Sydney Winward's Blog, page 14
August 25, 2020
New Contract!
Just Signed a New Contract!
Out of all the books I’ve written, Bloodscourge is my most favorite. Dracula was so fun to write! Lots of snarky attitude and dry humor. He’s a brute of a vampire, but he has to be tough when he’s the captain of the guard. Beneath his tough exterior is someone who values family above everything else. If you are accepted into his family circle, he would die for you. However, earning his trust is no small feat.
Bloodscourge is the 5th book I’ve written in the series, but because it takes place 1000 years before book #1, I could insert it anywhere. I decided to push it forward because I just love it so much.
August 24, 2020
Book Review of Life for Sale by Linda Nightingale
My Review
When a life-like robot starts to malfunction, putting all her renegade peers in danger, more is at stake than just March’s life. Exposure could kill them all.
Life for Sale has a very interesting concept like nothing I’ve read before. I’ve always been fascinated with AI and its capabilities. For robots to have intelligence, emotions, and bodies that work the same as humans is an awesome idea that the author explored in depth. It makes you wonder… Is love real? Or is love really just programmed into your coding? Great read!
My rating: 5 stars
Blurb
Mayfair Electronics has created life.
But four of their Special Editions—sentient androids indistinguishable from human—have escaped.
Rebel, Christian Aguillard and his owner, March, are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator’s plan to destroy him. They’ve discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure.
Trapped on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer’s next victim.
August 20, 2020
Book Review of Cowgirl Next Door by Lacy Williams
My Review
I gobbled this up in one day. Another great read from Lacy Williams. I love the author’s writing style and voice, and I especially love her talent for weaving in emotion with realistic circumstances.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. In Secondhand Cowboy, I didn’t like either Jilly or Noah. But what the author delivered surprised me. I loved how the hero and heroine were constantly butting heads competitively. They were the perfect match for each other, and the perfect complementary pair to get each other to open up about their painful pasts.
Looking forward to reading more of this author’s work!
My rating: 5 stars
Favorite Quote
“Can we talk?” she asked almost tentatively.
He held the door open, and she stepped in, though she swung wide as she slipped past him.
“The kids okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Lindsey is staring at the oven, waiting for her pumpkin pie to bake.”
He smiled a little at that. Lindsey the baker.
“She wanted me to ask if you’d changed your mind about coming up to the house for dinner.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. “Lindsey wanted you to ask?” That seemed like a lot of words for a little girl who’d uttered all of three words in his presence, one of which was meow.
She sighed in an exasperated way. “Fine. I don’t like thinking about you all alone over here. Come over for lunch.”
It wasn’t an invitation. It was a demand. One that, by the sound of her tone, she would rather not have to make.
Which made his hackles rise.
“How can I refuse an invitation like that? Uh, no.”
Blurb
Cancer stole everything from Jilly. Now she’s taking her life back by force, choosing an unconventional path to motherhood, and gambling it all to purchase the farm she’s always dreamed of. Her reclusive neighbor might be a jerk, but that’s a minor problem. Until her foster kids turn it into a major problem…
Noah likes being alone. It’s safer that way. But his new neighbor—who happens to be his former rival—has no boundaries and it isn’t long before she starts stirring up his past—a past that’s better left forgotten.
August 19, 2020
Book Review of A Hundred Lies by Jean M. Grant
My Review
Beautiful cover. Beautiful story. Beautiful characters. I loved everything about this book. The plot was intriguing, filled with mystery, romance, and danger. The characters had great chemistry. I loved how slow they took their relationship in the beginning. As a reader, I got to experience the flutters of the first meeting, of developing feelings, and more as the romance progressed in the story.
The author does an amazing job at stradling genres. Her women’s fiction book was incredible, and I’m wowed by this new paranormal romance novel. Definitely recommend! I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
My rating: 5 stars
Favorite Quote
“Wh-what’s your name? Uh, family name, I mean?” He coughed to mask his discomfort.
She shook her head whilst accepting his help and blew a winded breath. “Why does it matter? I’m not associated with any clans. My name is just a name. I’m not the one hiding behind a family name, Domhnall Montgomerie.”
“But it is your name.” Did she hail from the isles? Was she an Ancient?
She narrowed her eyes but softened the glower on her face with his gentle words. “Threston. Rosalie Threston, and you’ve met Oswell. Nelda is in Edinburgh keeping the shop with the aid of our neighbor, the herbalist.”
“You’ve no other kin?” He kicked at the ground, cursing his tongue. He loaded the crate with the cats into the cart. “I-I mean, parents, siblings?” Husband?
Blurb
1322, Scotland
Rosalie Threston’s fortune-telling lies have caught up with her. Uprooted yet again, she’s on the run from a ruthless English noblewoman. She flees to Scotland and seeks refuge in the arms of a laird’s son who happens to be a real Seer.
A bloody past and inevitable future plague Domhnall Montgomerie. He avoids physical contact with others to ease the painful visions. When an accidental touch reveals only delight, he wonders if Rose is the key to silencing the Sight.
Mystical awakening unravels with each kiss. But can Domhnall embrace his gift in time to save her life, even it means exposing her lies?
August 18, 2020
Cover Reveal for Tamela Miles’s Maraschino Marriage Pact
Would you look at this gorgeous cover by Debbie Taylor? I am so in love with it. I’m definitely putting this book on my ever-growing TBR list! I’m so excited to read it! Here’s more information on the book and the talented author who wrote it.
Blurb
Mikayla DiAngelis has spent the past two years traveling the world and avoiding the demands of her overbearing warlock father. A confusing kiss from her former bodyguard is yet another reason for her to stay two steps ahead on the run.
Warlock bodyguard Austin Luca will stop at nothing to bring Mikayla home. His loyalty belongs to her family, but his heart belongs to her, even though he has ties that bind him to his own family responsibilities.
Their encounter was inevitable, and Mikayla is soon caught up in Austin’s passion and the world she vowed to leave behind. Will surrendering to her former protector cost her the freedom she needs?
Excerpt
“You know better than to use your magick in public, Mikayla. What if I was some ordinary human passerby?”
Mikayla froze midmotion. That deep, amused drawl had been with her since she was a child. She slowly turned around, scowling. “I knew I shouldn’t have come back here for the summer. Am I that obvious, Austin?”
The tall, leanly muscled man with straight dark hair and piercing chocolate-brown eyes shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “I lost track of you last year in Rome. Kudos for managing to give me the slip, considering I taught you every trick you know. I bet on your sentimentality about this place bringing you back.” He gestured at the skimpy black sundress she wore. “You’re looking well.”
She nodded. “Thank you. You haven’t changed. You never do. Why can’t every warlock age as gracefully as you do?” Sighing heavily, she placed her hands on her hips. “If you tell me again to come home, I’m hopping off this pier.”
His face shuttered. “I have news about your family, Mikayla. This time, it’s serious.”
Author Bio
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Tamela Miles is a school psychologist with Ed.S and PPS credential and a graduate of California State University San Bernardino and California State University Dominguez Hills. She is also a former flight attendant. She grew up in Altadena, California in that tumultuous time known as the 1980s. She now resides with her family in the Inland Empire, CA. She’s a horror/paranormal romance writer mainly because it feels so good having her characters do bad things and, later, pondering what makes them so bad and why they can never seem to change their wicked ways.
She enjoys emails from people who like her work. In fact, she loves emails. She can be contacted at tamelamiles@yahoo.com or her Facebook page, Tamela Miles Books. She also welcomes reader reviews and enjoys the feedback from people who love to read as much as she does.
Here’s where you can follow the author
On Twitter: @jackiebrown20
On Instagram: Tamela Miles Books
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/sassysleepingbeauties/
All Author Page: https://allauthor.com/author/tamelamiles/
Author Interview with Kimberly Baer
Kimberly, thanks for joining me today on my blog! I’m excited to get to know more about you and your new release. Tell us about The Haunted Purse.
The Haunted Purse is a YA paranormal novel about fifteen-year-old Libby Dawson, who buys an old purse at the local thrift store. Almost immediately, strange things start happening. Her personal possessions disappear from the purse and later reappear. And unfamiliar items keep turning up inside, including an old photograph of a teenage girl carrying the same purse. Libby comes to realize that these items are clues to a cold-case mystery, and she sets out to solve it with help from her best friend, Toni. Unfortunately, digging up the past puts her own life in grave danger.
Who is Libby Dawson? What makes her tick?
Libby is a bright, pretty teenage girl who’s been living alone in the inner city ever since her mother abandoned her to move in with a boyfriend. Libby has been forced to grow up fast, because she’s essentially her own parent. She’s determined not to end up like her mother—a poverty-stricken, unwed teenage mom. She works hard at her studies and plans to go to college so that she can leave the ghetto behind for good. She also takes great pains to keep Child Protective Services from finding out about her living situation, knowing that she’ll be placed in foster care if the truth ever comes out.
How old were you when you wrote your first story?
I was six. My story was about a little girl whose Easter egg hatched into a baby chick, which her parents let her keep as a pet. The story was only a page or two long, but my mom typed it up and put it in a binder with the title on the cover, just like a real book. I was so proud of that thing!
What comes first, character or plot?
Definitely plot. Ideas for novels are constantly popping into my head—more than I can possibly write in my lifetime. Once I’ve solidified a plot, I figure out what kinds of characters will fit into the story. It’s sort of like holding auditions for a play.
Do you base your characters on real people or make them up from scratch?
Both. Some real-life people are so over the top, you just have to put them in a novel!
Do you ever get writer’s block, and if so, how do you overcome it?
Assuming I’ve already started the story in question, I’ll go back and polish an existing scene. That makes me feel as though I’ve made some progress, and it keeps me engaged in the story to the point where I often see where I need to go next. I also like to go power-walking. The increased circulation to my brain does wonders for my creative thinking ability. I’m continually amazed by how many new ideas I get and how many problems I solve while walking.
Are you closer to being a hoarder or a minimalist?
Minimalist! I hate having too much stuff. When my house is cluttered, my mind feels cluttered.
What’s the weirdest dream you ever had?
I once dreamed that I went back in time to warn President Johnson about the escalation of the Vietnam War. Somehow I was permitted an audience with him, and nobody questioned my claim that I was from the future. I got to say my piece, but the dream ended before I found out whether LBJ intended to act on my advice.
What’s your favorite guilty-pleasure TV show?
Can I have four? Gilmore Girls, Breaking Bad, The Office, and Friends, in no particular order. Each one offers a wonderful escape from the real world, with all its problems. I never get tired of watching them.
Thanks for a great interview! Best of luck with your new book.
Blurb from The Haunted Purse:
That old denim purse Libby Dawson bought at the thrift store isn’t your run-of-the-mill teenage tote. It’s a bag of secrets, imbued with supernatural powers. Strange items keep turning up inside, clues to a decades-old mystery only Libby can solve.
Filled with apprehension and yet intrigued by the mounting pile of evidence, Libby digs for the truth. And eventually finds it. But the story of the purse is darker than she imagined—and its next horrific chapter is going to be all about her.
Excerpt from The Haunted Purse:
Toni asked, “Do you think we should tell my mom about the purse?”
“No,” I said. I wasn’t ready to trust an adult. Not even Toni’s mom, nice as she was. “Your mom is like you,” I added. “Practical. It would take a long time to convince her there’s something supernatural going on.”
We went back to watching the purse. There was a moment when I thought I saw it twitch, but that might have been my imagination.
“You could always get rid of it,” Toni said. “You know, donate it back to the thrift store.”
I considered that. “I could. But I don’t want to. Not yet, anyway. This purse is the coolest thing I’ve ever owned. I want to find out more about it. I want to see what it does next.”
She took her eyes from the purse long enough to glance at me. “Aren’t you afraid it’ll crawl into your bed some night and strangle you with its straps?”
“No. I think it’s trying to get my attention. It’s trying to tell me something.”
“Like what?”
I didn’t have a clue.
About the Author
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Kimberly Baer is an author, professional editor, and mother of three. Her YA paranormal novel The Haunted Purse will be published by The Wild Rose Press on August 17, 2020.
Kim’s first story, written at age six, was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl’s Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. Thankfully, Kim’s story-plotting skills have improved since then. She especially enjoys writing middle-grade and young adult fiction.
Kim was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town marginally famous for having experienced three major floods—and she lived there during one of them. She currently lives in Virginia.
Follow Kimberly: Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon | Goodreads
August 17, 2020
Linda Nightingale Visiting with Her New Release!
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Interview
I’m excited to have you on my blog today, Linda! Your Tomorrow’s Angels series is such a unique idea, one I’ve never encountered before. I’m excited to learn more about your books and about you as an author. Let’s start with a few questions.
You’re going to Mars with the first SpaceX group. The essentials will be provided, but
you’re allowed to bring one personal item. What will you bring?
My laptop so that I can read and write. I thought about my Linus blankie, but it’s too old and tattered.What do you like to do in your spare time? Count my millions. (Joke!) Read I watch very little TV because I don’t have the patience to channel surf. Of course, I like to sit staring out windows dreaming (letting my imagination wander to the next book). Once upon a time, I liked to ride my Andalusian stallion, but due to an accident, my back won’t permit it any longer. I like road trips and driving my little sports car. His name is Zippy Z. He’s Sterling Gray with a black convertible top. Zippy is an older gentleman (aclassic) but runs strong…and fast. Tee hee. Little old lady from Pasadena here.
What superpower would you like to have?
Channel surfing (see above). Seriously, telepathy or teleportation. Both are a way of travel in a way, boldly going to new dimensions either in the mind or in time and space.
What’s your favorite place to visit?
Yorkshire, England. My son, his wife, and my four lovely grandchildren live in a village in South Yorkshire. The countryside roams from hills to manicured fields, to stretching moors. I love the curvy roads and always wish I had Zippy Z. Yorkshiremen think it is heaven on earth, and they are very close. I might be a Yorkshire resident one day.
What is the first book that made you cry?
The Fire and the Hammer but it has been so long ago, I don’t recall the author’s name. As a young girl, I used to keep a notebook of my favorite passages from my favorite books. I still have it, and I’d like to share a passage from The Fire and the Hammer: November is a time for the old to look at the young and marvel and remember that season of love and the beauty of it all, for God has so ordered that it does not come twice to any man since no man is strong enough to bear the wonder of it twice.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
The horse, of course, of course. The horse signifies overcoming obstacles and how you should carry yourself in the face of adversity. Can’t we all use this in the face of rejections? The horse
spirit animal works hard to remind you to take care of your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. The horse symbolism also speaks of freedom Horses are very spiritual animals. I bred, trained, and showed horses for many years and have had many equine friends. The best of them was Bonito, my Andalusian stallion. I’m convinced he was my soul mate. Once a horseman, always a horseman.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Goodness knows! Probably about 10, ranging from vampires (sequel to Sinners’ Opera); angels (a companion book to Gylded Wings); my WIP—a centaur book—and other super(natural) heroes languishing in my computer.
What did you edit out of your most recent project?
In my WIP, the hero is a centaur, and the heroine is a human. In the first draft, I needed to edit some of the romantic interactions so that no one would think it was bestiality. It wasn’t. In the current version, the romantic scenes are very mild with only sweet kisses until…. There’s a change that makes their passion possible.
In my upcoming release, Life for Sale, I edited out some of the steamier love scenes. I
sort of cut-to-black. I did this because my editor asked me to cool off the love scenes in
Sinners’ Opera, and it’s still been called very spicy.
How do you select the names of your characters?
Usually, they come to me and give me their name. If not, I have a book of names I bought in England. I choose the first name for a pleasant blend with the last name. And I look at the meaning of the first and surnames.
Thanks for visiting today! It was great to get to know you better. Here’s more information about the books for those interested.
Love for Sale Blurb
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March Morgan still believes in true love, but her faith in finding her soul mate is slowly vanishing.She’s been married but never in love. So, it is a miracle to find that fantasy exists on the last page of a glossy women’s journal. Mayfair Electronics, Ltd., in black and white, offers Love for Sale. The London firm has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from humans. She flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life.
Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight. He’s handsome, cultured…absolutely perfect…and a little different from the other androids. He has an unexpected independent streak. March signs on the dotted line, buying her dream man. They return to Houston, but soon her past and his future threaten their Happily Ever After—indeed their lives.
Buy Love for Sale for 99 Cents!
Life for Sale Blurb
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Mayfair Electronics has created life.
But four of their Special Editions—sentient androids indistinguishable from human—have escaped. Rebel, Christian Aguillard and his owner, March, are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator’s plan to destroy him. They’ve discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure.
Trapped on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer’s next victim.
Life for Sale Excerpt
Slippers plopped on the cherry wood floor in the hall, March returning to his office. Christian stiffened, frantically searching for a place to hide the monstrosity. His central processing center hummed, his heart thundering. These programmed and learned responses could disable. Shock held him motionless. He simply stared at the box. She called ahead, “Dear, we should go out soon. We need a bottle of wine for your boss’ dinner party tonight.”
Her voice penetrated the horrified fog. He slammed the box closed, glanced up and time ran out. She stood in the doorway, her hands braced each side on the door frame. He took a deep breath of her perfume and exhaled the tension that had built to a crescendo.
He wasn’t one to lose it easily, but he’d never had to deal with pure horror before. His logical mind struggled with this brutal assault. “Right. Give me a minute. I’ll need to shower and dress, too.”
The contents of the closed box had been branded on his retinas. Damn their eyes, who’d do such a heinous thing? Christian took control of his body, stilling his trembling hands. By effort of will, he didn’t acknowledge the package by even a glance. The pilot had been decapitated in the crash, but how the hell did his head end up in Houston, Texas, more particularly in their home?
“Who was at the door?” March must have seen something in his face. Frowning, she hurried to his side. “What’s that funny smell?”
The embalmed head of a man who looked like me. Another cold quiver leapt along his sensors. He’d never forget the look in the dead pilot’s eyes. Fear now had a physical illustration. If he’d possessed a stomach, he’d have been violently ill.
“I don’t know how to tell you this.” He swallowed hard and shrugged. “What’s in that box…” he pointed, “is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. It can’t have come from Mayfair. They’d never resort to terror tactics.”
“Christian, what is it?” She reached for the vessel containing a man’s—once a living, breathing human being’s—preserved head.
“No.” He seized her hand. “March, you mustn’t. I refuse to let you see what’s in that box. It’s disgusting…and horrible. The pilot who died in the Jersey crash…it’s his head. The article mentioned he was decapitated.”
“His head!” March recoiled. “Dear lord, who’d send a dead man’s head to us?”
“Not to us. To me.” He sank down in his executive chair, pulling her onto his lap. “I don’t know what to do with it other than involve the police, and that’s the last thing I want to do. Draw any kind of notoriety and this would make national news.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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After 14 years in Texas, Linda returned home to her roots in the South Carolina red clay. She has eight published novels, four of which are available from Audible.com in audio. For many years, she bred, trained and showed the magnificent Andalusian horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer. She’s won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award for Excellence, the Raven Award, and the SARA Merritt. In real life, she was a legal assistant.
Follow Linda Nightingale
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LNightingale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaNightingaleAuthor
Web Site: http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.
Blog: https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ – Lots of interesting guests & prizes
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839311.Linda_Nightingale
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lbnightingale1/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nightingale/e/B005OSOJ0U
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/linda-nightingale
August 13, 2020
Book Review of The Vampire Wants a Wife by Andie M. Long
My Review
I really enjoyed this! The banter between Shelley and Theo was entertaining. Theo was the most adorable vampire in the world. And the story concept was fun to read. I loved how dedicated the hero was to finding love after so many years of living. He wants to settle down with a wife and have children, and he’s dead set on Shelley. Many interesting characters were introduced, from wizards to vampires to werewolves, and the Supernatural Dating Agency might be their only hope at finding love.
I was a little put off with how many swear words were in this book, and the romance was lost by the end. But all in all, I did enjoy it, and I might consider reading more in the series.
My rating: 4 stars
Favorite Quote
I met his cool gaze. “Look, let’s practice tonight. While we eat dinner, pretend you’re not a vampire, but a regular human guy.” I pointed. “Like Rav, a regular guy like Rav.”
“Rav is not a regular guy. Rav is a demon,” Theo replied.
Blurb
Running a dating agency can be a killer…
Shelley Linley is sick of sickos. Yet another prankster has applied to her dating agency. This one says he’s a vampire and he wants Shelley to help him find a wife.
Meeting him for a second interview against all her better judgement, Shelley discovers that he has no clue about women. A shame because he’s super-hot, amusing, and has a lot of single friends he could recommend her struggling business to, even if he does say they’re werewolves and demons. She has to help him, even if he’s crazy.
If she can ignore his delusions, she’s sure she can help him meet someone. But when death threats start arriving on her doorstep, Shelley’s not sure she’s cut out for the job…then her dating algorithm states she’s his ideal partner. Now she’s not sure if she should take the risk for love, or run like hell.
August 12, 2020
Book Review of A Time to Be Born and a Time to Die by Everlee Whitman
My Review
When I downloaded this, I didn’t realize it was so short. Unfortunately, especially for a novella, the plot was very underdeveloped. Adding at least another 100 pages would have helped draw out the story. Important scenes were left out, including most of the relationship-building scenes, and there were a couple other scenes that didn’t move the plot forward and didn’t need to be there. There was no romantic tension between the characters, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about them when by the end of the story, I had more questions than answers. I like that this is a clean and uplifting romance, and the premise of it taking place on a therapy ranch is awesome. But the novella had an unfinished feel to it that could have been expanded upon.
My rating: 2.5 stars
Blurb
Nestled in the hills of the Lake Michigan shoreline, the ranch overlooks open fields and rich oak, maple and beech tree groves. It has been owned by the Katzen family for generations. Once a working ranch producing cattle and milking cows, it has now turned into a therapy ranch for a multitude of special populations.
Living River Ranch is in turmoil with the sudden death of the patriarchal grandfather. Margaret is left as heir to keep the therapy ranch afloat for the many that depend on it for treatment and jobs. Having the responsibility of her brother weighs on her, yet provides strength in what she feels is God’s mission for the ranch.
Noah, the ranch manager has known Margaret for years but only through a looking glass relationship that has until this point never crossed the friend boundary. Now having to work together on new ranch challenges, Margaret and Noah find themselves working much closer in other ways.
What I Wanted to Do When I Grew Up vs. What I Do
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What I wanted to do
For most of my life, I was passionate about dinosaurs! I always wanted to be a paleontologist, go on adventures, and make new discoveries. In college, I even took a dinosaur class from a real paleontologist. I ate the information up. I LOVED dinosaurs! I loved learning about them, I loved memorizing bone structures and fancy names. But of course, life always has different plans for you.
What I actually do
Currently, I’m a full-time stay-at-home mommy to two of the most precious souls in the world. I’ve never had a harder job in my life. Kudos to those parents who are homeschooling their kids this year due to recent events. (Speaking of Kudos, do they still make those delicious granola bars? I haven’t seen them around lately.)
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On the side, I write books. My latest paranormal romance release just came out earlier this month! I’ve always wanted to write books as well. I graduated with an English degree, but I was very tempted to switch majors into something more paleontology friendly. But marriage happens, and then babies, and I wouldn’t change my mommy job for the world! 
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