novella or short story) so that it can be written.

Author Bio:
Terry W. Ervin II is an English teacher who enjoys writing fantasy and science fiction. Beyond his new release, Thunder Wells , Terry’s Crax War Chronicles (science fiction) includes Relic Tech and Relic Hunted , and his First Civilization’s Legacy Series(fantasy) includes Flank Hawk , Blood Sword and Soul Forge . His short story collection, Genre Shotgun , contains all of his stories previously published in magazines, ezines and anthologies.
When Terry isn’t writing or enjoying time with his wife and daughters, he can be found in his basement raising turtles.
To contact Terry, or to learn more about his writing endeavors, visit his website at www.ervin-author.com and his blog, Up Around the Corner, at uparoundthecorner.blogspot.com.
Amazon author page:https://www.amazon.com/Terry-W.-Ervin-II/e/B01DAZWF0O 

Interview with W.T. Fallon, FAIL TO THE CHIEF

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? My latest book is Fail to the Chief , a parody of presidential proportions. In it, I imagined the presidential election as a reality show called American President—every week, candidates have to perform challenges selected by the audience, then the person with the least votes is eliminated.
I wanted the challenges to be things that I'd always wanted to see in a real election. The first challenge is working a real job—all the candidates have to go out and work at a real job, with no aides around to make sure they say the right thing and look good. Each candidate gets a different job, voted on by the audience, based on his or her previous experience or campaign promises. So there's a scene where this governor who opposes raising the minimum wage has to go work at a fast food restaurant, where obviously his coworkers aren't his biggest fans. As he's trying to work the cash register, he also has to deal with customers who have their own issues with him.
Other challenges include a debate where all the contestants are hooked up to polygraph machines—something I've always wanted to see, even though it'll never happen in real life—and a sort of reverse drinking game where you take a shot every time someone says something trite and overused—only the candidates are the ones who have to take a drink. I always wanted to see a debate where all the candidates are drunk.
Do you have a favorite character?Probably  Bryan Seafoam, the host of American President. The story is told from his point of view, so we get to see all the candidates and their antics through his eyes. Bryan has his own subplots—he wants to be a serious reporter, but his producer pressures him not to be too hard on the candidates, to leave that up to the audience on social media. Later in the story, he uncovers a cheating scandal and has to make some difficult decisions. There are some surprise twists at the end.
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?Years ago, with my probably-needed-some-work first effort at a novel, yes, I tried querying agents. What a waste of time that was. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't wasted so much time on that. It really was a big time suck. I spent hours reading about how to write an effective query letter, rewriting mine a million times, and it was just an ROI of ZERO.
When I finally gave up on that, it was around the time that self-publishing on Amazon was getting big. So I became very interested in self-publishing. I had heard that a few people were actually making good money with their self-published novels, although a lot of people don't. I decided I was going to finish my next book and put it on Amazon myself, and the hell with agents and publishers. That was in 2012, I think, around the time the Kindle Fire came out.
So that year I started a Nanowrimo novel with the idea of finishing it in November, and I did—November of 2014. (Hey, they never said it had to be November of the same year, right?) By then the self-publishing field had expanded exponentially. I think the Kindle Fire's success helped make ebooks more popular, but besides that, everybody and their dog decided to publish a book on Amazon. Unfortunately, that made the market really cluttered, which is still true today. There are some great self-published novels out there, but there's also a lot of stuff that really needs an editor. It's very hard to get noticed with so many books of varying quality out there.
How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?So after I finally finished that Nano novel in 2014, I was still really into the idea of publishing myself on Amazon. But, like I said, there are a lot of challenges to overcome. You can either figure out how to design your own cover, or pay someone to do it. I didn't have any money, so I figured I'd just design my own or use one of those free covers Amazon offers to authors. (That was a seriously bad idea, and I don't recommend anyone do that.) As far as editing, I figured I'd do it myself and hope I didn't miss anything.
But even if you do a great job of designing a cover and editing your book, it's still difficult to get anyone to even see it, especially if you don't have a marketing budget. So I ended up talking to a small press, Oghma Creative Media.
Initially, I found it hard to let go of the idea of self-publishing. I'd gotten really attracted to the idea of doing everything myself and having control of everything. I probably found self-publishing so appealing because I'm a little bit of a control freak. However, after thinking about it, I realized it would be nice to have help with things like editing and cover design, so I agreed to let them publish that novel.
What factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or publisher?I liked that Oghma wanted its authors to be involved in the whole creative process, from editing to cover design.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?I was very involved with the cover, which was designed by Richard Howk at Oghma Creative Media. I told him it was very important to have some of the candidates on the cover, and I also wanted the host, Bryan Seafoam, sort of sitting off to the side doing the facepalm. I really like how it turned out. It really shows what the book is about.
Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?Yes, I belong to a couple critique groups, and they have helped me improve my writing a lot. For a long time I thought, I'll wait until I improve my writing, I don't want to read them something awful. Eventually it occurred to me my writing might improve a lot faster if I got some feedback on it, so I went, and I wish I had done it sooner.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?Usually I listen to music, but I try to write whenever I have time. Thanksgiving Day, I was in the longest line EVER at JCPenney waiting to buy something in their sale, and I was so bored. So then I remembered I was trying to do Nanowrimo again, so I got out my phone and wrote a whole page while I was standing there in that never-moving line. No, I didn't win Nano this year, but I did get some writing done.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I'm a pantser. I can't outline. If I had to know everything that was going to happen in my story before I started, I would never start. I just figure it out as I go along.
I had no idea where I was going with Fail to the Chief . In fact, when I started writing it I really only planned on it being a short story. That's actually a good example of one way my critique group helped me—I read them the first five pages of what would become Fail to the Chief , which I hadn't yet figured out how to finish. I was hoping someone would suggest something funny that would help me think of an ending.
Then someone said, “This should be a book,” and I was like, “I don't think there's enough here for a book.” But everyone else said, “It should be a book,” and it's rare for everyone in the group to agree about any one thing. Usually you get a wide variety of opinions, and that's good, but this time it was unanimous.
So I said I'd think about it, and I did, and the funniest thing happened. Once I stopped thinking of it as a short story, I realized I had more than enough material for a book. In fact, I ultimately figured out why I couldn't finish it—there was too much story for a twenty-page resolution. I would have no problem finishing it as a book.
Of course, it probably would have taken me months, and I'd probably still be writing it if I hadn't lost my job the next month. So there I was, a two-time college graduate who had finally gotten a job that paid like I was a college graduate and not a kindergarten dropout, after years of being a college-educated cashier, and six months later I got fired. (My former employer claimed they were going in another direction, and technically that was true. That direction was replacing me with a couple of interns at a much lower rate of pay.) Then I got denied unemployment because my former employer lied and said I was fired for cause after telling me I did nothing wrong. I was angry, depressed, and humiliated. I had spent so much time, working two jobs to pay for college, just so one day I could make more than minimum wage, only to spend years working in retail for little more, then the minute I got a decent job, it got taken away.
So I said, “Screw it, I'm going to finish my book.” And the next scene I wrote was the one with the governor in the fast food restaurant. In it, he meets a manager at the restaurant who's working three jobs just to make ends meet, despite having gone into debt to earn a college degree. The governor declares that he's obviously solved the state's unemployment problem if someone can find not one but THREE jobs, showing just how out of touch he is. It's a funny scene, and it got a lot of laughs at my critique group, but it also has a serious message: A lot of people struggle to pay for college, only to end up working for minimum wage. The fast food manager's explanation of his problems was a good way for me to work out my anger and frustration with my own life, while hopefully making people think. That's one of the reasons I write: To make people think.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?It is difficult, because I do spend a lot of time looking for opportunities to do interviews, write guest posts, and appear on podcasts. But it's also important, because again, it's very difficult to get your book noticed when there are so many books out there.
What’s next for you?I'm working on my next book, The Trust Pill, which will probably be published in 2018. It's a comical look at the pharmaceutical industry in the not-so-distant future. If you've ever seen a commercial for some sort of medication, and the list of side effects was so long and so much worse than whatever it was for, you have some idea of what the book is about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book BlurbAfter years of emceeing insipid singing competitions, TV personality Bryan Seafoam can't wait to host "American President," the world's first reality show to elect a president of the United States. Finally, an opportunity to be a real journalist, digging up dirt and playing hardball with the top ten candidates.
But it doesn't take long for the contestants to start slinging mud at Bryan - literally, when billionaire candidate Ronald Chump is challenged to dig his proposed moat along the Mexican-American border himself. Forced to work in a fast food restaurant, an anti-minimum-wage-hike candidate learns his coworkers are struggling to survive with multiple jobs and claims to have solved the unemployment problem in his state-leaving Bryan to duck ketchup bombs from customers. To make matters worse, Bryan's producer pressures him to be nicer to the candidates, and his former crush, now an experienced political correspondent, shows up-and shows him up at every turn.
When a cheating scandal rocks the show, Bryan begins to suspect it's just the tip of a very underhanded iceberg. Will trying to expose a plot to wreck the most hysterical, er, historic election in history cost Bryan his career-and his personal life?
Buy Link:https://www.amazon.com/Fail-Chief-W-T-Fallon-ebook/dp/B01LYON1F2
Author Bio: W. T. Fallon believes if you can’t say something nice, you should say something funny and totally true. She has few marketable skills, but is highly talented in the areas of sarcasm, satire, and snark. For the past several years, she has written for the local Gridiron Show, and this year she started a blog called Sharable Sarcasm. The 2016 election provided so many opportunities for humor that she decided to write her first novel, a political satire called Fail to the Chief, which will be released in September. She was recently published on The Satirist, and has been writing for Humor Outcasts since September of 2016.
Social Media LinksFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/wtfallon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wtfallonauthor
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...https://twitter.com/wtfallonauthor
Blog:https://sharablesarcasm.wordpress.com/

#SALE .99 - THE SINGLE DADDY CLUB Boxed Set by USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano

Save $7.00! Grab it now while it's on sale.

Buy links:
Kindle: http://amzn.to/295O2NJiBooks: http://ow.ly/wd1u301QkZQNook: http://ow.ly/Oizf301Ql8nKobo: http://ow.ly/t5YZ301QljI
Author Bio: USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog. Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1.

Donna has a website, and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Contact information can be found inside Donna Fasano's books. She loves to interact with readers.

#Excerpt: DARE TO LOVE A SPY by Debra Elizabeth

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Richardson curtsied to her partner before leaving the dance floor. Her cheeks were flushed, and the ringlets of her rich brown hair that had escaped their pins lay wet against her neck. She made her way to the double doors leading to the balcony overlooking her aunt’s gardens and stepped through. She looked around to make sure there were no gentlemen in the vicinity so as to not compromise her reputation. She was hot from dancing and a few moments outside on the balcony couldn’t possibly cause a scandal. She inhaled deeply of the cool night air. Goosebumps rose on her arms from the chill, but she ignored them. She was happy to be out of the stuffy ballroom, if only for a moment or two. Aunt Mary’s gardens were one of her favorite places to visit, and she felt at home and comfortable here. It was her own private sanctuary, and she relished the beauty and peacefulness of the place. A few goose bumps were well worth it for such a sanctuary. “It’s so lovely here,” she murmured as she stepped off the balcony and wandered down the path while breathing in the exotic smells of the gardens. Her aunt had hired the best and most experienced gardener in London, and no other gardens rivaled the Tisbury Gardens, especially with its many varieties of roses. Hannah bent over one of the more fragrant roses and breathed deeply. When she straightened, she thought she heard voices scattered on the breeze. She looked farther down the path, but the shadows were deep and no one was in sight. “Who’s there?” she whispered. Perhaps it was a couple seeking privacy. She knew she shouldn’t go snooping, but the thought of seeing who was meeting in secret spurred her down the path.She looked left and right, but there was no one around. She sighed. There would be no spying on illicit love tonight and it was time to return to the ballroom before her own reputation was compromised. Before she could take another step, an arm circled around her waist and a hand tightened around her throat as she was tugged back against a broad, hard chest.“Oh!” she cried out in surprise as her heart hammered in fright. A cold, quiet terror unfurled in her chest. She had never been handled so roughly in her life. Who would dare do such a thing, and especially in her aunt’s gardens? What was the meaning of this?“You must be careful not to walk alone at night, Miss Richardson,” a deep, husky voice whispered in her ear. “What do you want? Unhand me at once,” she demanded, her rising indignation overtaking her original scare.“To pass along a warning, that is all. Heed my advice,” he said, his hot breath on her neck sending unexpected shivers down her spine.“How dare you put your hands upon my person?” she asked, trying to dislodge the arm around her waist.In an instant, the pressure was gone, and she almost felt adrift with the mystery man gone. Hannah whirled around to confront the scoundrel who had accosted her, but there was no one there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Title: Dare to Love a Spy Author: Debra Elizabeth Genre: Regency Romance
Blurb:Miss Hannah Richardson is enjoying a Season in London. She's not looking for a husband, at least not this Season. She wants to enjoy herself before settling down to married life. All that changes, however, when she sees the Duke of Wetherby. He's tall, dark and impossibly handsome and someone Hannah wants to get to know better.
Camden Darkin, the Duke of Wetherby, is not fond of attending soirees, dinners or balls, but his latest mission for the Crown demands he mingle with the ton. He has vowed never to marry because of his dangerous work and the constant bevy of beauties anxious mothers throw into his path is not tempting him in the least. That is, until he meets Hannah Richardson, a young woman unlike any other he's ever met. Can he learn to love or will his hardened heart rob him of the very thing he needs the most.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Love-Spy-Book-Innocence-ebook/dp/B01IWR62CW/ref=twoen-20BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dare-to-love-a-spy-debra-elizabeth/1124272446KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dare-to-love-a-spyitunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1141363907?mt=11  Reviewer’s comments:
"I loved the murder-mystery flair that seemed present and the deliciously tense undertone of the spy network. These points gave lots of flavor to the budding romance and caused lots of conflict well so we ended up with a really meaty story"

"A very well-written book, I highly recommend it for those who love a witty, fast-paced Regency romance."

Author bio: Debra Elizabeth is the romance pen name for fantasy author Debra L. Martin. She has been writing stories since her teens and decided to finally publish her romance stories under a pen name so as not to confuse her fantasy fans. She publishes epic and urban fantasy under her true name with her co-author and brother, David W. Small. A full list of all of her books can be found at her blog, Two Ends of the Pen.
Website:https://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/p/romance-titles.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Debra.L.Martin.AuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/dlmartin6
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Debra-Elizabeth/e/B005XYN2YENewsletter sign-up: https://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/

#Excerpt: SECRET OF MOOLIGHT COVE, A Romance Anthology

Excerpt from Mr. Valentine Comes to Town by A.G. Reid          The problem with being immortal is that you can’t vacation in the same place very often. Usually, a couple of weeks every decade was all Valentine allowed himself. More than that, and people started asking too many questions. Moonlight Cove. His research told him this location was ideal for his needs. A coastal city with a Mediterranean climate, extended dry summers and short wet winters. The structures, though old, were well maintained. Best of all, Moonlight Cove has a transient tourist population.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~



BLURB:
Maggie’s Mystery Man by Barb DeLong: Who is the reclusive visitor that has rented the entire Bed and Breakfast in the historic Moonlight Cove Lighthouse and who only appears in public in a bad disguise complete with a ridiculous fake wig? Maggie might find the big story that will save her small town paper. Or she might find much more.
Once Upon a Love Letter by Jill Jaynes:  Chloe Reiser sees dead people, and now that she’s back in Moonlight Cove to make a fresh start, she’s done keeping it a secret. But how is she going to tell her more-skeptical-than-ever high school crush that his dead father has an important message for him?
Surprise Deliveries by Shauna Roberts:  Serious, sensible Mr. Hamasaki left for a trip and never came back. His daughter and an artist must team up to find him.
Second Time Around by Janna Roznos:  A woman with her business on the brink may find more than she bargained for in the old Victorian house left to her by her dead sister.
Lily’s Pad by Kathleen Rowland:  Lily Holmes knows enough tricks to attract celebrities to her beachside bistro, Lily’s Pad. She knows the rules but breaks one when she falls in love with her valued client, reality T.V. star Scarlett Royale’s man, Creed Taylor.
Buy LinksAmazon:https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Moonlight-Cove-Romance-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01M2B1PVG/
Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Moonlight-Cove-Romance-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01M2B1PVG/

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jill Jaynes began her love affair with romance when she was a teenager growing up in Southern California, spending many a late-night under the covers with a flashlight and good romance novel.  Today she writes stories with happy endings her own way--with a dash of magic that means anything can happen. When she’s not writing, you can find her wine-tasting or hiking with her awesome husband, plotting her next story with her writer-daughter or working at her day job in her spare time.
https://www.facebook.com/JillJaynesRomance/http://www.jilljaynes.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14369211.Jill_Jaynes

Shauna Roberts writes historical fiction, science fiction, romance, and fantasy and is a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Her publications include more than a thousand nonfiction articles, three nonfiction books, several short stories, two novelettes, and three novels (Like Mayflies in a Stream, historical fiction, 2009; Claimed by the Enemy, historical fiction with romantic elements, 2014; and Ice Magic, Fire Magic, fantasy with romantic elements, 2015).
http://www.shaunaroberts.com/https://www.facebook.com/shaunarobertshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2127144.Shauna_Roberts

A.G. Reid developed a love for romance novels while serving in the military. It helped keep him grounded. He now writes romantic stories with a paranormal twist. Enjoy his short story Mr. Valentine Comes to Town in the romance anthology, Secrets Of Moonlight Cove.
https://www.facebook.com/AG-Reid-author-565738970277946/

Barb DeLong loves all things romance, animals and light-hearted, so she combines the three into her contemporary and paranormal stories. She has published a short story in Romancing the Pages anthology, Secrets of Moonlight Cove anthology, and is currently working on another short story plus a three-book paranormal romance series.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16049288.Barb_DeLong

Janna Roznos writes about the middle-ages: middle-aged women that is! Second chances, life changes and starting over are themes she continues to explore in her writing. Her short story, Second Time Around for Secrets of Moonlight Cove is her first published work.
https://www.facebook.com/jkroznoshttps://jannaroznos.wordpress.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16049289.Janna_Roznos

Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with a sizzling love story sure to melt their hearts.  Some are sweet: Lily’s Pad within the Secrets of Moonlight Cove anthology, but a sizzling hot example is Deadly Alliance from Tirgearr Publishing. 
https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.rowland.50http://www.kathleenrowland.com/


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.99 AFTER CHRISTMAS #SALE: LOVE BY SECRETS by Debra Elizabeth

LOVE BY SECRETS
Book 1, Age of Innocence series 



Eighteen-year-old Emily Stanton is excited to attend this season's society balls and begin her search for a husband. She is thrilled when the dashing and handsome Connor Preston begins to show her more attention. After each ball, Emily finds a love note in her drawstring reticule, and she expects a marriage proposal from Connor any day.

When her father objects and forces Emily to accept the proposal from Lady Tisbury's shy nephew, Ethan Richardson instead, her heart is broken. How can she love her new husband when her heart belongs to the man who wrote her such beautiful love letters?
LOVE BY SECRETS is a novel. (~200 pages)




Buy links:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Secrets-Romance-Novella-ebook/dp/B005XMZ0NM/ref=twoen-20
BN buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-by-secrets-debra-elizabeth/1106798037

Reviewers Comments:  
"As a fan of the incredible Jane Austen ... this novella was a real treat for me to read. The author does a wonderful job with descriptions, such as when she describes Emily's first ball as a kaleidoscope of colors as the couples dance the night away." 

"Love by Secrets is a sweet, bite-size love story. ... I really liked the time period the book was set in. It reminded me of Pride & Prejudice in that regard." 

 "The story was captivating, truly well-written.....Overall, Love by Secrets was an enjoyable, quick read. The author did a good job in conveying all the right elements of a sweet historical romance and I look forward to continuing the series, as well as read her other works. I recommend giving this one a try.

#Excerpt: AT FIRST SIGHT by Candy Caine

The Clio Award was like the Academy Award for advertising. It was awarded for creative excellence in all forms of communication.
Autumn rushed into her office breathless. Stuart looked up from his computer monitor.
“Who died and left you a bundle?”
“Money? Who cares about money? This is way better than money, and definitely something money can’t buy.”
“Really?”
Autumn rolled her eyes. “Look, do you want to hear the great news or not?”
“Sure, humor me.”
“We’re up for a Clio!”
Stuart stared gaped-mouth at Autumn as the words she had just spoken filtered through his shocked brain. Suddenly, he jumped up and grabbed her as they did an impromptu happy dance around the room. It took approximately thirty seconds before they both stopped dancing and locked eyes for several moments. Then their lips met. Though they broke apart quickly after realizing what they’d done, Autumn still felt its sweetness flow through her, her heart wanting more—much, much more.


BLURB:
When Autumn Stiles lands the advertising job of her dreams, she feels it's the happiest day of her life. She doesn't count on the tall, handsome, dreamy-eyed Stuart Tanner doing his best to get her to quit.

When Tanner learns that he has a new socialite employee at the advertising agency where he works, he is determined to get rid of her. She is obviously just trying out for a hard-working job that she thinks is glamorous.

But soon the heat sizzles between them and he determines he will never give in to his desires.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/At-First-Sight-Candy-Caine-ebook/dp/B01N2QB0U7


~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Whether she’s writing a short story or novel, Candy Caine will make her interracial romances hot and spicy. Always striving to entertain her readers, Candy tries to breathe life into her characters by running them past her husband, Robert--which often makes life interesting in their new home in Arizona.Candy loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at candy@candycaine.com.Visit her website at www.candycaine.com and find her books on Amazon, B&N, MyRomanceStory.com and wherever books are sold.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
https://goddessfishpromotions. blogspot.com/2016/12/blurb- blitz-at-first-sight-by-candy. html

 
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