Sloane Taylor's Blog, page 16
June 25, 2023
KATRINA - SHAPESHIFTER HEROINE
Here is a little about The Turning Stone Chronicles, our paranormal romance, shapeshifter series that will be five books with four already out on Amazon.
Three ancient Celtic families. A magical Bloodstone that enables the wearers to shape shift. A charge to use the stone’s power to benefit mankind, and a battle, that is going on even today, to control the world. Can the Secret Society of shape shifters called the Turning Stone Society heal itself and bring peace to our world?
Find out in The Series The Turning Stone Chronicles
Here are ten interesting facts about Katrina Romanovski, the heroine from our new book, Son of the Moonless Night-The Turning Stone Chronicles, book three.1. She is from Transylvania but not Romania. We do solve this mystery in the book.2. She hunts paranormals. Hates vampires. And swears by Count Dracula.3. She wears a huge Celtic cross as a talisman against vampires.4. She not only hunts paranormals, but she’s had her share of paranormal boyfriends. No zombies please, they’re just too creepy.5. She is a blonde version of NCIS’s forensic scientist Abby but with a medical degree.6. She decided to leave her father’s paranormal hunting business because she was looking for normalcy in her life. Instead she found Owen, the hero of Son of the Moonless Night a shape shifter.7. She is part gypsy, on her father’s side. Her mother is British. Prim-and-proper breeding war with Katrina’s gypsy walk-on-the-wild side. The gypsy usually wins.8. She has traveled the USA as an FBI agent but now likes Cleveland, the mistake by the lake.9. She loves Italian food but has trouble cooking it, especially when Owen is around.10. She spends a lot of time in alleys.Here is a little more about Katrina from the book:
A crash in the alley stopped Katrina Romanovski mid-stride. Like the October mist swirling in off the lake, her gypsy blood stirred sending her intuition into high gear. Something unnatural was happening.
Go see what’s wrong. She heard her father’s voice as clearly as if he stood next to her.
On the heels of his words came her mother’s pragmatic warning in clipped British tones. You know what curiosity killed. Katrina pushed the ever-present warning aside. Mom never approved of Dad’s supernatural hunts and even less of his drawing her into them.
Pulling the oversized cross she always wore out from under her shirt, Kat looked around for a weapon. Please, not a vampire. I hate vampires! A piece of wood sticking out of the trashcan at the front of the alley caught her eye.
Grabbing it, she broke the end off into a sharp point. The mist-filled air filtered the light from the single bulb over one of the alley doorways. The wind swirled the loose trash around making a quiet approach difficult. Sidestepping the paper, with the stake in one hand and holding the gun she took from her purse in the other hand, she crept into the alley.
A roar echoed against the buildings, the sound nearly sending her running. That roar wasn’t a vampire. It sounded more like an animal. Kat inched closer. In the yellow pool of light from the back door of the building, a black bear, over seven feet tall, reared on its back legs and swung its paw at the man standing at the edge of the light. He crashed to the ground, shirt torn open from the slashing claws. Blood covered the fabric, and he clasped his left hand over his shoulder to stem the flow. The bear bent toward him, teeth bared in a smile. A wicked smile.
Kat aimed her gun, but before she could pull the trigger, a shot rang out. The flash of gunpowder lit the face of the injured man. The blast reverberated against the buildings. With an enraged bellow, the bear staggered backward against the wall. Shaking his head, the animal dropped to all four paws. Weaving like a drunk, he lumbered toward his attacker. The man took aim again, shooting the animal between the eyes. Animal and human collapsed on the dirty, littered pavement.
As she started to move forward, Kat’s gypsy senses crawled over her skin like angry red ants. As she slipped back into the shadows, the bear shed fur. Changing size. Then, finally, turning into a man.
Shape shifters. Her stake wasn’t any good against them, and her bullets weren’t silver. This one appeared dead anyway. Had the wounded man seen the shift? Tossing the stake aside, she paused by the shifter and quickly moved to the wounded man. Out cold. Still human.
When she touched him, his eyelids fluttered open. “Did I get it?”
“What?”
“The bear.”
If this piques your interest, then settle into a comfy chair and check out our books on our Amazon Author Page.
In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weapon for evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret society mentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use her shape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.
Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner and would-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part of her charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming. He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up a relationship—professional or personal.
Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée has planned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of the secret society of Turning Stones and steals a magic ring that gives him the power to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.
Book two of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “Blood Brothers” available on Amazon.
When Delaney Ramsey is enlisted to help train two of the most powerful shape shifters the Turning Stone Society has seen in thousands of years, she suspects one of them is responsible for the disappearance of her daughter. To complicate matters, the man has a secret that could destroy them all. Bound by honor to protect the suspect, Delaney must prove his guilt without losing her life to his terrible powers or revealing to the police captain she’s falling for that she’s a shape shifter with more than one agenda.
The minute Captain Williams lays eyes on Delaney Ramsey, he knows she’s trouble. Uncooperative, secretive, and sexy, he can’t get her out of his mind. When he discovers she has a personal agenda for sifting through all the criminal records in his precinct, and secretly investigating his best detective, he can’t let her out of his sight. He must find out what she’s looking for before she does something illegal. If she steps over the line, he’s not certain he can look the other way for the sake of love.
Book three of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “Son of the Moonless Night” currently available on Amazon.
Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with.
Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love?
Book four of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “The Mercenary & the Shifters” available on Amazon.
A desperate call from an ex-military buddy lands a mercenary soldier in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient shape shifter war, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing ... him.
The first four books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles Series page are available on Amazon. Their standalone novella, Can’t Stop The Music, is in the Soul Mate Tree collection with twelve other authors from various genres.
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to the husband and wife co-authors whose pen name is C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s while co-authoring a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. As high school sweethearts, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after. Which is why they write it!When they aren’t collaborating on a book, they enjoy reading; singing; theatre and drama; traveling; remodeling houses (Donald has remodeled something in every home they’ve owned); and antiquing. Catherine, who loves gardening, has recently drawn Donald into her world as a day laborer. Catherine is an award-winning gardener — you can see some of her garden on their website.
They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.
You can see excerpts of their books, connect with, and follow C.D. Hersh at:
June 20, 2023
HERE COMES THE BRIDAL CAKE
If there’s one thing we know about wedding cakes today, it’s that they come in a wide variety of style, flavors and sizes. If you look on the internet you can find wedding cakes ranging from simple two or three layers to towering monstrosities or multi-flavored cakes connected with plastic bridges and even individual cupcakes. But nowhere have I seen a wedding cake that resembles the one the groom broke over his bride’s head in Roman times. In ancient history, and even up to Victorian times, the wedding cake bore little resemblance to the sweet confections of today.In ancient Rome, the bridal cake was a simple, unsweetened barley loaf. The groom would eat part of the loaf and break the remainder over the bride’s head. This was a symbolic act thought to bring prosperity and good fortune to the couple. Wedding guests would try to eat the crumbs from the cake so they could also share in the good fortune showered down on the bride’s head.
In medieval England, the bridal cake was composed of buns or small cakes. Stories remain from accounts telling of stacking the cakes as high as they would go. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the tall stack it was thought they would have a life of prosperity.
By the 1660s the story is told of a French chef who was traveling through England and saw the stacked pile of cakes at a wedding. After returning home he devised a method of constructing rounded cakes or buns into a tower form called a Croquembouch. This tiered pile of cakes became the traditional French wedding cake. Today it’s common to place a Croquembouch on top of a more modern layer cake.
From the mid-1700s a Bride’s Pie was introduced at wedding meals. The pie, which was a meat pie, not a sweetened concoction, was filled with sweetbread, mincemeat, or mutton. Bride’s cakes, which were more like fruitcake than the typical white batter cakes we associate with today’s weddings, might also be eaten.
Groom’s cakes appeared in the 1880s and were typically darker-colored fruitcakes that were much smaller than the bride’s cake. Bride’s cakes, in Colonial times, were very rich creations, often reserved for the wealthy who could afford the ingredients. Because they were so labor intensive to make, the cakes were made weeks ahead of the wedding and soaked in alcohol to preserve them for the wedding date.
In the 1800s bride fruitcakes were still the norm. Below is a typical recipe for a wedding cake from an 1833 recipe book, courtesy of http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#weddingcake
Wedding Cake [1833]Good common wedding cake may be made thus: Four pounds of flour, three pounds of butter, three pounds of sugar, four pounds of currants, two pounds of raisins, twenty-four eggs, half a pint of brandy, or lemon-brandy, one ounce of mace, and three nutmegs. A little molasses makes it dark colored, which is desirable. Half a pound of citron improves it; but it is not necessary. To be baked two hours and a half, or three hours. After the oven is cleared, it is well to shut the door for eight or ten minutes, to let the violence of the heat subside, before cake or bread is put in. To make icing for your wedding cake, beat the whites of eggs to an entire froth, and to each egg add five teaspoonfuls of sifted loaf sugar, gradually; beat it a great while. Put it on when your cake is hot, or cold, as is most convenient. It will dry in a warm room, as short distance from a gentle fire, or in a warm oven."---The American Frugal Housewife, Mrs. Child, Boston [1833] (p. 72)
In 1840, Queen Victoria introduced the white-icing tiered cake that we know today as a “wedding cake.” The cake was iced in ‘royal icing’, which had been invented specifically for the royal wedding cake. Although the cake looked different on the outside, the batter was still the traditional fruitcake of the bride’s cake. The first tiered cakes, including Queen Victoria’s cake, had layers that were not edible. It wasn’t until 1882 when the first tiered cake with all-edible layers appeared at the wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Even today, our English friends choose the traditional fruitcake batter for their wedding cakes. Prince William and Kate’s wedding cake was made with a fruitcake batter, as was his mother’s and his grandmother’s.
Wedding toppers appeared in the 1940s, and by the 1950s, American brides began moving away from the traditional fruitcake of Colonial America. Today, you’ll find wedding cakes in many styles, themes, and flavors. If you can dream it, there will be someone who can make it.
When I was writing the book I hadn’t thought much about what kind of cake my characters would have, but I think it would look a lot like the one on my book cover. And Mama would have been sitting on a layer just as she is in the cover. After all, she was Cupid’s helper. Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama. EXCERPTBounding down the stairwell as the bell rang, Allison shouted, “I’m coming! I’m coming. Keep your pants on!” She threw the deadbolt off and jerked open the door.Jack Somerset stood in front of her, his chin perched on top of a stack of Chinese take-out cartons. Shoving down her tingling gut reaction, she commanded her heart to stop jumping like an overexcited puppy.Except for a few more laugh wrinkles around his eyes, Jack hadn’t changed a bit since college. His brown hair still dipped over his forehead in a shaggy mane. A lopsided smile spread across his face when he saw her. He winked at her, his green eyes twinkling.“Well, if it isn’t the bride-to-be. Nice to see you again, Allison.” He jiggled the cartons balanced in his arms. “I brought Chinese. I remember it was your favorite. Moo shu pork, right?” He pushed past her and headed toward the kitchen, apparently as well acquainted with her childhood home as she.Grabbing her head between her hands, she squeezed her temples.Chinese. Of all the things he could have brought, he brought Chinese.She’d broken it off with him in a Chinese restaurant . . . over moo shu pork. Very loudly and very violently. The pork and the pot of hot tea had landed in Jack’s lap when he tried to keep her from leaving the table. Did his choice of entrees mean Jack hadn’t forgotten the incident? She hadn’t, and she’d been unable to eat that particular Chinese dish since.Buy link: A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.
June 11, 2023
SHARON
Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my youngadult series.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures
Chosenby an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keephistory safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past torestore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.
Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are theonly hope for our past.
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries
Imagine a teenagerpossessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with its freakish power.There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imaginebeing uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing muchever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go. Until mysterious things startto happen.
Welcome to Fairy Falls.Expect the unexpected.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:
The LastTimekeepers and the Noble Slave, Book #3
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The LastTimekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 BuyLinks:
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The LastTimekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:
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Legendof the Timekeepers, prequel BuyLinks:
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Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls TeenPsychic Mystery Series:
Lostand Found, Book One BuyLinks:
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Blackfliesand Blueberries, Book Two BuyLinks:
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SharonLedwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventureseries, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the award-winning teen psychic mysteryseries, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, reading,researching, or revising, she enjoys anything arcane, ancient mysteries, andsingle malt scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern touristregion of Ontario, Canada, with her spoiled hubby, and a moody calico cat.
Learn moreabout Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZONAUTHORpage for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, and GOODREADS.
BONUS: Download the free PDF short story TheTerrible, Mighty Crystal HERE
June 4, 2023
Anne
Please allow me to give you a brief intro to my latest women's fiction novel for your reading pleasure.
The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.
In 1939, archeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.
Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.
Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.
Amazon Buy Link
Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces. When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.
Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia . Stay connected on Facebook , Linkedin , and Twitter .
May 30, 2023
NEW RELEASE for STELLA MAY!
The acclaimed time travel series, Upon a Time, from Stella May goes full circle with Book Four, releasing May 31, 2023! A Twirl in Time shows how it all began. Be sure to get your copy today!
A jaded CEO. A fiercely focused ballerina. A love that defies all society’s rules.
SoHo,1962
JJMorris, successful CEO, leads a secret double life, playing saxophone to his heart’scontent in his hole-in-the-wall dive bar. Yet he can’t escape the feeling he’sslowly petrifying into just another jaded millionaire.
Then agorgeous blonde steps into his bar and shakes up his world. Certain this fiercelittle swan of a woman is exactly what’s missing in his life, he maps out aplan to wed her by Christmas. With or without his snobby mother’s approval.
Mostwomen would be thrilled to learn that the tall, handsome bar musician is, infact, a wealthy prince charming. Verochka Osipoff is less than impressed. She’sfocused on becoming a prima ballerina, and everything hinges on her next audition.She can’t afford distractions, especially a rich playboy slumming it in SoHo.
Yet theheat of their attraction melts Verochka’s heart like warm chocolate. But JJ’sworld is a cold, glittering nest of vipers. And their venom could destroy theirlove song before the first movement ends.
EXCERPT
The sound of asaxophone halted her steps. That deep, velvety voice grabbed her by her throat,and refused to let go. Holding her breath, mesmerized, Verochka stopped, then pivoted. Where did it come from? Strainingher ears, she looked around, searching the almost empty street. Guided by herhearing, she glanced at the closed doors on her right. The Broome Street Bar.Inside, the sax murmured its enchanting tale, sad, and touching, andheartbreaking.
Mon Dieu! What must one feel to play like that?
Verochkaclosed her eyesand swayed to the music. Her arms by their own volition lifted and moved in a lazy,unhurried wave. She visualized the dance in her mind, something slow andsensual. Strange, but she never paid attention to jazz before. Then again, she wasnever partial to any music except classical.
To her there was nothing and no onecompared to Tchaikovsky. But the soulful notes of that sax fascinated her asmuch as the famous opening theme from Swan Lake. When the sound trailed off,she felt almost bereft. She craved to hear more. Will the musician play again?Oh, she hopped so. She’d wait for it.
Outside?On the sidewalk at almost ten at night?
Unwise, not to mentionquite dangerous. Granted, this spot in SoHo was not prone to crime. But still.A young woman alone was bound to attract some attention. Verochkalooked at the closed door of the bar, biting her lip.
To go inside, orcontinue on her way? The wisest thing to do, of course, was to turn around, andgo home, to her tiny apartment. It was late. She must rest before her wake-upcall at 5:30 AM. All morning classes of Madame Valeska started at precisely 6AM, and God forbid if any of the dancers were late even by a minute. The wrathof her teacher definitely equaled to her worldwide fame as a former principal dancerof The Royal Ballet.
Tired after the longday of classes and rehearsals, then cleaning the premises, Verochka barely kept upright. She hated her after- hours janitorialobligations, but promise was a promise. And VerochkaOsipoff never broke her word.
No matter how spentshe was, each and every evening, after all the dancers went home, and theschool was closed, she headed to the closet for a broom and a bucket. At first,she didn’t mind it at all. It was an arrangement made in heaven. An eighteen-year-oldorphan from France, determined to reach her dream, Verochka arrived at the doors of the famous New York ballet schoolwith nothing but fifty dollars to her name and a small satchel that belonged toher father.
After her initialshock faded, the formidable Madame Valeska, the owner of the school, ordered Verochka to change into her leotards,and dance.
Her final verdictdelivered in a grumbling voice was like a heavenly music to Verochka’s ears.
“You have a potential,Miss Osipoff. I’ll take a chance on you, and let you stay for a probationaryperiod of three months. After that, we’ll see.”
Verochka’selation was huge,but temporary. The school was obscenely expensive. No way she was able to affordthe tuition. There was a stipend, but applying for it took only God knew howlong, with no guarantee that it will be granted in the end.
On top of it, she wasa foreigner, all alone in the strange country, and barely able to speakEnglish.
Madame Valeska, quicklyassessing the situation— more accurately, feeling sorry for her— offered Verochka a deal: the education inexchange for cleaning services. A tiny room in the attic as a temporary placeto live was added to that offer. To Verochka,it was like a Christmas gift she could never have dreamt about.
Overwhelmed, moved totears, Verochka grabbed theopportunity with both hands. After a while, she got her stipend for the giftedand unprivileged students, thanks to Madame Valeska’s help, and was able tocover most of her tuition.
The convenience ofliving on the premises saved her the expense of a rent, and occasionalparticipation in corps de ballet’s performances made everything elsemanageable. She didn’t need a lot of food, as her extremely strict diet fell mostlyinto yogurt and fruit category. As to clothes— she learned at her dancing parentsknee the skill to mend tears and repair pointe shoes.
Two years later, Verochka was still living in the attic,and still mopped the floors, and cleaned the premises. But it didn’t matter. Hermain goal to become a prima ballerina of The Royal Ballet took the precedenceover everything else.
Ambitious? Maybe. But,as her father always said, you must dream big. Otherwise, what was the point? So,she dreamed big, and worked like a woman possessed in order to reach thatdream. She was content, and happy, and along the way, fell in love with NewYork, her new home. Her only home. She learned English, and became quite fluentin it, even though her accent stubbornly refused to be erased.
Of course, she missedFrance, and Paris, and small street cafes, and long strolls along the Seine. Oh,the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sprinkled with powdered sugar beignets!Sometimes, she could smell them in her dreams.
But most of all, shemissed her parents. She was sure they were looking at her from heaven, smiling,proud of her accomplishments.
Her occasional nostalgiawas usually sweet, and short, like a children’s lullaby.
But not tonight.
After finishing herduties, Verochka was ambushed by a sadnessso huge, she almost doubled down with it. Suffocated in the large emptybuilding that housed the ballet school, she was lonely, isolated, until shecouldn’t bear another minute longer locked inside. Hence, her impromptu eveningwalk that brought her in the middle of SoHo, to the Broome Street Bar.
The plaintive soundsof sax reached her ears again.
Oh,yeas, please.
Listening to thoseseductive low rumbles, she wondered about the player.
Who was he? Or was it ashe? Why was that melody so sad, so sorrowful?
Available at BOOKStoREAD, AMAZON, and GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS.
Stella May is the penname for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website.Stella writes fantasy romance as well as time travel romance. She is the author of 'Till Time Do Us Part, Book 1 in her Upon a Time series, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors. When not writing, Stella enjoys classical music, reading, and long walks along the ocean with her husband. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Leo of 25 years and their son George. They are her two best friends and are all partners in their family business.
Follow Stella on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
May 21, 2023
Gardening is Like Writing
from C.D. Hersh
The warm days this week enabled us to take a stroll through the yard, another put-our-butts-in-the-writing chair avoidance tactic. We found a slew of winter weeds scattered throughout the landscape. Some tiny-leafed, prostrate thing has taken over a portion of the easement making it the greenest it has been in years. Buckhorn plantain spills out between the path steppingstones. Flat rosettes of chickweed carpet the stone gully in the backyard, and henbit, with its scalloped leaves and purple stems, juts out of the grass—or at least what passes for grass in the lawn.
We’re letting the unidentified weed taking over the easement and the lawn. It’s green, low growing, and doesn’t look like it would need much mowing. But after an afternoon of surfing weed identification web sites (another avoidance tactic), we’ve come to the conclusion that we might have to dig out this patch of weeds and eradicate it every other spot we find. You see, if we’ve identified it correctly, we’re harboring shot weed, also known as hairy bittercress. Oh, it looks innocent enough, but when it sets seeds the slightest touch will send hundreds of seeds shooting out in a three-foot radius across the lawn into flowerbeds and pathways looking spots to hide and root.
Fighting weeds in the garden is a full-time task. It starts in early spring with digging out winter weeds like plantain, chickweed, and henbit from the paths and flower beds. By the time we get those eradicated the dandelions rear their yellow heads. After that it’s pigweed and purslane and nutsedge and Canadian thistles and Jimson weed and ground ivy and goose grass. Spring and summer progress marked by an army of weeds marching through the garden. We hoe and pull and mulch and spray, and they just keep coming. The only thing that keeps them under control is persistent daily effort—and maybe a hard, hard freeze.
Like the cycle of weeds in the garden, writers face different challenges along every stage of our careers. As soon as we think we have a handle on our craft and profession something new springs up and surprises us. The beginning writer’s weeds might be learning the basics of the craft or finding that story idea or dealing with writer’s block. For some it’s getting to the end of the book, or figuring out what to do with the sagging middle. For the more skilled, unpublished writers the weeds that need pulling could be social networking, getting an agent, or getting published. Whatever the weeds in your writer yard there’s one universal truth—they will always be there. Our job is to figure the best way to control them.
We’re not a beginning writers. We know how to write. That has been reinforced with a number of contest placements. We have a good grasp of the skills and have been published. We know our stories and the characters. We even have books waiting in the wings to be written. But we still have writing weeds to pull—BIG ones.We haven’t finished our series—yet.We want to write in several genres, which presents branding problem and sometimes an identity crisis.While we have some social networking and internet connections there isn’t a large following wanting our books—one of the biggest weeds for a lot of writers.Currently, we spend more time blogging than writing the books. Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most important British landscape designers and writers, once said, “There is no spot of ground, however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a state as may give an impression of beauty and delight. It cannot always be done easily; many things worth doing are not done easily; but there is no place under natural conditions that cannot be graced with an adornment of suitable vegetation.”
Gertrude’s advice applies not only to the garden, and all those weedy patches, but to writing as well. The road to success isn’t easy, but we can accomplish it. We can transform those bare, ugly pages into something overflowing with suitable vegetation (the best words and story we can make). When we finally reach that goal it’s worth the work. So, pull those weeds out of your writing garden and create something beautiful!We’re going to try this year to get rid of our biggest weed and finish our next book.What are the writing weeds that are stopping you from creating your masterpiece? Do you have a plan to pull them out? While you figure out what weeds to attack here’s an excerpt from the first book in our series.
Blurb for—The Promised One
In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weapon for evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret society mentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use her shape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner and would-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part of her charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming. He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up a relationship—professional or personal.Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée has planned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of the secret society of Turning Stones, and steals a magic ring that gives him the power to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.
EXCERPT
The woman stared at him, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. “Return the ring, or you’ll be sorry.”
With a short laugh he stood. “Big words for someone bleeding to death.” After dropping the ring into his pocket, he gathered the scattered contents of her purse, and started to leave.
“Wait.” The words sounded thick and slurred . . . two octaves deeper . . . with a Scottish lilt.
Shaw frowned and spun back toward her. The pounding in his chest increased. On the ground, where the woman had fallen, lay a man.
He wore the same slinky blue dress she had—the seams ripped, the dress top collapsed over hard chest muscles, instead of smoothed over soft, rounded curves. The hem skimmed across a pair of hairy, thick thighs. Muscled male thighs. Spiked heels hung at an odd angle, toes jutting through the shoe straps. The same shoes she’d been wearing.
The alley tipped. Shaw leaned against the dumpster to steady himself. He shook his head to clear the vision, then slowly moved his gaze over the body.
A pair of steel-blue eyes stared out of a chiseled face edged with a trim salt-and-pepper beard. Shaw whirled around scanning the alley.
Where was the woman? And who the hell was this guy?
Terrified, Shaw fled.
The dying man called out, “You’re cursed. Forever.”
Amazon buy links for all the books of the series The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1)Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2)Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3)The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 4)
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to the husband and wife co-authors whose pen name is C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s while co-authoring a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. As high school sweethearts, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after. Which is why they write it!
The first four books of their paranormal romance series entitledThe Turning Stone Chronicles Series page are available on Amazon. Their standalone novella, Can’t Stop The Music , is in the Soul Mate Tree collection with twelve other authors from various genres.
When they aren’t collaborating on a book, they enjoy reading; singing; theatre and drama; traveling; remodeling houses (Donald has remodeled something in every home they’ve owned); and antiquing. Catherine, who loves gardening, has recently drawn Donald into her world as a day laborer. Catherine is an award-winning gardener — you can see some of her garden on their website.They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.You can see excerpts of their books, connect with, and follow C.D. Hersh at:
May 16, 2023
3 Tips for Aspiring Authors
by Leigh Goff
Be Ready for Rejection
Even if someone had told me about this, I’m not sure I wouldhave believed just how much rejection there would be. I even used Query Trackerto hone my agent and publisher searches, making sure my manuscript fit whateach agent or publisher was looking for and that I followed their query rules. Ican look back now and smile at how many rejection letters I received for myfirst novel, only because there were a few kind agents in the bunch who tookthe time to offer brief critiques on what I had submitted.
I would send out 15-20 queries at a time, then I’d wait tohear back from the literary agents or small press publishers. I didn’t alwaysget a response, but when I did, it was ultimately a rejection (cue sad music).With some of those rejections came little nuggets of advice. Trust me, thosenuggets aren’t meant to be mean, they were bits of gold meant to improve mywriting. I took that gold and made revisions. And I made revisions. And I maderevisions. This book was my first attempt at writing a novel and I had a lot tolearn. The rejections were disappointing and hurt at first, but the advice wasnecessary, appreciated, and it did make the book better. So I’d say be readyfor rejection and be open to any advice a writing professional offers you.
Be Prepared--the Publishing Process Moves Slowly
Once I received a publishing offer for my first book (woohoo!),I was slated for edits. There were three rounds of edits that had to fit thevarious editors’ schedules. Completing a round of edits does take time.Fortunately, I am good with deadlines, even when I had to take a chapter andrewrite it completely. Once that was done, the book went to their graphicdesigner for cover art, and it was typeset (set up for printing). The book was thenscheduled for a release date that worked for the publisher and their other bookreleases. Plus they had to plan social media events leading up to and for theweek of the release.
My favorite part of this slow-moving process is the coverart. There’s nothing like getting to see what your “baby” is going to look likeon a bookshelf!
Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams
Dreams do come true, but they may not happen the way youexpected or on your perfect schedule.
After my first book was published, three months later thepublisher went out of business. I was blessed to find another publisher thatwas excited to take on my novel along with my second book. My third book wasdiscovered during a Twitter pitch party. That was a nice surprise. However,after the book was published the pandemic happened. That publisher sufferedfinancial losses and went under. The company’s name was purchased by someonewho had their own catalog of books, so that allowed me to take ownership of thethird book. Finally, after years of hoping, I signed with a literary agent formy fourth book. I worked with her on the edits for that manuscript and it is currentlyout on submission to editors and publishers.
When that book went on submission, I finished my fifth bookwhich is a YA thriller set in coastal South Carolina. There are three sisters,an exotic garden, and Big Pharma causing lots of deadly trouble. I just loveit. Fingers crossed that my agent finds the best homes for both of these books.My sixth book idea is being outlined at present. It will be a YA thriller setin D.C. and it’s going to be super fun to write!
Leigh Goff is an author of three published young adult novels and is represented by Lauren Bittrich. She is working on her next novel, a young adult thriller, while her current manuscript, Wicked Sweet, is on submission.
You can find her current published novels at Audible | Amazon | Apple
Learn more about Leigh Goff onher website and blog.Stay connected on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkTree
May 15, 2023
COMING SOON FROM STELLA MAY
The acclaimed time travel series, Upon a Time from Stella May, goes full circle with Book Four releasing May 31, 2023! Here is a peek of what's coming soon.
Ajaded CEO. A fiercely focused ballerina. A love that defies all society’srules.
SoHo,1962
JJMorris, successful CEO, leads a secret double life, playing saxophone to his heart’scontent in his hole-in-the-wall dive bar. Yet he can’t escape the feeling he’sslowly petrifying into just another jaded millionaire.
Then agorgeous blonde steps into his bar and shakes up his world. Certain this fiercelittle swan of a woman is exactly what’s missing in his life, he maps out aplan to wed her by Christmas. With or without his snobby mother’s approval.
Mostwomen would be thrilled to learn that the tall, handsome bar musician is, infact, a wealthy prince charming. Verochka Osipoff is less than impressed. She’sfocused on becoming a prima ballerina, and everything hinges on her next audition.She can’t afford distractions, especially a rich playboy slumming it in SoHo.
Yet theheat of their attraction melts Verochka’s heart like warm chocolate. But JJ’sworld is a cold, glittering nest of vipers. And their venom could destroy theirlove song before the first movement ends.
Preorder at BOOKStoREAD, AMAZON, and GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS.
Stella May is the penname for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website.Stella writes fantasy romance as well as time travel romance. She is the author of 'Till Time Do Us Part, Book 1 in her Upon a Time series, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors. When not writing, Stella enjoys classical music, reading, and long walks along the ocean with her husband. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Leo of 25 years and their son George. They are her two best friends and are all partners in their family business.
Follow Stella on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
May 14, 2023
National Sing Out Day
May 25, is National Sing Out Day—an unofficial fun holiday when people are encouraged to break out in song, belt out a tune, sing like a bird welcoming the morning sunrise.
You don’t have to ask me twice to sing. I’ve been singing ever since I was a toddler when my farmer grandpa and my dad taught me to sing “In The Garden”. The old hymn was Dad’s favorite song. I still remember them going over and over the same phrase I kept missing. Don’t remember that phrase, just the endless repetition of a measure of music when I just wanted to go on singing the rest of the tune. That first performance in a little country church hooked me on singing for the rest of my life.
Singing has always been second nature to me. When I was a teenager all I wanted to do was sing on stage professionally. That never happened, but I spent plenty of time singing anyway.
I passed the time singing while washing dishes as a teenager, and no, we didn’t have a dishwasher—my sister and I were it. I sang in every choir I could get into: high school chorus, the elite high school singing group Studio choir, and the college women’s chorus. In the high school variety show, I sang “What’s it all about Alfie” as a soloist. I sang in the high school musicals in the chorus. While attending Cincinnati Conservatory of Music I sang in the city’s May Festival chorus, which was not my favorite thing since I had to travel downtown, alone, in a not-too-great-area of town after dark. I’ve sung in church choirs, and as a soloist, at all the churches I’ve attended. I’ve even sung in shopping malls at Christmas and as lunch-time Christmas entertainment at my daughter’s office. One of the most fun summer jobs I had as a teen was singing and playing my guitar for children in a summer school program. Although I never reached my dream of being professional singer, I even recorded a song that was played on the local radio show.
If it involved singing, I was there ready, willing and able. And, yes, I’ve even been known to sing in the shower. So, having found this fun holiday, you can bet I’ll be belting out a tune or two to celebrate.
If you’ve ever turned the radio on full blast to your favorite rock and roll songs, so you could hear it over the vacuum cleaner, and burst into song at the top of your lung capacity while sweeping the carpet, you probably know the uplifting and invigorating stimulus of singing. But singing has more benefits than just being fun. Studies have shown that singing can:
relieve stressstimulate the immune response systemincrease your pain thresholdhelp keep you from snoringincrease your lung functionenhance your memory (especially in people with dementia)improve mental health and moodhelp with griefhelp improve speech among people with speech problemsand develop a sense of belonging and connection when you sing in a groupData from Benefits of Singing: 10 Ways Singing Boosts Your Health (healthline.com)
I can personally attest to benefits 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10. Singing praises in church always relieves my stress. I’ve been singing all my life, and I’ve got a high pain threshold that’s strong enough to drop a 16-pound bowling ball on my foot and then bowl three games afterward on a broken big toe. I don’t snore—or so the hubby says. I’ll have to take his word since I can’t hear myself when I’m asleep. ☺ I’ve had to expel my breath for more than eight counts while singing a note and increasing the volume of the sound, and I haven’t passed out in the process—yet. I can still remember words to songs I learned in my youth, and I’m still memorizing new things rather quickly. Belting out a rock and roll tune from my teen years always puts me in a good mood, and I’ve experienced the camaraderie of singing with others who love to sing as much as I do.
So, on May 25, join me in celebrating National Sing Out day. Jump on the singing bandwagon and belt out your favorite songs. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune. Just have a good time. Make a joyful noise and get ready to revel in the benefits and fun of singing. ♫
After you’ve exhausted your song repertoire, check out Catherine’s romantic comedy, with a touch of drama, A Groom for Mama. Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.
The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.
A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.
Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.
May 9, 2023
CHOCOLATE GOODNESS
From Stella May
My family loves their sweets. After several attempts, and not many ofthem that good, the men in my harem voted the chocolate chip cookie recipebelow is the best of the lot. I hope you enjoy these sweet little morsels too.
Chocolate Chip Cookies1 cupalmond flour½ cup ofall-purpose flour½ tsp.baking powder½ tsp.baking soda½ tsp. seasalt4 tbsp.butter, softened½ cupsugar (organic raw is better)½ cup ofdark brown sugar1 largeegg1 tsp.pure vanilla extract1 tsp.instant coffee1 cupchocolate chips (dark preferable, but you can use milk chocolate)
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchmentpaper.
Blend both flours, baking powder,baking soda, and salt in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugars,then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. Add coffee.
Add dry ingredients until combined,then stir in chocolate chips. Mix well.
Use small icecream scoop to gather dough, roll each piece in your hands to make a ball.
Place ballson prepared cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
Bake 15minutes until lightly brown. Let them cool 5 minutes before removing from thesheet.
Here is a peek atStella’s time travel romance novel for your reading pleasure.
One key unlocks the love of a lifetime…but could alsobreak her heart.
Nika Morris’s sixth sense has helped build a successfulbusiness, lovingly restoring and reselling historic homes on Florida’s AmeliaIsland. But there’s one forlorn, neglected relic that’s pulled at her from themoment she saw it. The century-old Coleman house.
Quite unexpectedly, the house is handed to her on asilver platter—along with a mysterious letter, postmarked 1909, yet addressedpersonally to Nika. Its cryptic message: Find the key. You know where it is.Hurry, for goodness sake!
The message triggers an irresistible drive to findthat key. When she does, one twist in an old grandfather clock throws herback in time, straight into the arms of deliciously, devilishly handsome ElijahColeman.
Swept up in a journey of a lifetime, Nika finds herselffalling in love with Eli—and with the family and friends that inhabit a time noteven her vivid imagination could have conjured. But in one desperate moment ofhomesickness, she makes a decision that will not only alter the course of morethan one life, but break her heart.
’Til Time Do UsPartis available in Kindle and Paperback at AMAZON.
Talented author Stella May is the penname for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website. Stella writes fantasy romance as well as time travel romance. She is the author of 'Till Time Do Us Part, Book 1 in her Upon a Time series, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors.
When not writing, Stella enjoys classical music, reading, and long walks along the ocean. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Leo of 35 years and their son George. They are her two best friends and are all partners in their family business.
Follow Stella on her website and blog Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
