Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 22

IWSG: Shine On!

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for December is a timely one, considering the daylight hours are getting shorter and the sunlight more scarce: “Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?”

I’m, at heart, a tropical people. I need my shot of Vitamin D therapy to get the ole brain pan moving. I’m up and at ‘em the minute the first rays of light hit the sky and close up shop when the sun goes down (which is around 5:00 PM, lately!). So, for me, since my writing time is early morning, my creativity is at peak performance during the longer days of summer. That daylight recharges my creative battery (along with several cups of coffee!) so I can be at the keyboard before 5:00 AM during spring and summer but still buried under the covers and cats at 7:00 during the winter hours. I do my best plotting out on the deck soaking up UVs (properly SPF screened, of course!). Something about basking in the sun, surrounded by growing things in bloom relaxes worries and lets imagination roam free. Ahhhhhh! 

Since I’m chapters deep in a new book (a romantic suspense for a change of pace from paranormals), I need that extra kick during these drab going into winter days where gray is the new blue. It’s time to get out that SAD desktop mood lamp/light therapy box to feed the melatonin and serotonin to keep the seasonal blahs away. Writer friends toted them last year, so I caved in my office hibernation cave and found . . . it really works!

So fire up those lumens and let me get back to work . . . right after I make the rounds to discover your productive secrets!

Happy Holidays and Happy Writing!!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the December 2nd posting of the IWSG will be Pat Garcia, Sylvia Ney, Liesbet @ Roaming About Cathrina Constantine, and Natalie Aguirre!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: Time for a New Beginning

No, this isn’t a political post (though it could be . . .). Sorry to have been MIA but I’ve either been in my writing cave trying to force out words on my new project or in front of MSNBC watching the election unfold. I don’t know which has been more distracting except I’m ready to have Steve Kornacki’s love child for his vote graphing expertise. I don’t handle uncertainty well. I like a well-planned path with few if any bumps. Both of the above have held more suspense than my quarantine-brain can process. And such is the case for my heroine in this introduction to my new romantic suspense.

Willamina Redbone stepped cautiously to the edge of the porch, one hand on her shotgun, the other lifted to shade her eyes against the blistering glare of late afternoon going on evening.  She squinted, trying to identify the lone horseman kicking up dust down her long drive. Just the way he sat the saddle told her more than she wanted to know. A low growl rumbled up from the motley-colored dog beside her.  At her stern, “Sit. I’ll handle this,” he parked his rump but lost none of his aggressive tension.

She held her ground at the threshold of her home the way she would an anticipated battleline, jaw clenched because thoughts traitorously jumped to her appearance. With blonde hair wrestled back in an off-center hair band and lean form lost within a pair of dirty coveralls over a sweat-stained A-shirt, she looked far from ready to entertain. But a-body didn’t dress or smell their Sunday best after mucking stalls.

If Jimmy Redbone had expected a picture-perfect welcome home, he’d come to the wrong place.

I’m ready for a new adventure. I’m holding onto my high hopes. More on my project next week with my word count growing now that I’m not glued to the news. I’m ready for good things!

Happy Weekend and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: Writing Gives Me Wings

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for November is: Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?”

I write to give my imagination wings.

The power of imagination can carry you anywhere, can let you become anything, anyone. Words make any dream possible. And from the time I was a child, I flew with them.

How else could a Midwest girl growing up in an average American town in the ’60 and ‘70s fly a pirate flag, ride with Texas Rangers in the 1800’s, fend off lordly suitors at a Regency gala and be mesmerized by a darkly dangerous vampire? While taking English and History classes, I was widening the reach of my dreams. And when I went from daydreams in my head to words on the paper, I could revisit them . . . and share them with others. 

Trapped at home for nine months, my thoughts have been free to visit any where I wanted to go, maskless and unafraid. Imagination is that magic carpet freeing me and my fellow writers from their isolation. Dream it, do it. Write it down and you can relive it. I’ve gone from cheering on a band of shapeshifters down in New Orleans struggling for their freedom to a U.S. Marshal protecting a witness while discovering a whole new future on a modern-day West Texas ranch . . . just in the month of October! I may have been stuck behind closed doors, but I haven’t been locked away from the world of words and the places they take me!

I hope you’ve been having some marvelous journeys between the pages over these past months and will continue them well into the New Year!!


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the November 4th posting of the IWSG will be e Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: Under Pressure . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

Just two best friends walking home from a high school game when their lives were violently changed forever. Charlotte Caissie and Mary Kate Malone, still dark and light, night and day, even after all those years. Cee Cee went into law enforcement becoming an NOPD detective while Mary Kate sought purpose within the church’s comforting embrace. Yin and Yang, whole in their friendship as they find strength in one another in this scene from RISE BY MOONLIGHT , my latest and final release in the “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series.

“There aren’t any more heroes, Mary Kate, just varying shades of villains.”

“Not villains,” her friend disagreed, kind eyes softening, “just people, flawed because of their humanity.”

Cee Cee’s laugh battled the heaviness about her heart as she argued, “Walking upright doesn’t separate men or women from beasts anymore.”

“Does that change who you know them to be?”

“No.” A softly admitted truth that explored, “And I’m wondering why it doesn’t, considering the things I’ve seen, that I’ve learned about myself, that I take for granted when I should run screaming in the other direction?”

Mary Kate chuckled, blue eyes brightening with pride with her claim of, “You’ve never run from anything in your entire life and I so envied that about you, that you never second guessed, just jumped in to do what was right.”

Cee Cee shook her head, wishing she could be so certain. “Right for me. When did it stop being for the greater good?”

( . . . and the rest of the scene . . .) 
“Probably when you found out there was no such thing. There’s only the best you can do to protect those you love and those who deserve better. That’s all any of us can do. And we can do it without a badge, without a crucifix, without guilt.”

Cee Cee bolted upright, wide eyes seeing clearly. “You’ve decided. You’re leaving the Church.” That altered state of being sent her moral compass spinning.

A slightly sad smile. “Just the institution, not the beliefs or the works. I started the process yesterday. I can’t be true to things I stand for unless I accept the things I am.”

“Wow,” was all she could think to whisper.

“Don’t be disappointed.” Features puckering, Mary Kate snatched up the coffee-free hand to confess, “I’ve always been the weak one when you’ve been so strong. I hid inside the strength of religion because I couldn’t face what happened to us, not like you did.”

If she expected to be shamed or comforted, Cee Cee quickly schooled her. “Bull. I was out on the streets hiding my fear under a crap ton of anger. You rebuilt your strength through others, for others, those who understood what it was like to be helpless and alone. We’ve both done the best we could to rise above what was done to us. We did it by not letting it beat us, by defending those who can’t defend themselves. You had God, I had Max Savoie.” That comparison had her friend rearing back as if shocked by a truth they’d both recognized. “Neither of us could have done it alone, and neither of us could stand by and do nothing.”

Mary Kate blinked, skepticism slowly maturing into a future-altering revelation about her world and her place in it as Cee Cee continued.

“We aren’t victims, M.K. We fight for them until they can fight for themselves. I think that makes us pretty damned awesome, don’t you?”

A slow, spreading smile. “Yes, we are.”

One of the best things about writing an ongoing series is having the space and words to develop strong and unique friendships, and I’ve enjoyed revisiting them over the past few posts. Even if you haven’t read the series, they’re all defined in the final book, RISE BY MOONLIGHT . 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksAdd to Goodreads TBR→
Max and Charlotte return for the explosive conclusion of the “By Moonlight” series . . .
and the stakes have never been higher!

He’s the Promised One
A Mobster’s attack dog turned legitimate business powerhouse, Max Savoie is the reluctant leader of New Orleans’ shapeshifter clan. They’ve kept to anonymous shadows, working and living unnoticed by the human world until their new Shifter King’s past draws dangerous outsiders who threaten all.

She’s the Protector
A fiercely determined NOPD detective, Charlotte Caissie has sworn to defend her beloved city and her unborn child from both criminals and otherworldly factions at war. While standing boldly at the side of her mate/husband, secrets from the past return to shake the foundation of her beliefs.

They have a Problem
Walking a marital tight rope between opposite worlds, Max and Cee Cee’s paths place truth and trust at odds when outside threats force enemies to become allies. The time to take a stand for their family and their future is at hand. Time to rise together for the survival of all they love!

“Every delicious word on the page exhilarates with a sensuous ferocity. Hopelessly addicted.” – NYT bestselling author, Darynda Jones

WeWriWa: Blessing in Disguise . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

I’m taking a look at my favorite couples over the course of my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series. Some were meant to be together. Some destined to stay apart. My favorites are the ones that end up with one another despite all odds . . . and each other. Dock foreman/ shapeshifter, Philo Tibideaux and Sister Catherine/Mary Kate Malone aren’t what you’d consider “meant to be” but just maybe, they’re a match made in Heaven . . .When these two appeared on the pages of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT , who woulda thought they’d become “a thing.” But in RISE BY MOONLIGHT , they find their way to a happily-ever-after as more than just unrequited soul mates.

Like most, Philo Tibideaux had thought the rise of the Promised One would bring those good times legend foretold a-rolling in. So far, he’d seen death and threat and fear, and he’d had enough of all three. Only the softening presence of Mary Kate Malone kept him from acting on his worries more aggressively.

The vivacious blonde cheerleader he’d once admired from afar had infiltrated his world while tutoring his brother when they were teens, that one bright spot in their hand-to-mouth struggle to survive. Tito thought Mary Kate was an angel. Philo knew she was. An angel far and above his reach even though he’d occasionally catch her eying him with what he didn’t dare call interest.

What could a gorgeous thing like Mary Kate Malone see in him?

( . . . and the rest of the scene . . . ) 
There must have been something he’d missed because there she was when Tito died, holding his hand, drying his eyes. And there at his door again when her system of beliefs began to crumble. He’d asked no questions, held no expectations. Just seeing her every day, scenting her as she slept behind the closed bedroom door, was enough. Until it wasn’t. She’d taught Tito how to read music. And she taught him how to love again.

Writing romance or otherwise, paranormal or otherwise, is full of couples’ tropes: Friends to Lovers, Woman in Jeopardy, Forbidden Love, Second Chance, Soul Mates, Secret Billionaire, Stuck Together, Enemies to Lovers. Through the 15 books of my “By Moonlight” series, I must have touched upon them all. Let’s see, shall we see? 

This image needs to be updated . . . maybe my project for this afternoon. Like I need another one.

How’s your October going so far? My son and I are working our way through our favorite horror/scary shows and movies. LOVING The Haunting of Bly Manor. Super spooky. Are you watching anything from my list? What’s on yours? 

Stay safe. Keep hands on the keyboards. And Write On fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: Tales from a Working Writer

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for October is a good one: When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if the latter two, what does that look like?


When my mom asked me what I was going to college to become, I told her I was already what I wanted to be: a writer (of dozens story bits and pieces), and my English major and Communications and History minors would make me a better, more rounded one.

When one of my English professors saw me years later at a local craft show selling stuffed children’s toys, she recognized me as one of her former students and drawled, “So THIS is what you’re doing with your college education?” I told her rather sheepishly that I was also a writer, to which she replied with contempt, “That’s nice.” After I got home, I got mad, marched into my writing area and announced, “That’s it. I’m finishing a book and selling it.” 

Well, that first book, a hefty, hand-typed tome that did get one request, didn’t sell, but it validated my claim to be a working writer. I wrote four more complete manuscripts before submitted the best of the lot. It sold. I got a request for MORE and sold another of them on a multi-book contract. And all the while, I thought to myself, “THAT’s what I’m doing with my college education!”

A working writer is someone who can’t not write. It’s not a chore – it’s a necessity! (Well, sometimes it’s a chore! See: childbirth, sickness, 8-to-5 job, kids’ schoolwork, moving x 4) A writer is someone who never sees what they’re doing as a waste time. I wrote my first six books long hand while my youngest played in the sandbox, received my first two covers while in the hospital after the birth of son #2. Wrote during nap time, school hours and finally at 4:30 a.m. every single morning because that path of least resistance to family needs allowed me to get my words in. I was still a working writer after two huge industry middle list collapses left me without a publishing house and I had to start over. When our household demanded a second income, I went back into the workforce after a 15-year hiatus and still wrote (see 4:30 a.m. above!). My income supported our family when my now ex was laid off, paid for vehicles, a garage addition, hot tub, and vacations. Divorced and working full-time, it paid for utilities and unexpected needs, and paid for itself as far as promo, conferences, and travel. Now retired, it’s supplementing my Social Security and allowing my Keurig coffee addiction. When someone asks what I do with all my time off, I say, “I’m a writer.” And I’m still working. 

This working writer just released book #70 (!) in August, the end cap of a 15-book paranormal series that kept me happily typing for the past 10 years. 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksAdd to Goodreads TBR→
I’m STILL learning my craft, taking Zoom classes on algorithms, playing in Canva graphics, and even talking to an agent while beginning my next book, a Texas-set romantic suspense, while using an organizing planner for the first time. Writing is NEVER a static occupation. There’s always something new to discover, to try, to get excited about.

I’m Nancy Gideon aka Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, Lauren Giddings, and I’m a working writer. And I can’t wait to find out more about YOU! 

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the October 7th posting of the IWSG will be Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: Divided We Fall . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT and a Spooktacular Event!

It’s tough being a friend . . . but it’s even worse to lose one, especially when something or someone is the catalyst forming that impossible-to-breach wedge of distance and silence. One side has to make the first move. And in today’s excerpt, that’s Philo Tibideaux who has let pride and hurt get between him and his bestie, Jacques LaRoche.  

Philo Tibideaux rarely visited Cheveux du Chien, not since he’d punched out his best friend, intent upon severing all ties forever. Though a call from Rico Terriot was the reason for his presence, tonight he wanted to see if that link was irreparably broken.

He and his baby brother had saved Jacques LaRoche when he’d been dumped in New Orleans without a name, a memory, or a friend. They’d taken him in, given him shelter and purpose, helped him rebuild his life into a good one. Until a female from the North arrived to reclaim the past they’d shared.

 At the time, Philo reacted as if betrayed, as if Jacques had assumed his Northern bodyguard persona to have Susanna Duchamps and the child they shared, turning his back on their friendship. In truth, the pain of being replaced at his side, first by Savoie’s promises, then by the lovely outsider, had forced that regrettable fracture. Whether encouraged by the passage of time or finding his own soulmate, Philo needed to make amends. If possible. 

Can time heal all wounds? Words of apology rescind statements made in anger? I guess he’ll find out next week when we find out what pushed him to make amends.
In celebration of my favorite month and holiday, RISE BY MOONLIGHT and I are participating in Bewitching Blog Tour’s Haunted Halloween Spooktacular again this year. Ring bells on the blog stops listed below to enter chances for some delicious prizes, including my offering of “By Moonlight,” the over-sized three-book collector addition containing the first three books of the series, Masked by Moonlight , Chased by Moonlight and Captured by Moonlight , personally signed for the winner. 
October 1 ➤ Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
October 2 ➤ Pine Enshrined Reviews
October 5 ➤ Roxanne’s Realm
October 6 ➤ The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
October 7 ➤ Jazzy Book Reviews
October 8 ➤ Sapphyria's Books
October 9 ➤ JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
October 12 ➤ Midnight Musings with Bertena
October 13 ➤ Simply Kelina
October 14 ➤ The Book Junkie Reads
October 15 ➤ T's Stuff
October 16 ➤ Supernatural Central
October 17 ➤ fundinmental 
October 19 ➤ Lisa’s World of Books
October 20 ➤ Fang-tastic Books
October 21 ➤ Paranormalists
October 22 ➤ I Smell Sheep
October 23 ➤ Bewitching Book Tours
October 26 ➤ Serena Synn
October 27 ➤ Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
October 28 ➤ A Bewitching Guide to Halloween
October 29 ➤ Celia Breslin
October 30 ➤ Other Worlds of Romance - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romances

While enjoying this safe, socially distant way to Trick ‘r Treat, take a minute to sharpen the ole faculties by putting together this extra treat, a piece at a time, to soothe the jigsaw puzzle junkie in us all.
49[image error]Haunted Halloween Spooktacular 2020While still stumping for RISE , I’m back in the saddle with my new project, a romantic suspense with a U.S. Marshal hero set in Texas. Yee Hah! Now, back to binge watching Longmire and Yellowstone while breaking in my characters . . . as soon as I visit your blogs!

Happy October and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IT’S HAUNTED HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR MONTH!

It’s time once again to trick-or-treat your way through the month of October in search of goodies and giveaways with Bewitching Book Tours’ Haunted Halloween Spooktacular!! Visit my hosts on these sites below for a chance to win a collector’s edition of “By Moonlight” personally signed for the winner. This over-sized special edition includes Masked by Moonlight , Chased by Moonlight , and Captured by Moonlight , the first three books in the series that just concluded with Rise by Moonlight (see a special treat at the bottom of the post!).

Start ringing doorbells on these dates below:

October 1 ➤ Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read

October 2 ➤ Pine Enshrined Reviews

October 5 ➤ Roxanne’s Realm

October 6 ➤ The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

October 7 ➤ Jazzy Book Reviews

October 8 ➤ Sapphyria's Books

October 9 ➤ JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder

October 12 ➤ Midnight Musings with Bertena

October 13 ➤ Simply Kelina

October 14 ➤ The Book Junkie Reads

October 15 ➤ T's Stuff

October 16 ➤ Supernatural Central

October 17 ➤ fundinmental

October 19 ➤ Lisa’s World of Books

October 20 ➤ Fang-tastic Books

October 21 ➤ Paranormalists

October 22 ➤ I Smell Sheep

October 23 ➤ Bewitching Book Tours

October 26 ➤ Serena Synn

October 27 ➤ Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess

October 28 ➤ A Bewitching Guide to Halloween

October 29 ➤ Celia Breslin

October 30 ➤ Other Worlds of Romance - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romances

Make sure to check back with these wonderful blog participants each day to see what other author goodies are up for grabs!! Enjoy this extra treat for the kid in all of us!
49[image error]Haunted Halloween Spooktacular 2020And make sure to stop by to visit me at the Spooktacular Facebook event on Wednesday, October 21 from 10 AM EST to 10 PM for games, prizes, and chats with authors!! 

Have a safe and happy Halloween!!

WeWriWa: Big Dumb Animals . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

Lifting heavy things – from a body to a heavy conscience - has always been one of my favorite characteristics in a male of the species and Giles St. Clair is all male. He started out in the “By Moonlight” world as one of Jimmy Legere’s obedient thugs but stepping up to support Max after Legere’s death elevated him to someone more . . . interesting. My inquiring mind wanted to know more about this massive Cajun (who is studying for his law degree when not out backing his boss’s play) who comes up with some of my best dialog i.e. this convo with Cee Cee from new release, RISE BY MOONLIGHT . 

He’d been waiting at her desk when she’d finished with Atcliff, there to shuttle her from the responsibilities of her job to the obligations of her conscience, then to take her home, ready to provide anything she needed if asked. Until she did, he remained a quiet, unobtrusive bulwark, ready to support or carry heavy things . . . like her conscience. 
Apparently, he believed that time was now. 
“She’d want you to finish this.” 
Denial stiffened her spine. “How do you know what she’d want?” 
A small chuckle. “Because I’ve been around strong, righteous women all my life, and the last thing any of them would want is for a wrong thing to go unpunished. And what these creatures are doing is a very wrong thing. If anyone has a chance of stopping them, it’s you, Charlotte.” 
(. . . and the rest of the scene) 
“Max doesn’t agree.”

He snorted at the tartness of her tone. “Yes, he does. He just can’t make himself say it yet. We’re big, dumb animals, Detective, who can take on the villains of the world with an attitude and a toothpick to protect those we love. He just wants you to know that. Sometimes strong, righteous women give us the idea that they don’t need us, that we’re in the way, or that we think they’re not every bit as smart and capable as we are. We know you are, Charlotte, but that doesn’t make us any less inclined to act the hero on your behalf. And I won’t mind a’tall if you happen to share that piece of news with a certain redhead I know.”

Cee Cee turned away from the window to thump her palm against his broad chest. “You’re gonna make a damn fine attorney, Giles.”

“Hopefully before I’m retirement age.”
 

Giles St. Clair needed his own book. BETRAYED BY SHADOWS became one of two e-only books in the “By Moonlight” series and definitely was the most fun to write. Pairing the big Cajun with Silas MacCreedy’s spoiled ice queen sister as they’re pursued into Giles’ beloved bayou by her enemies makes for some of the best scenes I’ve ever done, and his backstory reveal is a shocker. Here’s a taste of what readers can expect.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksAdd to Goodreads TBR→
Giles continues to have a big role in the “By Moonlight” finale proving that a simple human can hold his own in an unnatural battle for the city of New Orleans and the survival of all their kind in RISE BY MOONLIGHT . 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksAdd to Goodreads TBR→
Sorry I missed every one last week but I escaped for a week of R&R. For more on that, check out my post at Paranomal Romantics. 

The one thing I accomplished during my hiatus was deciding my next writing move after a Zoom meeting with a potential agent. More on that next week . . . in a new month with a new direction. Until then, Happy Weekend and Happy Writing fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: A Deal with the Devil . . . MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT $0.99 SALE (just 2 more days!!) #Sale99

Long before my shapershifters tore their way through New Orleans, a different breed of dark hero haunted and hunted those streets. “Vampire” was the threat that whispered on the cold night mist. The “Touched by Midnight” series was my first foray into the supernatural, and MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT was the book the brought the initial trilogy back to life (so to speak!) as the sleek, deadly villain in those books is unearthed (pardon the pun!) after hiding to regain his strength . . . only to be threatened by a mere mortal – his solicitor! - who will expose what his is unless he agrees to an unholy bargain. Marry the man’s sister and thus, share access to his fortune with the schemers or be exposed for what he is. Obviously, Gerardo Pasquale does not take kindly to threats.

Through carefully parted curtains, he watched the cunning little solicitor’s scrambling climb over his front gate, and it was with supreme command of will that he didn’t swoop down with all the supernatural power of his kind to end the pompous presence of one sly mortal who dared—DARED!—impose conditions upon him, but caution and the strong will of self-preservation held him helpless for the moment. 

He, with all his abilities, was not without weakness, and the nasty little lawyer had thrust cleanly through that Achilles heel without being aware of it. 

Ordinarily, he would have laughed in the face of the man’s ploy to extort his fortune and would have gleefully drained him to death for his impertinence. But to act now in a fit of rash retribution would expose him to unnecessary dangers, forcing him out of the hiding place he’d made for himself in the gloomy mansion, because he didn’t know whom Cristobel had entrusted with the evidence against him or how to stop it from gaining public attention. That was the real hazard he sought to avoid. 

He heaved a sigh of reluctant resignation, a weariness centuries deep. True, he could leave the city without a trace come nightfall and foil Cristobel’s clever plot, but in doing so, would sacrifice much. Despite his dramatic show to scare the meddling human, he was weak, his powers at an ebb. He’d crept into New Orleans to recoup what he could and to shield himself from outside jeopardy while yet in a vulnerable state, and here in his moldy isolation, he’d wallowed in remorse, suffering for the foolhardy arrogance that had led him to this low. His only wish was to be left alone, to become inconspicuous among those who provided what he needed to survive as he grew stronger.

(. . . and the rest of the scene) 
His recovery was slow because his will to go on had been crippled almost as badly as his human form. He merely existed now, mourning his losses, chastening himself for his follies, separating from those who would care for him because he didn’t deserve their love and refused to endanger them. As long as he laid low and kept to himself, he was safe, but to have his presence announced, even in some tawdry tribune, would let those who believed him dead know they’d been deceived and that he could not afford. 

Feeling the discomfort of approaching dawn, Gerard let the curtain fall. There was nothing he could do except seek his rest away from the reach of his relentless enemy, the sun. Come dusk, he would rise up, full of vengeful purpose to meet with Cristobel and his scheming sister, and he would bow to their demands to keep his secrets secure . . . for the moment. But he would be watching, waiting, for them to make their first mistake, which would also be their last. Then he would make them suffer for their arrogant greed.

And he would enjoy the feast.

Though long-suffering Louis Radman who seeks to regain his humanity is the hero of the series, morally ambiguous, sleekly dangerous, and wearily amusing Gerardo Pasquale has always been my favorite. He’s the perfect antihero badboy who seems to have met his match in the witchy sister of the fool who dared poke a monster. MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT is on SALE for $0.99 through September 15th (just two more days!!) so grab it up and sink your teeth into some deliciously dark enjoyment.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksAdd to Goodreads TBR→
While not soaking up late summer sunshine with two of my fur friends, I’ve been feverishly putting together outlines for a couple of contemporary series in anticipation of meeting virtually with a potential agent – my first since I went self-pub. Wish me luck that it’s a good fit and just the push I need to beat the Corona Blues and become feverishly productive again. 

Enjoy the grill weather while you can and happy writing, fellow Warriors!!


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.