D.V. Stone's Blog, page 9

Around the Fire New Year with D. V. Stone.

Another year down and a new one going forth.
I hope that those who celebrate you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday. We had a houseful Christmas morning for our annual brunch. Pete’s cinnamon buns were the best yet. Lots of sweet treats like Bob bringing an almond stollen from a local bakery. I always grab a piece and hide it away to savor.
Our nights prior to the day were spent driving around and enjoying the light displays. We even went upstate to a house that was on The Great Christmas Light Fight on HGN. They had over 600 blow molds. Those are vintage plastic figures like Santa with lights in them. 
Wonderful things that happened to me with my books. About a week before the 25th, I was notified by N.N. Light’s Book Heaven that both Sea Hunter and Sophia’s Magic Beans were finalists in their annual Best of the Year Contest. Then, on December 22nd. Sophia’s Magic Beans was named best of the year in the sweet romance category.
***Announcement***
If you haven’t had a chance to read Felice yet, then here’s your chance. In conjunction with Amazon, we are offering a free ebook starting January 5th through January 9th.
https://www.amazon.com/Felice-Shield-Mates-Dar-D-V-Stone-ebook/dp/B06XRJGCDF

I'll be out and about next month and hope you can join me! ​Let me know what some of yours are at
d.v.stone.wordsmith@gmail.com
Well, cheers to the New Year. May 2024 be your best yet.  

 Lord, as the New Year dawns today,
      Help me to put my faults away.
      Let me be big in little things;
      Grant me the joy which friendship brings;
      Keep me from selfishness and spite,
      Let me be wise to what is right.
A Happy New Year! grant that I
      May cause no tear to any eye.
      When this new year in time shall end,
      Let it be said: "I've played the friend,
      Have lived and loved and labored here
      And made of it a happy year."
~Edgar Guest (1881–1959), "Prayer for the New Year"

Around the Fire New Book Release Spotlight with Mary Morgan.

​WISHES UNDER A HIGHLAND STAR
A Tale from the Order of the Dragon Knights
By
Mary Morgan
Release date: December 5, 2022
Historical Scottish Fantasy Romance

The stars collide when a half-Fae lass captures a Highland chieftain.

About
As chieftain for his clan, Alex MacFhearguis struggles with the burden of an unwanted
responsibility. With the midwinter feast approaching, he flees his castle to find comfort and
solitude within the forest. Yet on his quest, Alex stumbles into a world filled with magic,
mysteries, and a woman with beguiling eyes who could capture his heart.
When half-Fae Aine Fraser makes a powerful wish, her simple request unlocks the magic she possesses and brings forth a Highlander into her world. Though the man has lost all his
memories, she finds her attraction growing for this brooding warrior with each passing day.
Unable to deny her feelings, Aine risks everything when she confesses her greatest secret.
Can a beauty who wished for a champion tame the beast of Leòmhann Castle?

A peek inside.
Sounds of the smithy beckoned him forward. As his steps led him closer, Alex halted at the
vision before him. Poised over the anvil, Aine leveled the hammer against the metal with
strength that stunned Alex. For one so small, she wielded the hammer with fierceness. Beads ofsweat trickled down her cheek, smudged with the grime of her work. She gave no regard to herappearance, or him, while she continued. Studying her profile, he fought the urge to pick up acloth and wipe away the moisture along with the dirt from her ivory skin. Her honeyed hair was woven into two braids and wrapped around her head like a crown of silken jewels.
Leaning against an oak tree, Alex regarded her in fascination. The smithy stood as a place
reserved for men. This he knew. Then why would a woman accept a position in the castle
fashioning weapons? Aine blew out a curse, and he smiled in response.
The woman was mesmerizing. Captivating. He folded his arms over his chest, content to
remain hidden and watch her in secret. When something nudged his thigh, Alex quickly moved to the side. “By the hounds,” he hissed out in surprise at the sudden appearance of the wolfhound. “I thought I left ye by the warm fire.”
“Etain has taken to ye,” announced Aine while inspecting the blade in front of her. She
darted him a glance.
Alex straightened his tunic and stepped forward. “She moves silently for one so large. Are ye sure she does not belong to the Fae?”
The blade slipped from Aine’s fingers onto the anvil with a large clang. Her eyes grew wide
as she turned away from Alex. “’Tis folly. She is only a dog,” she mumbled, quickly retrieving
the blade and disappearing from his view.
Concerned, Alex followed her. Once he entered inside the forge, his eyes adjusted to the
dimly lit enclosure. He observed the other blades of various sizes strewn out on a wooden table along with horseshoes. A glint of light at the end of the table drew his attention. He steadily made his way to the stunning circular brooches. Their gilded edges were carved with delicate knotwork. Tracing his finger along the smooth surface of one, he marveled at the craftmanship. Surely she had assistance. He lifted his gaze to the woman.
While Aine kept her back to him, Alex noted her rigid stance. Unsure on what to do, he
clasped his hands behind his back. “Did ye make all of these?”
Clenching her fists, she turned around. Wariness reflected back at him within those lavender eyes. “Does it matter?”
“’Tis a simple question,” he remarked.
Her eyes narrowed. “Because I am a woman, aye?”
Alex’s gaze roamed over her face and traveled down the length of her. “Most assuredly.” He
took a step forward. “But that is not why I asked the question.”
Bright splotches appeared on her cheeks. She swallowed but kept her gaze locked with his.
“Aye. ’Tis all my work. Mine alone.”
“Who has taught ye this skill?”
She lifted her chin. “My father and Gordon. I now share the forge with Gordon since my
father’s death.”
Arching a brow, Alex reached around her, inhaling the woman’s scent. As his fingers
touched the cool surface of a blade, he brought forth the small dirk and lifted it up to the
candlelight. “Incredible craftmanship.”
Aine’s eyes widened in shock. “Ye approve of my work?” Her question barely a whisper.
“Why would I not?”
“Because I should be learning how to sew, tending to the gardens, and making a simple
bannock,” she grumbled, glancing beyond him.
“I favor bread over any bannock,” he chided.
Returning her attention to him, she grabbed his arm. “Ye can recall something from your
past? Is there more?”
Her smile beamed like starlight on a winter’s night, and Alex became entranced. Why had
he become fascinated with this woman? His gut clenched and his mouth dried whenever he
entered her presence. Had he not spent much time around women? Or worse, married to one? He quickly banished the thought. Alex could not dwell on what he was unable to remember.
Get your copy today from one of these online retailers
books2read.com/u/31DeYa

Praise for Wishes Under a Highland Star
I loved everything about this story – the plot, the beautiful scenery, the holiday theme,
the chemistry between Alex and Aine, as well as the full cast of characters. Would I highly
recommend this masterfully written book…Aye! -Still Moments Magazine

The author has taken her knowledge of the Irish legends of fairies or fae along with theScottish legends of dragons and used them well in creating this wonderful story. This light-hearted romance catches the readers imagination from the first page to the last page and willhave them smiling and even crying in places.
Glued to the tale from page one, readers will be dying to know what happens to the
Chieftain who doesn’t suffer fools gladly... Wishes Under a Highland Star” is a great addition tothe autumn book list! November Issue of InD’tale Magazine
​About the Author:
Multi award-winning paranormal romance author, Mary Morgan resides in Northern California with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.
Mary's passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. Inspired by her love for history and ancient Celtic and Norse mythology, her tales are filled with powerful warriors, brave women, magic, and romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.
If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of fantasy, then travel back in time within the pages of her books.
Connect with Mary here ~
 https://www.marymorganauthor.com/
Amazon Author:  http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan
Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWI
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/  

Around the Fire New Release Spotlight with Barbara Bettis.

Can you believe it's only a week until Christmas! Where does the time go. Hubby and I have been driving around looking at the lights and even went to a Victorian Christmas at the historical Ringwood Manor. Elegance of times gone by. If you're interested in some photos, I've posted them after today's spotlight.
​I'm so happy to bring you one of the  Wild Rose Press's most supportive authors. Barbara always has words of encouragement and advice. So without further ado, after all this is her release day, Around the Fire Brings you The Right Knight.
The Right Knight
by
Barbara Bettis
 Dec. 18, 2023
Medieval Historical Romance 
 Two-Hour Romance Short Reads 

About
After her father dies, Annis of Roxley fears King John will award her home to one of his pet mercenaries. Still, she’s unprepared for the knight who arrives carrying John’s order: Wed the new lord or become the king’s ward. If the new lord is anything like his disheveled representative, she’s better off –elsewhere.
Rushing to claim the castle John’s finally granted him, Sir Hugh reaches Roxley looking so unkempt, Annis takes him for a servant. Before he can reveal his identity, she disappears with her cousin. Hugh knows John rejected the cousin’s claim to Roxley.
Will the knight defy royal decree and force Annis to marry? Not if Hugh can help it.
Exerpt
God’s toenails. Hugh huffed as his gaze followed the lady. She all but ran across the bailey.
“Martin,” he called to his captain. “Secure the walls and join me.” Then he took off after Lady Obstinate. Obstinate but beautiful with her snapping eyes and stubborn chin. He watched the sway of her hips appreciatively. Admired the way a sunbeam glinted off the chestnut curls swinging from beneath a short veil.
He quickened his pace, finally passing her. Some childish part of him had been determined to beat her to the doors.
Even that act of command was doomed. The damned latches didn’t work. He jaggled and waggled the handles. Nothing. 
Then she caught up, performed some sleight of hand, and a door swung open. Muttering a curse about repairs, he followed.  Behind him, Martin coughed, an exaggerated hack that let Hugh know his friend found the situation amusing.
He paused to wait for him.
Of all the holdings at John’s disposal, why did he saddle me with this particular castle and a blasted, contrary female?
Hugh had left London in triumph three days earlier, bound for the rich holding and the wife the king had promised him for service in the battles against France. He’d been so eager to reach his new home and bride, he’d not bothered to prepare himself before galloping up to the gates and demanding entrance in the name of King John. 
Not even in the name of the new lord. Himself. Aargh!
And then to face this lady he’d been directed to marry.
She was the daughter of an old and trusted ally, John said.
A sweet young maiden, raised to know her duty, John said.
Pah!

Get your copy today!
https://www.amazon.com/Right-Knight-Barbara-Bettis-ebook/dp/B0CKWBRKNQ
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-right-knight-barbara-bettis/1144163225
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199811842-the-right-knight
The Right Knight by Barbara Bettis - BookBub Bio:
Award-winning author Barbara Bettis has always loved history and English. As a college freshman, she considered becoming an archeologist until she realized there likely would be bugs and snakes involved. And math. Through careers as a newspaper reporter and editor, then a college journalism and English professor, she’s retained her fascination with history. Give her a research book and a pot of tea, and she’s happy for hours. But what really makes her smile is working on a new story. Now retired, she lives in Missouri where she edits for others and spins her own tales of heroines to die for—and heroes to live for. 
Find Barbara Here:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-bettis
https://www.goodreads.com/barbarabettis      
www.facebook.com/barbara.bettis.758                                                                                      

Around the Fire In-depth Interview with Roxanne Dunn.

Welcome to Around the Fire! Life is just tick-tocking by and here it is mid-December. Holiday festivities are in full swing at my house. Pete and I have a map of local light displays and are driving around the county checking them out. Hali, our doggo, enjoys the evening romps. We went to Walpack, a small historic town and saw Christmas in the 1800s for regular folk. It was quite humble. This past weekend we had an openhouse for everyone to visit and see all my DH's Christmas projects. This Friday we hope to tour Ringwood Manor. Check it out here www.ringwoodmanor.org/victorian-chris...  
Now, please help me welcome today's guest, Romantic Suspense author, Roxann Dunn Roxanne, thank you for joining us today. What refreshment can I get you?
Coffee—strong and hot like the men in my novels as soon as I’m out of bed. Later, when it’s time to sit with a book, champagne, please. It doesn’t have to be expensive—just dry, cold, and bubbly.
My kind of guest. Since it's early, I put on a pot. While I do, will you introduce yourself by telling our other guest who are you other than your bio? 
I’m a true introvert, happy to spend time alone. I play the piano badly, dabble in watercolors, study French in hopes of being able to speak fluently when I’m in Paris next time, and am learning to tap dance because I’ve always wanted to do that. As an entry-level foodie with 83 cookbooks on my shelf, I love to cook for friends. Ten years ago, I retired from a long career as a physical therapist then manager of a team of home health and hospice nurses, therapists, and social workers. That’s when I began to focus on writing.

That's quite a diverse life both past and present. I think as authors, we count on others to have our backs. Who is your support system that contributes to your writing career?
My scribe tribe, ten women I meet at a week-long seminar in Paris every November, challenges and inspires me to write more and better. My invaluable first readers, a critique group of four, help create, revise, and polish my first drafts. My beta readers, six friends who read extensively and critically in the mystery genre, read the finished manuscript. They point out errors and tell me what they liked and didn’t like. This gives me a chance to fix holes in the plot, discrepancies in story lines, and other problems before I send it to my wonderful editor at The Wild Rose Press for her suggestions and final approval.
I also learn from and am encouraged by members of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Pacific Northwest Writers Association. 

You do have a tribe? Who or what books or authors inspire you?
I am a big fan of Elly Griffiths, especially her Ruth Galloway series. Ellis Peters ranks right up there with Elly. I love her Cadfael stories and the way she brings the background history to life right along with the characters. There are many others whose books I have read and reread: Alan Bradley, Jess Walter, Kent Haruf, Alice Muro, and Alice Hoffman, to name a few.

I can make animal noises. Particularly I can imitate a dog and cat fight. Do you have a fun or outrageous talent?
I can’t call this a talent, but I have my pilot’s license and flew our own small plane until we sold it a couple of years ago. My first solo flight—when I took off all by myself and landed again without breaking the plane—scared me to death and I loved it.

What an amazing feeling to be up in the clouds.  I live in a lake community. What is your neighborhood like? Are there places you frequent? What makes them special?
I live on San Juan Island, a tiny chunk of ancient bedrock surrounded by cold water in the northwest corner of Washington State, very near Vancouver Island. 
The island is famous as the site of the Pig War, an international dispute that took place more than 150 years ago. The quarrel is commemorated by American Camp, a national park occupying a windswept prairie next door to my house. 
Here’s what happened. The Hudson’s Bay Company had set up a trading post and claimed the land for England. The American government also wanted the island and encouraged American citizens to go and settle there. In general, everyone got along just fine, until one day in 1859, when a pig belonging to a Hudson’s Bay Company employee wandered into an American settler’s garden and ate all his potatoes. Enraged, the settler shot the pig. He apologized, but Hudson’s Bay did not accept his apology and he began to fear retribution. So, he called for help, and the American army showed up to protect him. In response, the British called up their army and sides both called up their navies. Fortunately, only one shot was ever fired, and the pig took it. The dispute eventually led to an agreement on the border between Washington State from British Columbia.
I’m happy to report that today, all is calm, and I hike miles of trails in the park, enjoying the seasonal changes in wild flowers, animals, and birds.

Well the pig shouldn't have made such a hog out of himself. Sorry, I couldn't help it. The story is hystericl through the lens of history. What kind of research to do you do?
I love doing research. I guess you could say I spent ten or fifteen years researching Murder Unrehearsed, my first. I set it in a remote cabin on a high mountain lake because I had spent many vacations in a place like the fictional one I created. 
Murder Undetected, my second, takes place in Paris and a fictional hilltop town in the south of France. Each scene is pulled together from places I’ve gone with my camera and notepad. When I started writing it, I’d been to Paris several times and visited Provence once, but I wanted to be sure I captured the difference between the big city and the ambiance of a small town. And I wanted to know what it felt like to walk up and down steep cobblestoned streets and sit at an outdoor care in the square on market day, so I made two trips to Gordes, Roussillon, and several other small towns so I could see, taste, smell, and feel the individual atmospheres. 
For Murder Richly Deserved, which will be released next year, I visited the medieval town of Foix in the Pyrenees. The trip turned out to be a wonderful travel adventure, and although I had done a lot of research on line, I was surprised to learn how different it was from the hill towns in Provence. I could not have accurately described the scenes that take place in an ancient castle built by the Cathars without going there and experiencing it.

Getting it right is important. Sea Hunter my first historical, took a great deal of research. I like it too. Do you have a piece of jewelry that means something special to you?
Leilani pearls.I bought a string of pearls at the antique market in Nice several years ago because it reminded me of Leilani Barnett, a member of my Paris scribe tribe, who writes beautifully and seemingly without effort. Words always pour from her pen in lovely script. She never seems to have to correct or change anything. So, on days when I can’t seem to get the words to flow, I put the pearls on and think about her, and magic happens. 

This makes me smile. I can picture you sitting with pearls around your neck. What's the most difficult scene for you to write?
Characters from the opposite sex. I love writing male characters. I grew up with three brothers on an isolated farm—no girls anywhere near—and I was a tomboy at heart. So, I think of my brothers, and I’m off. 

Everytime I open my email someone or company is clamboring for my hard earned cash. What's the best money you ever spent as a writer? 
When I finished Murder Undetected, I paid Eric Witchey, a writer and writing teacher to critique the first thirty pages. I was pretty proud of what I’d written and didn’t expect the criticism he gave me. He was very kind, but said I was “driving to the story.” He meant that the first two pages, which I’d carefully, with many revisions, crafted to depict a tense, dangerous atmosphere, needed to be cut; that I needed to start with the characters on stage and build the tension in their interaction. He was absolutely right. 

Ouch! But that's how we learn and better ourselves. How do you come up with names of your characters?
My characters generally tell me their names, but not always right away, so I’ll give them a temporary name or even an initial, until they become real. 

Roxanne, thank you for spending time with us. I bet others are intrigued about your book. Can you tell us a bit about it and where to find it and also where to find you?​
Murder Undetected
by
Roxanne Dunn
Romantic Suspense
​
Two women. One driven by selfish desire, the other by selfless love: The moment psychologist Brittany Ann Thornton thinks she has her life all dialed in, her perfect little family falls apart, and the FBI seizes all her assets. Trouble pursues her from Seattle to Paris to the south of France. Viane Thibaudet, darling of a quaint hilltop town in Provence, has been getting away with murder. But when she attempts to poison her husband, Brittany steps up to stop her. 

What others are saying.
Lies and deceit. Love and loyalty. Crime and passion. Murder Undetected spans the globe with page-turning suspense, action, and thrills. A classic read with an unforgettable heroine.
Bob Fordice, Fourdice Book Trailer Productions.
Grab your copy today!
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=roxanne+dunn&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-undetected-roxanne-dunn/1140053815​ More about the Author.
When I’m not writing, I’m trying to understand how to post on Twitter and Instagram. And cook, clean, garden, do yoga, text my grandchildren, update my website, phone my aunts, teach my husband how to make pie crust, and make sure I have clean underwear. My life is rich and full.
​To quote essayist John Burroughs, “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, and all the friends I want to see.”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxannepebblesdunn/ 
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/roxanne.dunn.127 
Website: https://www.roxannedunn.com/ 

Around the Fire New Release Book Spotlight with Patricia McAlexander

The Last Golden Isle
by
Patricia McAlexander
Psychic Paranormal Romance
Release Date 12/11/23

Ever since a traumatic experience as a college freshman four years earlier, Clare Matthews has had an aversion to men. But when she goes to spend the summer on one of Georgia’s Golden Isles as a companion for her cousin Sally, she finds herself drawn to Jon, a handsome young security guard who works on the family estate. When the feeling seems mutual, she hopes she has at last been healed. Then signs of his possible involvement in a dangerous criminal activity crop up, and Clare must make a decision that will affect the rest of her life.

Grab your copy today.
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Golden-Isle-Patricia-McAlexander/dp/1509251995/ 
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-golden-isle-patricia-mcalexander/1144163217
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-last-golden-isle/id6468095788

 THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE LAST GOLDEN ISLE
Where does inspiration come from? The ancients thought of the Muses-–goddesses of artistic creation, nine of them for different arts—as spirits of inspiration; thus Homer and Virgil appeal to a Muse at the beginning of their epics. Centuries later, John Milton tells us that Paradise Lost was dictated to him at night while asleep by the heavenly muse he calls Urania. Robert Louis Stevenson said he received his stories in a state of reverie in which visitors called “brownies” helped him compose. Edgar Allen Poe does not have spirit-like visitors, but he does say his inspiration comes during a state between waking and sleep that he calls “hypnagogia.”
I feel that I too, as a pantser, am in sort of an inspired dream state as I sit at the keyboard for that first draft and words pour out. I wish I knew how to access that inspiration—how to turn it on like a faucet. But for me, it just sometimes magically comes—in the case of The Last Golden Isle, after a visit to one of Georgia’s beautiful coastal islands, reading an old story with a somewhat similar plot that I’d written in high school, and hearing from a friend about her daughter’s experience with a “spiritual guide” in South America. Then these experiences, like the little chips of glass turned in a kaleidoscope, almost on their own formed the new patterns and shapes that became the first draft of this novel.
After the inspiration of a first draft, of course, comes the work of editing and molding it to its final form, then submission and hope for acceptance, then the publicizing and the hope that people will read and like the work. But there is less mystery in that.
​The mystery is in the inspiration for that first draft, however it comes.​ About the author.
Even as a child I loved writing stories—in first grade, my personal version of Dick and Jane tales with characters I named Jean and Jerry, in high school and college short stories and novellas I shared with my friends. With this interest in writing, it’s perhaps not surprising that all my degrees were in English—a BA from the University of New York at Albany, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I taught grammar, composition, and literature at The University of Georgia and since retiring, have turned back to fiction, publishing three contemporary romantic suspense novellas with the Wild Rose Press--Stranger in the Storm, Shadows of Doubt, and The Student in Classroom 6, with a fourth, The Last Golden Isle, to be released today—December 11. My short story “Falling,” which came in second in the Atlanta, Georgia, Writers Club’s 2021 Terry Kay Prize for Fiction, was published in the Fall 2022 issue of the online journal Knot. I live in Athens, Georgia, with my husband Hubert, also a retired UGA professor.
For more, follow the author here.
Website: https://patriciamcalexander.weebly.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/patriciamcalexander/
Email: mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/patriciamcalexanderwriter/ 
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/PatMcAlexWriter 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Patricia-McAlexander/author/ 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20262992.Patricia_McAlexander 
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/patricia-mcalexander

Around the Fire welcomes back author, journalist and photographer. JL Regan.

Hello, everyone! There are only a few more Around the Fires until 2024! Can you believe it? In December the festivities begin with Pete's birthday. This year we went to thesizzlebbq.com/ an Argentina BBQ. The food was amazing and the empanadas the best I ever had.  Our house is already into holiday mode. Decorations and the tree is up. A Christmas party will be happening soon. And guess what? I typed The End to a Christmas story I hope will publish next year. So that's me. How about you? Let me know in the comments or at d.v.stone.wordsmith@gmail.com 
​Now on to the fire and today's gues. 
JL thanks to spending some time with us Around the Fire. I'm going to grab us some vanilla chai lattes. I know you enjoy them.  While I do let's begin by talking about your inspiration.  
Sometimes actors and actresses from way back when inspire me to create new names from their handsome/beautiful images.My friend, Isabelle Holland, a brilliant author of The Man Without a Face, inspired me as well.

I love the old movies especially from the 40s and early 50s. The characters seemed so elegant. I love scenes from dance clubs and the way they dressed. I grew up reading and loving books. What is one that you hold dear from your youth?
My favorite book from childhood is Charlotte's Web.

Let's chat about writing tough scenes. What are yours?
Hardest scenes to write are about the Holocaust for my historicals. It pains me to read the research of six million tortured and murdered souls.

A dark time in history, certainly. I read Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place several times and struggle with how cruel people can be. Many aspiring authors fall into what we call traps. These can be unreal writing expectations that can set them up for failure. Like, trying to be perfect on the first draft. Firsts can be really messy. This is where its truly about the process. What would you share with new writers? 
TELLING with too much narrative and not enough showing.

Oh, that's a big one. It's when we describe the scene instead of immersing the reader in it by using the protagonist senses. For example, The room was cold. Instead something like Frost on the window in the unheated cabin sent shivers through Maddie. Howling winds carried snow in swirls past the decrepit porch with missing boards as she closed the door. There are many aids for writers. Speaking of which, what's the best money you've ever spent as an author?
My resource library so that I can pull a reference  off the shelf. Also subscribing to verified historical magazines.

My favorite resources are onestopforwriters.com Have you won anything.
I won a prize for a teenage story that was published in Japan many years ago.

Nice, early on recognition. How will you treat yourself after writing a story?
When my novel is under contract, I will feast on salmon and champagne.

JL, thank you for hanging around the fire with me today. Before you leave tell us more about your book.
Nothing in Margo Simmons’s life comes easy. She can’t claim the inheritance on a condo apartment her uncle has left to her until she is gainfully employed in a job for a year. She meets the man of her dreams but anguishes over a loving relationship because he is still emotionally tied to his deceased wife. With great difficulty, she becomes the guardian to a recently orphaned child she had been tutoring.   Margo evolves from an insecure, newbie elementary teacher into a woman determined to fulfill the secret desires locked in her heart. My story speaks to anyone who has suffered a loss and had to start over.
Tender and a bit of spice
www.amazon.com/Secret-Desires-J-L-Regen/dp/099840991X/
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-desires-j-l-regen/1125516296?ean=2940165390814
About Joan 
As a journalist, several of Joan's trips overseas inspired her photography. In fact, she was runner up for a Time Out Magazine cover. Her recent trips to Auschwitz and Madrid will be used as background for historical suspense novel series. When she isn't consulting on how to open your own enterprise, teaching English as a Second Language, and working on the next book in her suspense series, she can be found on a yoga mat or in a ballet class. She adores horses but has little time to ride these days.
She is proud to announce that her entrepreneurial training handbook, The Write Rules, is in the London Consortium of Libraries and Secret Desires was a runner up for best contemporary romance by Readers Choice.
Secret Desires is now in French.​

Around the Fire New Release Book Spotlight with Jill Ocone.

Enduring the Waves
by
Jill Ocone 
Released November 20, 2023
​Women's Literature and fiction
PG-13 or R. Two very small sex scenes not suitable for children. 
​ The story.
As Waterville High School’s newest English teacher, Kelly Lynch befriends fellow educator and James Joyce enthusiast Shannon Moran. While Kelly grapples with deep scars from her past, she struggles to balance her active life as a teacher and her stagnant marriage to shiftless alcoholic Wayne Coopersmith. Shannon’s encouragement resurrects Kelly’s passion for writing, while Kelly inspires Shannon to pursue her lifelong dream of studying in Dublin, Ireland.
After two devastating events fracture Kelly’s life, she searches for meaning in her grief by following a trail of mysterious clues that guide her from the New Jersey shore to Dublin.
Sparks ignite her long-dormant creativity and a raging inferno in her heart while on the Emerald Isle as two unsuspecting Dubliners combine forces to hearten Kelly’s awakening. She returns home to the Jersey Shore having endured the waves spurred by her past, present, and future and ready to pursue her true calling.
Get your copy here.
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/46PzLlD
Amazon Kindle ebook: https://amzn.to/3QgK6BL
BN  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enduring-the-waves-jill-ocone/1144071717

Inspiration.
I traveled to Dublin for the first time during the summer of August 2014, eight months after losing a cherished friend. One night in late 2015, I was jolted awake after dreaming about an old woman who said to me, “Once you write CHAPTER ONE, everything will fall into place.” There was a symbol in my dream, one I had never seen before, and I scribbled a very rough replica of it.
Turns out it was a Triskele/Triskelion.
Both the symbol and the phrase "Chapter One" would mysteriously appear in my life countless times from that point forward. The universe used many additional signs to guide me to Dublin three more times in the summers of 2016, 2017, and 2018, and I trusted I was being led to my purpose. On my first trip, I planned to visit the James Joyce Centre and the James Joyce Tower and Museum, but I stumbled into innumerable additional fortuitous experiences and fell in love with Dublin more and more with each visit. My trips inspired me to begin writing what was first titled, “Finding Shannon.” When I finished my manuscript, I queried it as "Chapter One-A Novel.” The Wild Rose Press offered me a traditional publishing contract in February 2023, and after consulting with my editorial team, we agreed to change its title to "Enduring the Waves." 
The wavelike appearance of the triskelion's three spirals and the trials the main character, Kelly Lynch, endures make "Enduring the Waves" the perfect title for her compelling story. The revised title also reflects the novel’s growth into its own identity.  Photo by Tim of EVNFLO Photography Jill Ocone has been a writer/editor for “Jersey Shore Magazine”/Jersey Shore Publications since 2014 and a high school communications/journalism and English teacher since 2001. Her debut novel “Enduring the Waves” was published by Wild Rose Press in November 2023. Her work has also been published in Read Furiously’s “Stay Salty: Life in the Garden State,” Exeter Publishing’s “From the Soil” hometown anthology, Red Penguin Books’ “Where Flowers Bloom,” “the leaves fall,” and “‘Tis the Season: Poems for Your Holiday Spirit,” “Everywhere” magazine and elsewhere. She loves making memories with her nieces and nephews, exploring and traveling, laughing with her family and friends, and sharing her Point Pleasant home with her husband. 
Follow the author.
jillocone.com
jillocone@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/jillocone
https://www.instagram.com/jillocone/
https://twitter.com/jill_ocone 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillocone/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199738963-enduring-the-waves

Around the Fire In-depth author interview with Meryl Brown Tobin.

Welcome to my fire. This is a place to talk author’s, their life, and craft. Sort of a peek behind the curtain to get to know people. I hope you will subscribe to the blog and be part of this growing community of readers, writers, and what makes us tick. Today is a new to me author, Meryl Tobin from Australia. Meryl, I hear you like a special beverage and I’ve gathered the ingredients to make Nature’s Cuppa. I’m excited to try this drink made of barley, rye, chicory, and malted barley
So, while I grab a couple of mugs, why don’t you take the floor and introduce yourself? Who are you other than your bio?
I am a happily married woman with three adult children and extended family and friends, and I am also involved in my community. As a child I developed a love of nature and a social conscience, and I try to do what I can to help make the world a better place as I see it.
 
Lovely! The world is a gift, and we need to do our part in taking care of it and its people. What interests besides writing do you enjoy?
Travel, photography, watching TV, following up and researching mystery sightings of mystery creatures such as big wild cats and animals fitting the description of the extinct Tasmanian tiger. I read newspapers, journals and books and I am involved in conservation groups advocating for the environment. My husband and I love traveling and have traveled extensively around Australia and have traveled overseas to countries including Denmark, Sweden, Russia, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the USA.
 
Wow! I’ve only been to Mexico and the Caribbean, other than the USA. Though my hubby and I travel a lot in our camper. Who is your network or support system?
I belong to various writer groups. The Australian Society of Authors Inc is a highly professional organization, and I joined it when I published my first book. The one whose meetings I attend regularly is The Society of Women Writers Victoria (in Australia). For many years I was a member of a SWWV poetry workshop where members critiqued each other’s poems. I have also been a member of the now-defunct Fellowship of Australian Writers Victorian branch and the Victorian Writers Centre (now called Writers Victoria). I am also a member of Geelong Writers. Apart from formal groups, I have good writing friends. We email each other with writing news, tips, experiences and help with technology, etc.
 
That’s quite a varied and widespread network. I get inspiration many different places. Who or what books or authors are your inspiration?
I like lots of different sorts of books and lots of authors. As a child I loved Enid Blyton’s books, especially the Famous Five ones. The science fiction novel ‘Z for Zachariah’ by Robert Leslie Carroll Conly was one with a great message, as were George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. In more recent times, I’ve enjoyed reading Richard Flanagan’s ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’, for which Flanagan won The Man Booker Prize 2014, Chrissie Michaels’ Australian historical fiction for teenagers and Bruce Pascoe’s brilliant book, ‘Dark Emu’ and Stan Grant’s ‘Talking to My Country’, both books about First Nations people.
As this interview is about my work as a romantic suspense writer, I should mention EV Timms, an Australian historical novelist, Catherine Gaskin author of ‘Sara Dane’, Victoria Holt, gothic romance writer, Catherine Cookson, a British writer of historical novels and the films of some of Danielle Steel’s books. All authors and books made an impression on me, as did others.
As a keen TV viewer, I also thrived on TV detective shows such as ‘Midsomer Murders’ and ‘Vera’ and family sagas such as ‘The Forsyte Saga’ and ‘Downton Abbey’.
 
I’ve often mentioned Victoria Holt and Catherine Cookson though I’ll have to look the others up. Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
I follow up stories of sightings of unusual fauna, such as exotic big cats, such as pumas and black panthers, which are not native to where I live––Australia.
 
What is your neighborhood like? Are there any places you frequent?
My husband and I live in Paradise between the coast and the bush with lots of flora and fauna. For instance, there are 54 native orchids growing naturally in our area. In spring, 2019, some months after bushfires close to us the summer before, a huge grass tree forest we didn’t know existed erupted in full bloom with thousands of spikes flowering at the same time. Sadly, because of sand mining, many of the orchids and grass trees and other native flora have been destroyed or are under threat.
 
It sounds beautiful. I’ve tried growing orchids at home but never was quite successful. I can hardly imagine them growing wild. Let’s chat about writing. Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both but I have to do it. As Dr Phil would say, it is part of the ‘authentic me’.
 
After years of writing, I wish I knew some of what I know now. Let’s help the new writers out. What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Sending material off before letting it settle for a time and then thoroughly proofreading it to see it is the best it can possibly be.
 
So, true. We are so excited when we type The End, that we send it off before it’s really ready. What are your writing gems?
Being given the tools to write in a style to rework my novels so they will be published. The former Wild Rose Press Editor Val Mathews gave me the tools and they are set out in Mary Buckham's ‘A Writer's Guide to Active Setting’ and Janice Hardy's ‘Understanding Show, Don't Tell’.
 
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Do a writing course early in your career––don’t lose precious time learning a lot through trial and error and experience. Also, as it takes so long to write a novel and get it published, Consider writing shorter pieces regularly as well and getting published regularly.
 
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? 
Among other writing, I have three novels close to ready, another that needs quite a bit of work, and one more that needs rewriting in depth. One is buried in my head with none of it written down, three educational puzzle books need more work, and, I have several short story collections of my published short stories and several poetry collections of my published poems waiting for me to find the time to revise them and put them together.
 
Oh, my. Prolific much? Lol! Let’s get a snapshot of you, Meryl. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?
‘I Am Woman.’
 
What subjects should be taught in school but aren’t?
Clear thinking to counter the proliferation of false facts. While some students might be, all students should also be taught to handle money and manage a household and be taught respect for all.
 
What’s the most amazing natural occurrence you’ve witnessed?
My husband and I once saw a small parrot we couldn’t identify on the mudflats on the coast eating beaded glasswort. Then it registered, we were looking at the almost extinct, orange-bellied parrot. Only about 50 are said to exist in the wild. My husband did get photos of it on our mobile phone, but we were a bit far away so they were not good ones.
 
Meryl, than you for joining me today Around the Fire. Before you head off into the wilds, will you leave us with some information about your book and where we can find out more about it and you?
​ Broome Enigma 
by
Meryl Brown Tobin 
​Romantic Suspense
Release by The Wild Rose Press November 20, 2023

On a working holiday in Australia's cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer is open to romance and adventure.
At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.
Is Joe the person Jodie thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can she stop their relationship from developing until she knows whether he is free to love her?
*From the author.
Broome Enigma is for mature Young Adults, Women and Adults.  All interactions, other than the 'baddies' behaviour' are respectful, and family values are important. ​ More about the author.
​Meryl Brown Tobin is an Australian writer who writes children’s and adults’ fiction and non-fiction, particularly on travel and the environment, poetry and puzzles for all ages. Her published work includes 20 books, including a travel book, puzzle books, blackline masters books of educational puzzles and workbooks, a children’s picture storybook and poetry books. Hundreds of her poems, puzzles and articles, scores of short stories, and some cartoons and comic strips have appeared in more than 150 magazines and newspapers in Australia and other countries, including India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and USA.
She has also edited several books and co-ordinated and co-edited a haiku book and an anthology of prose and poetry for The Society of Women Writers Victoria Inc.
A member of the Australian Society of Authors Ltd, Fellowship of Australian Writers (Vic) and The Society of Women Writers Victoria Inc, she is a former President of the SWWV.

Around the fire new release spotlight with Karina Bartow.

Accidental Allies
by
Karina Bartow
Released 11/20/23
Police Procedural
PG
Everybody’s experienced a rocky start to a new job, but few can top Minka Avery's return to Orlando PD.
After six years as a stay-at-home mom, Minka’s nervous but excited to sit at a detective’s desk again. Before she has a chance to break in her badge, however, her career resumes with a bang when someone bombs the county courthouse.   
With many disillusioned with the justice system, several brow-raising suspects emerge right away. Minka and her new partner, Renee, follow several tips that lead to dead ends, until they zero in on the courthouse's former security guard. Their attempts to apprehend him send the city and police department into chaos. Meanwhile, Minka contends with the lingering suspicion of another party being involved. Could his accomplice be closer than she thinks?
Get your copy today.
 https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Allies-Unde-feted-Detective-ebook/dp/B0CHWKQ98F 
 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/accidental-allies-karina-bartow/1144069605
 https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Accidental-Allies/Karina-Bartow/9781509252077
 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Unde-a-Feated-Detective-Accidental-Allies-Series-3-Paperback-9781509252077/5087500511 
​
Inspiration for the story from Karina.
In continuation of The Unde(a)feated Detective series, I decided to bring Minka back to the police force in Accidental Allies, but I wanted her return to be suspenseful, much like her departure was in Husband in Hiding. Thus, I set it around an explosion. You can’t get much more action-packed than that, right?
Along with that, I used this installment to provide a glimpse into the adversity Minka faced—and continues to face—in her pursuits to be a policewoman. Being disabled myself, I channeled some of my own experiences and reactions to them through her.  Like her, I’ve also been privileged to have “allies” in my corner who believe in me, so I implemented characters around her that show her that kind of support.   
​About the author.
Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio.  Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her.  Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want.  Her works include Husband in Hiding, Brother of Interest, Forgetting My Way Back to You, and Wrong Line, Right Connection.  She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!
For more information visit the author.
https://karinabartow.com/​
www.facebook.com/karina.bartow.58
www.twitter.com/KarinaBartow

Around the Fire in-depth interview with Ak Nevermore.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating tomorrow. I've already started prepping. The pies are baked. I'm debating spatchcocking my turkey. I'm still undecided. Maybe I'll wait and start with a chicken. They do say Thanksgiving is not the day to experiment. We'll have mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn (it's all my hubby will eat that resembles a vegetable) stuffing, cranberry, and biscuits. Only my son and grands are coming this year. Dear daughter-in-law is a new RN and anyone in the medical field knows the low man works all the holidays and weekends. Hubby and I did that for many many years. We'll send a plate home for her. Today's guest a fellow Wild Rose Press author though she is new to me. So, let's get to know her together.  ​Hi, AK, I hear you like coffee and bourbon. I found a recipe that incorporates both. It'll keep us warm around the fire. 1 ounce of bourbon, 1/2 ounce of honey liqueur, 6 ounces of  coffee and top it with whipped cream. While I mix up some of this magic, why don't you take the floor and introduce yourself? Who are you other than your bio?
Externally, I’m super chill, but that’s because, internally, the hamster is too busy eating tacos to get on the anxiety wheel.

Ugh, my hamster wheel could generate enough electricity to run my house with the right equipment. What interests besides writing do you enjoy? 
I’m a certified chef, so cooking’s a thing. I also love landscaping my yard and refinishing antique furniture. I get my best ideas when I’m in the zone of monotony doing super detailed work with dental tools to get that last bit of paint out of crevices.

I love to cook. I have no training, oh wait, I did take a baking class at the local technical school. Maybe we can cook together over the fire after the interview. Who is your network or support system?
My mom, but don’t tell her, she gets all smug. I also have a group of wonderful ladies I’ve been writing with for close to three years now I would be lost without, and my favorite introvert/bff writing buddy is the best.

Different books and authors have inspired me over the years. Who or what are your inspirations?
Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton, Roger Zelazny, Brandon Sanderson, JR Ward, and Ilona Andrews.

Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
I can freeze my kids mid bad behavior with a look.

Ah, the mother's glare, tis a thing of awesome terribleness. What is your neighborhood like? Are there any places you frequent? What makes them unique?
I live in the boonies, so there’s not really a neighborhood per say, but I love my yard and work hard to make it a refuge. We have an insane amount of wildlife, which is a blessing and a curse. You’d be surprised how destructive rabbits are. Monty Python had it right, those things are evil.
 
We live in the woods. Deer are our archenemies. Let's talk about writing. What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Listening to all the external criticisms and suggestions in the hopes of validation. Go with your gut, always. You’re a writer if you write. You don’t need anyone to rubber stamp you.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep the faith, it will happen, and everything up to that point serves a purpose, even the rotten stuff.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I learned to trust myself and embrace my voice. Before Flame & Shadow I was writing based on what I thought I was expected to write. After some super harsh criticism, I finally said enough and wrote the most ridiculous, sassy adventure I could come up with. It was freeing. I laughed through the whole thing and want all of my books to feel like that, for myself and my readers.

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Yeah, there are a ton of inside jokes there just to make certain people laugh. It’s literally my goal to make them spit out their tea at some point in every book.

If they made a movie about your life, what would the title be, and who would play you?
“You Can’t Make this S— um, Stuff, up” because bizarre things happen to me all the time. Like, I can hardly believe it, and I’m there! Anne Hathaway (The klutzy, dorky version from the beginning of The Devil Wears Prada) would definitely be the lead.

If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash, and everyone in the vicinity would cringe because I’d insist on singing along. It would be glorious. Musical I am not, but I am extremely enthusiastic. I’m all about embracing all that is embarrassing and owning it. Yep, I’m a terrible singer. Do I care? Nope, because I’m enjoying the hell out of it!

AK what a pleasure to share my fire and get to know you. I'd like you to stay but I know you should go. But, before you do, please tell us about your book and where we can get more information. 
Flame & Shadow
by 
AK Nevermore
Half-daemon Envy Starr is destined to die on Midsummer’s Eve, still a virgin, on some crappy cult’s live-stream feed. With thirty days left to live, the chance to escape her fate and get some action compels her into her absentee father’s world of beautifully cultured cruelty.
Once there, she’s the object of a deadly game, slated to alter the Fae realm’s power structure. Worse, the rules keep changing, and everyone has an ulterior motive, including her dae-licious guide, Brennan. Under a geas he’s desperate to break, she can’t trust him, or herself.
Stupid Stockholm syndrome.
But unless she can come to terms with what lies in her heart, her unlikely survival will be a fate worse than death. For her, and the rest of Fae.

Get your copy today.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C...
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/flame-shadow/id6464523158
Barnes & Noble:: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144031970?ean=2940186024484
Your readers can also get a free prequel to the book, One Night in Bliss, here.  ​More about the author
AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.
Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time.
She pays the bills editing, wielding a wicked hot pink pen and writing a column on SFF. She also belongs to the Authors Guild, is a chapter treasurer for the RWA, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.
www.facebook.com/AkNevermore
twitter.com/AkNevermore
https://www.instagram.com/aknevermore/​
https://www.tiktok.com/@ak.nevermore​​