Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 58

#Excerpt: BOOKED FOR MURDER by R.J. Blain

Booked for Murder
R.J. Blain
(Vigilante Magical Librarians #1)
Publication date: August 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Life as a bodyguard and driver for the rich, famous, and powerful is dangerous on a good day, and after sustaining a crippling injury while on duty, Janette’s left with few options. Having signed a ‘for life’ contract but unable to work, she uses her skills to disappear.

Her new life as a librarian suits her. Nobody cares she limps and sometimes requires a cane to walk. She’s wanted for her knowledge, not her lethal magic. She’s surrounded by books, a woman’s best friend.

But when her former employer’s best friend is murdered on the steps of her library, old loyalties and secrets might destroy her—or set her free.

Teaming up with her co-workers to find the killer might keep her from being booked for murder, but unless she’s careful, she’ll find out exactly how far her ex-boss will go to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Her. For life.

Excerpt:Once upon a time, I had lived on the edge, but I’d fallen off somehow, emerging scarred and broken. Once upon a time, I’d lived in the ivory tower, looking down on the streets below in search of threats and fortune. I’d found both to a frightening degree. Once upon a time, I’d been the lethal shadow of a man who wanted to change the world to his liking.I assumed he still did. Bradley Hampton wasn’t the kind to quit once he decided to do something.A sports car roared by, and it surprised me to discover I missed my once upon a time.The vehicle, a red Bugatti worth more than the idiot who drove it, darted through traffic. I scoffed at the driver’s inaccuracies, skirting too close to the lines for anyone’s comfort. Precision mattered when controlling a car at high speeds—or at any speed, really. A single tap of the brake could end lives or save them. The wrong turn of the wheel could result in a crash. Such a mistake, not on my part, had cost me my once upon a time, and a chill sliced through me at the memories the red vehicle revived.Once upon a time, my job had been to drive one of those cars, protect the man I’d been sworn to for life, and rise above all others except for him.Bradley Hampton wanted only the best and to be the best, and he’d expected more from me than anyone else.My once upon a time had ended with the recklessness of another bodyguard who’d believed a few minutes of time might actually matter. My last conscious act had been to position my car so my precious passenger would walk away from the accident. Even as I’d hit the brakes and turned the wheel, I’d been aware I would pay for his life with mine.I’d done so with pride.I couldn’t remember any fear, only pride.I couldn’t remember any pain, either. Trauma could do that to a person, erasing critical moments.Taking the brunt of the accident, created by another bodyguard’s foolish pride, had cost a principal his life in addition to dumping me into a coma so deep and long I’d been transferred across the country to a specialty hospital and left for dead.I gave my ex-boss credit; he’d taken the ‘for life’ portion of my contract seriously, and he’d refused to have my plug yanked. Others of his ilk would have without hesitation. It didn’t change anything for me, though. His instructions, should I awaken, had been brutal and simple enough.He didn’t want to hear a damned word about me until I could return to duty.In typical Bradley Hampton fashion, he’d believed I’d be returning to duty. He likely still did, which would forever cause me problems. In good news for him, he wouldn’t learn the bitter truth. It’d taken the doctors a month following my return to coherency to acknowledge I wouldn’t be returning to duty.Sometimes, I wondered if he would ever be bothered to ask what had happened to me. If he did, what would he do? Would he care? People like me often fell prey to the hope our principals might actually care about us. I’d heard the lecture when I’d been selected for my duty.I lived to serve, and my life had no other purpose than that. Emotions only got in the way of the job.Those same emotions had created my willingness to position my ex-boss’s Ferrari in the way I had, putting his life over mine. It hadn’t just been pride in my job. I’d cared for him. I’d cared for his haughty parents who thought the world of him but tried not to acknowledge my existence.I’d cared.Caring always found a way to cause me problems, and I couldn’t stop myself. I still cared.I always would.I scowled at the painful reminder I shouldn’t have left my cane at home. Without it, I’d put too much strain on my busted ankle even with the medical boot allowing me to walk at all. Forgetting the cane had been yet another dumb stunt induced by the pain-filled fog of a morning without medication.Had I not been discarded, I might have gone without the incessant discomfort. Fool that I was, I’d screwed myself over with my cover story, which offered me the ability to avoid detection from the very man I’d once guarded. Along with a partial name change and a move back to my old haunts, I’d taken the hiding in plain sight thing a little too far. But what sank me was registering my magical aptitude rating at 17.2%, too high to count as a pure mundane but too low to use magic at all.Had I gone for a saner 30.5%, I could have visited a doctor for a renewal of my prescription without having to tap out enough of my magic to maintain my ruse. To tap my magic, I needed to manipulate someone’s blood, circumventing their heart or adjusting their personal chemistry to suit my needs.Opportunities to use my magic came few and far between, and I didn’t have access to cadavers to practice on, nor was I willing to inflict misery on some random stranger to drop my reserves to dangerously low levels.There was only so much I could do with my own blood before I ran the risk of death.I cursed the sports car and its idiot driver for making even more of a mess of my morning.I didn’t need any more damned problems in my life. I needed my cane, but if I turned around and limped home, I’d be late for work. Being late for work couldn’t happen, not without a damned good reason, and forgetting my cane didn’t count. Once at the library, I could figure something out—or bribe one of my co-workers to run down the street to my apartment. If I had owned anything worth stealing, I might’ve been concerned, but my apartment did a good job of representing my bland life. With my salary, I skipped luxuries, and the little extra money I didn’t shove into a savings account went down the drain trying to rehab my foot.Spiting the damned doctor who had sworn I’d be wheelchair bound for the rest of my life amused me. The last time I’d gone to his office, I’d done so without my cane, earning a scolding over it. I’d gotten him to finally admit I might one day walk without my boot.My new doctor had faith in me and my mangled foot. Even on the days I faltered, she believed. With enough hard work and a few more surgeries, I might even manage without a limp.I even understood that after successfully rehabbing my foot, I wouldn’t return to my once upon a time. Those days were gone, and for the most part, I didn’t miss them.Okay, I missed them. I missed having a hotter than hell boss with a sense of humor, I missed driving luxury sports cars better than anyone else, and I longed to take the latest and greatest to the race track so I could play with them, as they were banned from the road for being too fast and glorious to be street legal.Bradley Hampton liked rewarding his minions for good behavior, and he’d figured out how I’d ticked within months of hiring me to be his for life bodyguard.I fucking loved cars.Instead of stomping my foot at the unfairness of some incompetent driving a car I could handle better, I limped to the corner, pressed the button to cross the street, and muttered curses over my lot in life.I loved working at the library and getting lost in a good book, but I remembered.Nothing good came from old memories, lost dreams, and unobtainable ambitions. I’d earned a nice, quiet life, and I meant to enjoy it. Forgetting the past would just take a little more time.
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section</style><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><div style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/2XnJ8YD" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book..." target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/ca/book/booke..." target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/book..." target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/d..." target="_blank">Google Play</a></div><div style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><img alt="" src="http://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-co..." style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0;" /><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Author Bio:</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.</span> </blockquote><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.</span></blockquote><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thesneakykittycritic.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rjblain.author/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/RJ_Blain" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rj.blain/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br class="blank" /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>GIVEAWAY!</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d04251233826" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rcwidget_8mvopkt2" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com... style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRJMyXe2sC..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRJMyXe2sC..." width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="442" height="81" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGx7xg1aV4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGx7xg1aV4..." width="200" /></a></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Interview with Paul DeBlassie, THE UNHOLY

 Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? The Unholy is a standalone supernatural thriller that delves into the dark side of religion and one woman’s struggle to break free.

Do you have a favorite character? Claire, the heroine, struggles to come to terms with the reality of darkness cloaked in light. It affects her ability to live and love. She breaks your heart and makes you hope she makes it through tough times and heartache.

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first or latest book. I’ve been writing for thirty years. The Unholy won the International Book Award, a culmination of ten years of clinical/psychotherapeutic experience and research, leading to bloodletting on the page—the birthing of a novel.

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both? I stick with my own imprint, Hallowed Realms Press, for my novels. I’ve been with traditional publishers, their price points way too high for the indie market. I can write, have professional edits, and do international pr for supernatural thrillers best as an indie writer.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover? I always see the image in my head then pass it on to my designer. Then my imagination gives a thumbs up to the final cover. I know if the image stirs feeling

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence? I listen to the shamanic trance music of my native New Mexico, the realm of my writing and imagination.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing? Oh, you bet. I have three editors – developmental, copy, final edit.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Amazon is best for me. It sells 70% of indie books and ebooks. When I think of shifting away, my psyche acts up (I’m a psychologist) inner feelings get scratchy. So, I stick with Amazon.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)? I have a wonderful social media base of appx. 90,000 across various platforms. I love the interactions with readers when it comes to blog posts, editorial reviews, and new releases.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena? If you feel you have a story in you, write it, let nothing stop you, and go indie-stay indie.


BLURB:
https://www.amazon.com/Unholy-Paul-DeBlassie-III-ebook/dp/B07BL2JQSB
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-unholy-paul-deblassie-iii/1116031770

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico. He specializes in treating individuals in emotional and spiritual crisis. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, Visionary Fiction Alliance, Depth Psychology Alliance, International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.
https://www.pauldeblassieiii.com/
https://twitter.com/pdeblassieiii?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.amazon.com/Paul-DeBlassie-III/e/B00E5TBJXY
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3938141.Paul_DeBlassie_III


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#Review: HOW TO CATCH A SINFUL MARQUESS by Amy Rose Bennett

  4 of 5 stars
Hamish MacQueen, Lord Sleat, is a battle scared hero who suffers from more than just his physical scars. He keeps to himself fearing his nightmares are a danger to anyone who gets close to him. Having a toddler dumped on his doorstep with a note claiming that Hamish is the father is just one issue that he's dealing with. Olivia de Vere has been admiring her neighbor Hamish for months and when the opportunity arises for her to escape her evil cousin, she agrees to accompany Hamish to his seat in Scotland to deal with a family matter and to act as a nursemaid for the child. What neither of them expected is the strong attraction growing between them, but will Hamish let go of his doubts and embrace Olivia's growing affection?
I really liked Olivia. Her transformation from a shy and timid young woman to become more self-confident and value her own worth was delightful. Her quiet and comforting presence for Hamish transforms the rugged Highlander who finally realizes that he is deserving of love. The twists and turns in the book kept me turning the pages quickly to find out how everything would be resolved. All in all this was a delightful story.
I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

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#Excerpt: PLAYING WITH FIRE by R.J. Blain

Playing with Fire
R.J. Blain
(Magical Romantic Comedies #1)
Publication date: January 30th 2017
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

What do you get when you mix gorgons, an incubus, and the Calamity Queen? Trouble, and lots of it.

For Bailey, catering to the magical is a tough gig on a good day, but she has few other options. She can either keep spiking drinks with pixie dust to keep the locals happy, or spend the rest of her life cleaning up some of the world’s nastiest magical substances.

Years after helping Police Chief Samuel Quinn escape an unhappy marriage, Bailey is once again entangled in his personal affairs. To make matters worse, Quinn’s ex-wife is angling for revenge, tossing Bailey into the deep end along with her sexiest enemy.

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—Only 99¢ for a limited time!—
EXCERPT:No one in their right mind would ever license me as a private investigator, but that didn’t stop people from coming to me when they needed something found. Fortunately, I liked my job as the only human barista at Faery Fortunes Coffee and Book Shop. Most came for a cup of joe and left too buzzed to read a thing, but who was I to complain? People paid top dollar for their pixie dust infused latte, and they tipped me well not to judge them.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t so fond of Chief Quinn. When he walked through the door, bad things usually happened to someone—me. For him to come in five minutes after opening, long before the sun even thought about rising, he needed something, and it wasn’t a cup of coffee. Why couldn’t he want coffee? I could deal with making him a drink, and I’d double his dose of pixie dust to keep him happy.
I gave the espresso machine a defiant swipe of my cleaning cloth before stepping to the counter to deal with Manhattan’s Most Wanted Bachelor. Without my help, he’d still be married, too.
What a way to start the day.
And to think people wondered why I refused to help find anything for anyone anymore. The reason stood across the counter from me. Chief Samuel Quinn, aged thirty, hotter than sin, and my heaven and hell rolled together in one smoking tall, dark, and handsome package, hated me for good reason. It was his fault, too. He had been the one to ask me for help finding his wife. I had found her all right, right in the middle of teaching a college stud the nuances of the reverse cowgirl.
If no one asked me to find something or someone again for the rest of my life, I’d be a very happy woman.
“Chief Quinn, what a pleasant surprise,” I lied. “Can I get you something? A dark roast, cream, no sugar, light on the dust?”
Why couldn’t I have been blessed with forgetfulness? I knew my worst nightmare’s favorite drink, and I had to make it for him first thing in the morning. Of course I knew it. He came in at least three times a week to torment me. Screw it. Who was I kidding? Instead of the coffee, he could take me instead. If I had to put up with the hassle of dealing with him, why couldn’t I enjoy it, too?
“Cream, no dust, and make it a large, Bailey.”
Alarm bells tinkled in my head. Since when did Chief Quinn address me by my first name? On a good day, he snapped my last name like he worried it would contaminate him. “Of course, sir.”
The faster I made his coffee, the sooner he’d go away. I’d love every second I spent watching him go. In less than a minute, I had his drink ready, and to lower the risk of him spending any extra time with me, I chirped, “It’s on me today, Chief Quinn. Have yourself a nice morning.”
If it meant we parted without incident, it’d be well worth the five bucks.
He saluted me with his cup, flashed a hint of a smile, and walked out the door. Facing him was hell, but I glimpsed the heavens when he left, and if my panties hadn’t caught on fire under my jeans, I’d be very, very surprised.

Author Bio:
RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Interview with Priya Ardis, GIRL WITH THREE EYES

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series? Girl With Three Eyes begins a new fantasy/mystery series. Inspired by Hindu lore, it is a tale of school adventure, jousting, and political intrigue. To sum up: Kira would hate her third eye less if it actually gave her special powers. When her secret is threatened, she may be the only one who can save the kingdom.
See the Girl With Three Eyes book trailer at: https://youtu.be/TJbUzyLCWpQ
Do you have a favorite character?Favorite character? It’s like picking a favorite child. It can’t be done.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?In a mystery, like Girl with Three Eyes, this can happen very easily. Sometimes the story builds just so that the character turns on you. I challenge you to find the character who surprised me in Girl With Three Eyes. Email me at contact(at)priyaardis.com.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?One of the perks of putting together a book is to pare down your novel into key elements and then the designer takes your written vision and comes up with a book cover. I love seeing the story world come alive.
To help my designer, besides giving a summary of the novel, was to put together a pinterest board. You can see it here at https://www.pinterest.com/priyaardis/
Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?I love my critique group! It is very important to get first reads and beta reads on your novel. To be in a successful group, you have to commit to read. You critique should be cognizant of genre expectations. Critique groups can hone-in on your writing weaknesses. But to go the next level, remember to also point out all the writing strengths.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?I used to not be able to write without music. But time and scheduling sometimes interfered with this. (Also, my ears couldn’t take headphone for 8 hours a day.) So I’ve learned to live with the silence. Once you’re into a story, it’s easy to keep going. A lot of writing is stop and start. The best thing music can do for you is to get you into the mood/setting/emotional spot where you left off, so you can begin sprinting again.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?Many times, the muse takes you where you need to go. I do like to outline to give myself guideposts. This is especially important in a mystery. Defining the villain takes as much work as defining your hero. But I don’t do detailed outlines. Often, I find keeping a little mystery in the story can help you write faster!
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?Yes, absolutely. A good editor makes your story great! Oftentimes, there are common weaknesses that are easy fixes. An editor can help you catch these little gotchas.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?The ebook of Girl With Three Eyes is on Amazon. Find print books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, etc. Additinally, you can find my other YA contemporary fantasy series, Gods of Merlin, on Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, and Googe Play  
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?I love running! I run every week to keep healthy both physically and mentally. I enjoy yoga and meditation. Of course, curling up with a book or movie and a cuppa tea can’t be beat! Me and tea:
Some fun facts about you. Star Wars or Star Trek: Resistance is futileSupernatural’s Sam or Dean: Moose!Superman or Batman: SmallvilleEnglish Breakfast or Earl Grey: English Breakfast. Hot.
What’s next for you?Currently, I am working on finishing the Gods of Merlin series. I also have a humorous/STEM illustrated early readers about a service dog name Merlin Raj under my psuedenem D. G. Priya. Keep up with all my current releases/giveaways/tours by getting on my newsletter at www.priyaardis.com.
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When her secret is threatened, she may be the only one who can save the kingdom.</b></span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sixteen-year-old Kira puts on a show about having empathic abilities, but she miraculously wakes a highborn boy from a coma after a near-fatal accident on mountainous slopes. When his father threatens to expose her “magic” to the queen unless she attends the kingdom’s most elite academy as a bodyguard.</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Soon, she’s immersed in a strange new life—one of being a simple student trying out for the school’s skyboarding team. Her fake life becomes the life she’s always wanted, but Kira cannot escape who she truly is. And as a sinister foe lurks closer than she suspects…</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Will she risk her freedom to develop the vision to unmask a killer before the crown falls?</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Girl with Three Eyes</i> is a young adult fantasy series. If you like strong female protagonists, futuristic fairy tales, and epic tournaments, then you’ll love Priya Ardis’s heart-racing adventure.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><div style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3fM8Qw2" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="blank" /> <img alt="" src="http://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-co..." style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0;" /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><b>Author Bio:</b><br />Priya Ardis writes Blood&Treasure fantasy romances which include coming of age, bad boys, globe-trotting, and a spoonful of sassy banter. </blockquote><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">She loves books of all kinds–but especially the ones that ensnare you and let your chai go cold. Her novels come from a childhood of playing too much She-Ra and watching too much Spock. She started her first book at sixteen, writing in notebooks on long train rides during a hot summer vacation. Her favorite Arthurian is the Lady of Shalott by Lord Tennyson. </blockquote><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">What does she like to read? Books with fantasy and magic with a cool heroine that’s really just the girl/boy next door. Books with all the feels. And, hello, Mr. Darcy anyone?</blockquote><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.priyaardis.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/priyaardis/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/priyaardis" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/priya_ardis/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div></blockquote><br class="blank" /> <div style="text-align: center;"><b>GIVEAWAY!</b><br /></div></span><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d04251233827" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rcwidget_5brhylvk" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com... /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTo7in0wif..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTo7in0wif..." width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="442" height="81" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ItKx36HZPt..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="270" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ItKx36HZPt..." width="200" /></a></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

#Excerpt: THE PROMISE KEPT by Maggie Mae Gallagher

The Promise Kept
Maggie Mae Gallagher
(Echo Springs, #2)
Publication date: August 19th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Cybil Roe gave her heart away thirteen years ago only to have it wind up shattered. With painstaking determination, she has rebuilt her life into something to be proud of today. Yet all her future plans are upended when the only man she has ever loved returns to Echo Springs. Nor does it help that he seems bound and determined to draw her back into his life. Cybil vows to stay away from him, no matter what seeing him all the time does to her resolve.

Miles Keaton wiped the dust of his hometown off his shoes years ago, never expecting that life would lead him back to the place where he had begun. Coming home to Echo Springs, to Cybil, to start a new law practice and a new life is a risk he never thought he’d take. She hates him – with good reason. Years ago, he walked away when she needed him the most. But now is he back, and intends to argue the case of his life, one more important than any he has debated in a courtroom, because she is the one woman he cannot live without.

Can Miles convince Cybil to take a second chance on him, or will a secret she has kept all these years destroy any future they might have?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—PLUS! Book 1 - The Fixer Upper - is only 99¢ for a limited time!—
EXCERPT:“Oh, yes. Right there,” she murmured.
Cybil sighed at the strong hands kneading her tense shoulders. Golden sunshine warmed her skin. Azure waves lapped against the pristine, ivory sand not fifteen feet from where she lounged on a luxurious padded chaise. Her tanned skin glistened in the sun. The coconut scent from her suntan lotion wafted on the gentle breeze and mingled with the salt from the ocean waves. The simmering heat of the tropics caused perspiration to bead on her forehead and evaporate with the light wind. The sunglasses perched on her nose shaded her gray eyes from the radiant sunlight.
It was without a doubt a perfect day.
The light breeze played with the loose tendrils of her inky hair while the sexy-as-sin Pablo—he of the broad, tanned shoulders, gorgeously thick black hair, and soulful eyes—massaged her shoulders with his long, talented fingers. The man had the most wonderful, gifted hands and knew precisely where to exert the most pressure. And those thumbs of his were singularly skilled at ferreting out every ache and pain.
God, she had needed this getaway—away from the cold, the snow, the dreaded holidays, and nonstop work.
She muffled a moan.
Cybil couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. She could still taste the lime and salt from her frozen margarita. And she was a breath away from suggesting to Pablo that they take the massage indoors to her beachside bungalow. The thought of those hands massaging other regions of her body left her achy and needy. It had been so long since she had been with a man. Since this was a vacation, she didn’t have to worry about getting attached. Cybil moaned as he dug into a knot on her left shoulder.
Pablo lowered his face. Cybil shivered, heady anticipation humming along her skin. Was he going to nibble on her ear? Suggest naughty, decadent delights to be had if they retreated indoors? She was ready and willing for anything the guy had in mind.
“Purrr.” A cold, wet nose pressed against the side of her cheek where it met her ear, amplifying the sound. The purr increased in tenor. Something tickled her nose.
Cybil cracked an eye open. A pair of golden eyes stared at her with expectation and determination, with a side of feline disdain that she had yet to acknowledge him.

Author Bio:
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the United States Midwest with her two furry felines.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

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GRAMMAR GIRL: Top Ten Grammar Myths

10. A run-on sentence is a really long sentence. Wrong! They can actually be quite short. In a run-on sentence, independent clauses are squished together without the help of punctuation or a conjunction. If you write “I am short he is tall,” as one sentence without a semicolon, colon, or dashbetween the two independent clauses, it's a run-on sentence even though it has only six words.
9. You shouldn't start a sentence with the word “however.”Wrong! It's fine to start a sentence with “however” so long as you use a commaafter it when it means "nevertheless."
8. “Irregardless” is not a word. Wrong! “Irregardless” is a bad word and a word you shouldn't use, but it is a word. “Floogetyflop” isn't a word—I just made it up and you have no idea what it means.  “Irregardless,” on the other hand, is in almost every dictionary labeled as nonstandard. You shouldn't use it if you want to be taken seriously, but it has gained wide enough use to qualify as a word.
7. There is only one way to write the possessive form of a word that ends in S.Wrong! It's a style choice. For example, in the phrase “Kansas's statute,” you can put just an apostrophe at the end of “Kansas” (that's AP style) or you can put an apostrophe S at the end of “Kansas” (that's Chicago style). Both ways are acceptable.
6. Passive voice is always wrong. Wrong! In passive voice, the subject of the sentence isn’t the person or the thing taking the action. In fact, in a passive voice sentence, the actor is often completely left out of the sentence. An example is "Mistakes were made," because it doesn't say who made the mistakes. Your writing is often stronger if you make your passive sentences active, but if you don't know who is responsible for an action, passive voice can be the best choice.
5. “I.e.” and “e.g.” mean the same thing. Wrong! “E.g.” means "for example," and “i.e.” means roughly "in other words." You use “e.g.” to provide a list of incomplete examples, and you use “i.e.” to provide a complete clarifying list or statement.
4. You use “a” before words that start with consonants and “an” before words that start with vowels. Wrong! You use “a” before words that start with consonant sounds and “an” before words that start with vowel sounds. So, you'd write that someone has "an MBA" instead of "a MBA," because even though “MBA” starts with M, which is a consonant, it starts with the sound of the vowel E--MBA.
3. It's incorrect to answer the question "How are you?" with the statement "I'm good." Wrong! You probably learned that verbs need to be modified by adverbs (such as “well”), but “good” isn’t modifying “am” in the sentence “I am good.” Instead, “good” is acting as the subject complement and modifying the pronoun “I.” It's also fine to answer "I'm well," but some grammarians believe "I'm well" should be used to talk about your health and not your general disposition.
2. You shouldn't split infinitives. Wrong! Nearly all grammarians want to boldly tell you it's OK to split infinitives. An infinitive is a verb form that is usually made up of the word “to” followed by a verb. An example is "to tell." In a split infinitive, another word separates the two parts of the verb. "To boldly tell" is a split infinitive because “boldly” separates “to” from “tell.”
1. You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition. Wrong! You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition when the sentence would mean the same thing if you left off the preposition. That means "Where are you at?" is wrong (or at least annoying) because "Where are you?" means the same thing. But there are many sentences where the final preposition is part of a phrasal verb or is necessary to keep from making stuffy, stilted sentences: “I'm going to throw up,” “Let's kiss and make up,” and “What are you waiting for” are just a few examples.
About the Author: Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show.
Website: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl



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#Review: EVERYTHING A LADY IS NOT by Sawyer North

  4 of 5 stars
This is the second book I've read by Mr. North and this one did not disappoint. Lady Margaret, also known as Lucy by her father, had her life upended when highwaymen attacked their carriage and the 9 year old was swept away in the river. Her father believing her dead soon died himself when his ship to Italy capsized. Margaret was rescued by one of the highwaymen who raised her and protected her like a daughter. When a simple robbery goes wrong, Lucy finds herself being pursued by Henry Beaumont, a Bow Street Runner. When he catches her, he realizes who she is and torn between returning her to the duchess or turning her in to the magistrate. When the duchess offers him a deal to teach Lucy the finer points of being a lady of the ton, Henry is reluctant. Can he turn this brash and rough young lady into a genteel lady of the ton in a matter of weeks?
One of the aspects of the author's books I really enjoy is the witty banter between the H and h. Henry was such a noble character and I loved how over the course of several weeks his feelings toward Lucy changed when he got to know her true character. Lucy was definitely a work in progress and her training and transformation into the regal granddaughter of the duchess was inventive, relying on her skills she learned in her youth to help her understand the rules of Society. The story moved along at a good pace and I was delighted with the way the obstacles in their path to true love was resolved. One minor criticism is I wished the author had mentioned the duchess in the epilogue. How did she fare after all? This is another solid effort by this author and I'm looking forward to reading his future books.
I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

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Interview with A Maureen Burns, PANTHEON PROPHECY

 Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?  The Paladin Series that includes this first book, Pantheon Prophecy, is a new adult fantasy romance book.  Elspeth is a mind-reading witch and Luka is an immortal knight.  As readers, we immediately learn that the moon is on a trajectory to crash into earth and the gods from the Pantheon have tasked them with the mission to stop the goddess from destroying earth.  Of course, as a romance reader, I wanted to create a world that would allow for the main characters to fall in love gradually.
Do you have a favorite character?  It’s funny how you immediately think it’s going to be the main characters, right?  In this case, I did relate to Elspeth quite a bit.  I wrote her to be strong and not just fall into the arms of the sexy stranger.  Nothing wrong with that if that floats your boat, but I wanted him to work for it a bit harder than that.  My heroines don’t need a man, they enjoy their company and will only commit if it makes sense to their life.
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?  I did try the traditional route more than 10 years ago and it was an utter disaster for me but a win for the publishing industry.  When I go back and read what I submitted I’m horrified.  That said, I’m glad I gave it a try even though it destroyed me at that moment.  To this day, I’ve kept the rejection letters and emails and tell everyone I was rejected by the best but at least I tried.  Along came the explosion of the self-publishing juggernaut-Amazon-and I fell in love.  My writing also improved dramatically when I started writing what I love instead of writing what I thought I needed to write to get published.  Lesson learned for me was do what you love, what you have a passion for and it’ll show.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?  I love this question for authors because you quickly find out it’s different for everyone!  I’m a plotter that has a tight control over an outline that has been meticulously created with a spreadsheet.  Then the characters take over and it becomes a pantser situation.  I guess as long as they’re hitting the major plot points I let the characters do what they’re going to do.  If you’re an author you understand what I’m talking about.  If you’re an avid reader you probably just think I’m absolutely mad!
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?  Am I a pantser or plotter?  Always a good question for any writer.  In my mind it’s actually aimed at the characters.  I put together an amazingly detailed outline for these people living in my head.  I tell them exactly what I want them to do.  They nod and agree but as soon as my fingers touch the keyboard, they do what they damn well please.  It’s just how it always goes for me.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?  Wow!  I’ve not been asked this before and I love it.  I’ve learned that anyone, and I do mean anyone, can make their dreams come true.  I’m not saying I’ve reached the highest of my dreams of being someone’s favorite author but I trust I’m on my way there.  I don’t just spew out books for the sake of more money in my account.  There’s a real love from me that goes into the characters and the stories.  The ideal reader is out there and just waiting for a heroine that’s a little on the fluffy side that does go out and save the world.  She’s got curves and the man loves everything about her.  
 I learned that I can make a difference in a woman’s self image and I’m proud of that.  I’ve had people tell me they were glad that Elspeth (the main character in Pantheon Prophecy) was a more full-figured woman.  We’re all sick to death of the perfect girl next door heroine and I’m glad to see more authors writing about diversity.  Side note:  I also include diversity in my stories and plan to continue it in my future stories as well.  Asian, African, non-binary, straight, gay, unsure, I’ll include it all because the most beautiful thing in the world is to love yourself where you are right now.  As authors, we should include that in our stories. 
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?  It doesn’t take long to figure out that marketing your brand and books is more of a full time job than actually writing the stories to begin with.  I’m quite familiar with Facebook advertising and I’m starting to get comfortable with Amazon ads.  I’ve signed up for Mark Dawson’s university of a sorts and it’s been tremendously helpful.  If anyone does want to start promoting their brand I’d suggest starting with what you’re most comfortable with and for me that was Facebook/Instagram.  I’ve dipped my toes in Pinterest but more likely than not, if I go to Pinterest I’m down a rabbit hole for a few hours and then I blink my eyes and it’s night time.  I have zero self-control there.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?  I’m obsessed with tiny homes and decluttering.  Doing that has allowed me to travel extensively (before the current global health crisis) and live large.  The traveling in turn has fueled my imagination for my stories so it’s a win-win.  I’m also a Wiccan so I’m passionate about spreading the message that we don’t actually sacrifice small animals or children.  Instead, I try to exemplify the best of what it means to worship nature.  My stories are a good example of what it can mean to be a witch, not the supernatural elements which are fun (and possible) but the parts where we are empathetic and care for those around us.
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?  I was born in the south so my first love is sweet tea but I start each day with coffee (cause I’m ‘Murican.)  My dog, Whiskey, sleeps by my side each night with her Frito feet but I have a cat, Gizmo, that works as my familiar and keeps my home safe at night from any evil-doers.  You don’t even need to ask about the chocolate.  The real question is milk or dark.  I’ve decided not to choose.  I like milk chocolate with peanuts but I eat my edibles dark. 
What’s next for you?  I’m about to release book 2 in the series, The Corruption Stone, and book 3 is already in the rough draft stage.  I also have a partnership with an illustrator/artist in California and we’re in the preliminary stages of putting together a shojo manga.  That’s a romantic graphic novel.  It’ll be set in the future of the universe I’m writing about now.  <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Lucida Grande"; panose-1:2 11 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black; mso-ansi-language:EN-CA;}size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;}</style><br /><br /><div style="margin: 0 auto 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-co..." style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Pantheon Prophecy</b><br /><b>A. Maureen Burns</b><br />Publication date: January 20th 2020<br />Genres: Adult, Fantasy</span></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We live in a world where demigods, gods, and Ancients from the Pantheon are sworn to protect humanity. So when an exiled member of the Pantheon decides to kill everyone on earth, a demigod knight is given the mission to stop it with the help of a human.</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">28 year old book store owner, Elspeth, is about to find out she’s a natural born witch when she’s approached by the immortal knight in charge of protecting her.</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Luka has been offered ascension into the Pantheon as a god if he completes his mission and stops the moon from colliding with the earth but his charge doesn’t truly know the first thing about her gift of mind-reading or anything about her rightful place within the Pantheon.</span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone on the planet will die if Elspeth and Luka can’t find a way to trust in their own abilities and work together despite their growing attraction for each other.</span></span> </blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/2XsL6Hk" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="blank" /> <img alt="" src="http://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-co..." style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0;" /></span></span><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Author Bio:</span></span></b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maureen is an Air Force vet and world traveler. When she’s not hanging out with family, friends, and a menagerie of family pets, she’s dabbling in photography.  </span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reading and writing have been a part of her life for just over three decades and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. This is great because this world-creator has dozens of souls living in her head that are waiting to be written down and shared with the world. </span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amaureenburns.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..." target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AMaureenBurns/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD7q..." target="_blank">Youtube</a></span></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br class="blank" /> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>GIVEAWAY!</b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div data-url="https://kingsumo.com/g/vr5jci/pantheo..." id="kingsumo-embed"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><script src="https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js&quot... data-url="https://kingsumo.com/g/vr5jci/pantheo..." id="kingsumo-embed"></div><script src="https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js&quot... /> <div style="text-align: center;"></div><div data-url="https://kingsumo.com/g/vr5jci/pantheo..." id="kingsumo-embed"></div><script src="https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js&quot... href="https://kingsumo.com/g/vr5jci/pantheo... /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw5lcSCLvb..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yw5lcSCLvb..." width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="442" height="81" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EzTDggRbGS..." width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGx7xg1aV4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGx7xg1aV4..." width="200" /></a></div></span><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Interview with Jeanne Mackin, THE LAST COLLECTION

What would we find under your bed?Dust, I’m afraid.  And nothing else. I don’t like to store things under by bed.  I worry that they will seep out in the night and influence my dreams.  Look, I never said I was a fully rational being!  Seriously, I’m a bit of a neatness freak and can’t stand excess clutter. It looks and feels chaotic and my whole purpose in life seems to be about creating or restoring order, in bedrooms as well as in plots.
What was the scariest moment of your life?My husband and I used to travel quite a bit in his Cardinal, a small airplane which he piloted himself. I’ve not a good flier. Okay.  I’ll be honest.  I hate flying.  Every trip in an airplane for me must begin with a strong BDo you listen to music while writing?  If so what?I always have music on, writing or not.  I listen to all kinds from Bach to Brel to Bang Tango, depending on the mood I want to create. When writing my Paris-set novels, though, I like to listen to the great singers of the period, Josephine Baker, Charles Trenet, Charles Boyer.  When the American expatriate Josephine sings her great standard, J’ai Deux Amours – “I have two loves, my country and Paris” – I always get chills.  It is the voice of a generation, the feelings of the 1920’s and 1930’s put into a single great song.
What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?What all writers would like.  To earn a fortune and win many prizes.  But like most writers, I’ll be content with this: to finish the novel I’m working on now.  To meet the challenges of a new plot and new characters. To continue to learn about myself through creating the lives of other people.  And no, I won’t tell you what the new book is, not  till I’m through the early drafts but I’ll admit  I’m listening to Josephine Baker again.
How long did it take you to write this book?Too long, by a year. I finish most novels in a three-year window or less, but things happened in my life that slowed me down when I was writing The Last Collection. A good friend, my best friend of many years died, and I had to put myself back together before writing fiction seemed important again. When I did return to the novel and the work of writing it, I realized that was a major part of my healing process. We go on, and we continue to love what we loved before the loss. I love writing, inventing.
Thanks for letting me visit your page! Have a great day.

BLURB:An American woman becomes entangled in the intense rivalry between iconic fashion designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in this captivating novel from the acclaimed author of The Beautiful American.Paris, 1938. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are fighting for recognition as the most successful and influential fashion designer in France, and their rivalry is already legendary. They oppose each other at every turn, in both their politics and their designs: Chanel’s are classic, elegant, and practical; Schiaparelli’s bold, experimental, and surreal.When Lily Sutter, a recently widowed young American teacher, visits her brother, Charlie, in Paris, he insists on buying her a couture dress—a Chanel. Lily, however, prefers a Schiaparelli. Charlie’s beautiful and socially prominent girlfriend soon begins wearing Schiaparelli’s designs as well, and much of Paris follows in her footsteps. Schiaparelli offers budding artist Lily a job at her store, and Lily finds herself increasingly involved with Schiaparelli and Chanel’s personal war. Their fierce competition reaches new and dangerous heights as the Nazis and the looming threat of World War II bear down on Paris.Penguin Random House - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/531859/the-last-collection-by-jeanne-mackin/Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H71Q5FQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:Jeanne Mackin ‘s latest novel, The Last Collection, A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel takes the reader to Paris, just before world war II, and the intense, dangerous rivalry between the two queens of fashion. Her previous novels include A Lady of Good Family, the award winning The Beautiful American, The Sweet By and By, Dreams of Empire, The Queen’s War, and The Frenchwoman. Her historical fictions explore the lives of strong women who change their worlds…because we know the world always needs a lot of change! She has worked all the traditional ‘writers’ jobs’ from waitressing to hotel maid, anything that would leave her a few hours each morning for writing. Most recently, she taught creative writing at the graduate level.  She has traveled widely, in Europe and the Middle East and can think of no happier moment than sitting in a Paris café, drinking coffee or a Pernod, and simply watching, while scribbling in a notebook.JeanneMackin.comFacebook.com/JeanneMackinauthorTwitter.com/JeanneMackin1
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