Cate Masters's Blog, page 9

Lorelei Buckley takes us down a Midnight Road

Cate: Please welcome Lorelei Buckley to my special Halloween celebration. Lorelei, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Lorelei: I’m happily married, and it so happens we’re celebrating our seventeenth wedding anniversary this weekend. I’m an animal welfare advocate, ghost enthusiast, and chocolate addict. I’m a Chicago woman at heart, but currently live in the great state of Texas.


Cate: Happy anniversary! What do you love most about Halloween?
Lorelei: Spook movies, costumes, chocolate. What’s not to love?


Cate: My sentiment exactly. :) Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Lorelei: Yes! As a kid, I’d found an after school job doing light housecleaning for one of our neighbors in Chicago. The woman employing me made costumes for a living. My mother was a single mom, and money was tight. So, when we were invited to a huge Halloween party, it caused a bit of anxiety. The costume lady saved the day and dressed me and my girlfriend in “I Dream of Jeanie” costumes, and put my brother in the coolest Wizard outfit. We rocked that party.


Cate: How cool! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?
Lorelei: Countless experiences influenced my decision to write paranormal romance and mysteries.


Cate: What frightens you the most?
Lorelei: I’d have to say natural disasters, tornadoes, earthquakes, droughts or floods.


Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Lorelei: Yes, for research and inspiration. I recently returned from a weekend in Jefferson, Texas, a haunted town near Shreveport, Louisiana. I try and blog about my ghostly excursions. Look for images of the broken wine glass from that trip. Very strange.


Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?
Lorelei: Not really. I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen anymore. I cook, but quick and uninteresting meals.


Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Lorelei: The title is Medium Crossing,and this is the short blurb:  Gritty medium Scarlett Prowse unintentionally alters her channeling technique to help streetwise hottie Holt Cavanaugh solve his brother’s murder. The event initiates a twisted ride, traversing the afterlife, the city’s underbelly, the deep, emotional fractures of an odd couple destined to be more than steamy lovers, and the mind of a killer who intends to make Scarlett his next victim. Medium Crossing is available on Amazon.


Cate: Love that blurb. Care to share more?
Lorelei: This is the Medium Crossing official burb:
Scarlett Prowse survived a hard-knock childhood, and today channels the dead to pay her rent. But nothing prepares her for Holt Cavanaugh, an intriguing new client riddled with familiar inner wounds and questions about his brother’s murder. To retrieve answers for him, Scarlett channels the darker side of the afterworld. There, sudden heightened abilities on her part thin the veil between life and death, enabling her to obtain vital information for her client.
Meanwhile, in the physical realm, a mystery person terrorizes Scarlett. Simultaneously, Holt’s shady street dealings slowly come apart. Her curiosity and his protective streak set them on an inseparable course where the afterworld and the underworld collide.
Scarlett and Holt’s nonstop journey through urban pockets, along with her jaunts to the hereafter cultivates a sensual romance, and exposes a tightly spun web of large-scale crime, mutually crossed paths, murders, and a relentless stalker with fatal intentions for Scarlett.


Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Lorelei: I’d written novels and short stories about everyday people with, for various reasons, the sudden ability to see or hear ghosts. So then I wondered what life or a ghostly encounter would be like for someone whose daily normal included otherworldly phenomenon. That’s where it started. After I had my general idea, the characters introduced themselves.


Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Lorelei: Another newer release is Lighthouse: Midnight Road. It’s the first in the Midnight Road novella series, but it also stands alone. I wouldn’t leave anyone hanging. Lighthouse is described as a genre-bender, braiding paranormal, soft Sci-fi, and romance. It was really fun to write.


Cate: Readers, you’re in for a treat! Lorelei has a giveaway.
Lorelei: Free, signed, print copy of Lighthouse: Midnight Road for the first person who can tell me the name of the hero in the story.


Free, signed, print copy of Medium Crossing for the first person who can tell me the name of the haunted hotel I visited in Fort Worth, Texas. 
Cate: Thanks for joining in the Halloween fun, Lorelei! Good luck to you readers!

Mae Clair brings Myth and Magic to Halloween!

 Cate: Please welcome Mae Clair to my special Halloween celebration. Mae, please tell readers a little bit about yourself. Mae: Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Cate! I’m a mystery/romantic suspense author based in Central Pennsylvania and married to my high school sweetheart. I have a passion for folklore, myth, and cats, though not necessarily in that order. Alas, I’m presently cat-less, having lost “Onyx” in 2012, the year my first novel was published. I do hope to have a new feline companion soon. I miss how Onyx would linger nearby when I was writing—often distracting me with a stroll across the keyboard or a tail in front of the computer screen, LOL.
Cate: Aw, Onyx sounds like he was a sweetie. Cats always feature prominently during Halloween, too. What do you love most about the holiday? Mae: Pumpkins! I love the whole creepy-fun atmosphere of the holiday, but there’s something about a fat orange pumpkin that brings out the kid in me. I also love that it’s the one time of year where most people embrace an element of make-believe. The night is rife with magic, whimsy and goosebumps.
Cate: Perfectly put. :) Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Mae:  I remember a costume I had with glitter and sparkles that looked like something out of a Cinderella movie. I think it drizzled that night and my friends and I had to carry umbrellas as we went house-to-house, but it was still so much fun, and I adored that costume. I also have fond memories of my parents making popcorn balls to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Of course that was back in the day of homemade treats when Halloween was very innocent (showing my age here!)
Cate: Those were the days. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Mae: I’ve had a few “goosebump” moments over the years, none of which have concrete explanations, but the one that truly stands out for me doesn’t involve hauntings or ghosts. When I was six I saw a UFO. It’s still plain as day in my head….a green cloud that covered the ground in a halo of greenish light. I was on the front porch when it happened. Not long afterward, there were people wandering the sidewalks talking about strange lights in the sky. I remember a woman telling my father “the sky looked like it had a tale.”  I’m spinning some of those memories into an upcoming series I’ll be releasing involving the Mothman, UFOs, and Men-in-Black.
Cate: How creepy-cool! What frightens you the most? Mae: Most things supernatural. I love folklore and myth, and didn’t mind heading into the “TNT” (a dense wooded area) to learn about the Mothman, but you won’t find me exploring a haunted house, using a Ouija board, or watching a movie like the Exorcist *shudder*
Cate: Never touch a Ouija board! lol Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Mae: Nope. Stuff like that creeps me out. What if something followed me home, LOL?
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Mae: MYTH AND MAGIC is a romantic suspense/mystery novel set during Halloween. It involves bizarre happenings taking place at a secluded corporate retreat. Readers get to experience all of the elements of Halloween—hayrides, dressing up in costume, a lavish Halloween party, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, Halloween decorations, and plenty of shivers and goosebumps. In celebration of the Halloween holiday, the e-book version of MYTH AND MAGIC is on sale now through 11/4 across all online book retailers for just $.99.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Mae: I would love to. Thank you for asking! Here’s the blurb:
AS CHILDREN THEY PLAYED GAMES OF MYTH AND MAGIC…

Veronica Kent fell in love with Caith Breckwood when they were children. As a teenager, she was certain he was the man she was destined to marry. But a traumatic event from Caith's past led him to fear a future together. He left Veronica, hoping to save her from a terrible fate. Twelve years later, Caith, now a P.I., is hired to investigate bizarre incidents at the secluded retreat Veronica manages. Returning to his hometown, Caith is forced to face his nightmares—and his feelings for the woman he’s always loved.

THEN ONE DAY THE MONSTERS BECAME REAL.

After the callous way Caith broke her heart, Veronica isn’t thrilled to see him again. But strange occurrences have taken a dangerous toll on business at Stone Willow Lodge. Forced to work together, Veronica discovers it isn’t ghostly apparitions that frighten her, but her passion for a man she has never forgotten. Or forgiven. Can two people with a tarnished past unearth a magical future?
Cate: This one's on my TBR list! What inspired you to write about the theme? Mae: I’ve always loved mysteries and tales of haunted houses. When I was a kid, there was a house in the neighborhood that everyone said was haunted….that is, the kids. The adults, of course, were clueless. I remember how spooky that was. How we would gather and tell tales, speculating about the ghosts and witches inside. With MYTH AND MAGIC, I wanted to recapture that creepy feeling of “what if’s” and a sense of shadowy danger. I also really wanted to write a tale set during Halloween. J
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Mae: Thank you so much for having me here to share in the Halloween celebration on your blog. I truly enjoyed the interview and hope that your readers will enjoy the mystery and suspense of MYTH AND MAGIC!
Buy Links for MYTH AND MAGIC Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
iTunes
Kensington Publishing
Google
All Romance eBooks
You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts: Website
Blog
Twitter(@MaeClair1)
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Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page
Kensington Books Author Page
Goodreads  
Pinterest
Newsletter Sign-Up
Thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun, Mae! Happy Halloween!
 

Monica McCabe whisks us off to Botswana

Cate: Please welcome Monica McCabe to my special Halloween celebration. Monica, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Monica: I’m a staff accountant at a truck leasing firm by day. Just about every other minute I spend either traveling or writing romantic suspense novels. My perfect world would be to combine the two...travel, then write about it! I love going places, both in person and in my books. I tend to research the stomp out of anywhere that catches my fancy, I can stare at maps for hours, and am addicted to travel review sites like Trip Advisor. I firmly believe I’ve either been a gypsy in a past life, or there’s gypsy blood somewhere in my family tree.
Cate: TravelZoo is a constant temptation to me, lol. What do you love most about Halloween? Monica: I’ve read that Halloween is when the veil to the other side is at its thinnest. Wouldn’t it be cool to catch a glimpse of that travel destination? From the safety of this side, of course. Not sure I’d be game for that kind of extreme adventure. But who knows?
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Monica: Hubby and I went to Salem, MA last July and we took a nighttime ghost tour (are there any other kind?). We visited many witchy locations, a spooky old graveyard, and ended it at a freaky Victorian mansion where murder most foul happened in the late 1800’s. The house and its grisly events has even been featured on one of those ghost hunting TV shows. Intrepid explorer that I am, I wanted to go inside. But alas, we could only stare at the darkened windows from the shadowy street. Might be for the best though. I mean look at this house...would you go inside?
Cate: Only if the lights worked, lol But Salem is on my Bucket List, along with a ghost tour of Mark Twain's house in Connecticut. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Monica: I used to live in a haunted house. I swear. Not the Amityville horror kind of haunted, more like Casper the friendly ghost. My two cats were always watching an invisible someone cross the room, but it never bothered me, just made me curious. Eventually Casper started to play tricks. I’ve a nightly ritual of washing my face before bed and sometimes I’d finish, head for bed, and a few minutes later I’d hear water running. I’d totally turned it off, I know I did, but I’d get up and go shut it off again. Stuff like that happened a lot until I started talking to the ghost. I had many one-sided conversations with him as I made dinner. I'd tell him to leave the water alone so I could go to bed, that sort of thing. I felt like I had a new friend, though I never saw him. But one night I was home alone as hubby was out of town. I'd fallen asleep on the couch and something woke me up around two in the morning. The cats were beside me staring at the front door and I heard two guys out on the porch, talking. That's when I got scared. Then one of the guys shouted, ‘What was that?’ They got all agitated and fled. I believe Casper scared them off. Who knows, he might’ve saved my life that night. A year or so later we had to move and I was so sad to say goodbye. I felt like I was leaving a good friend behind.
Cate: Aw, I love that story! Now for the real goodies - tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Monica: Well, there are no ghosts involved, but I there is a monkey in jeopardy! Diamond Legacy is my debut novel and a romantic suspense that faces the harsh reality of conflict diamonds. It’s a serious subject and I try to do right by it. There’s all the fast paced action you’d expect, including gun battles, explosions and government corruption. But my writing also has a humorous undertone. I can’t help it. It just happens. And I didn’t start out to write a serious novel about gun runners and blood diamonds. I had this idea about an animal dentist. I saw a newspaper article where our local zoo had an orangutan in need of a root canal and they had to fly in specialist. I was fascinated. Before I knew it, I’d hatched a plot with a dental zoologist heroine who flies to Botswana to help a hippo in need, and ends up clashing with an undercover agent on the trail of diamond smuggling. Diamond Legacy is at most all online book retailers. Here’s a few…
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Legacy-Monica-McCabe-ebook/dp/B00ONTR8Y0/?tag=kila0c-20
NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/diamond-legacy-monica-mccabe/1120611660?ean=9781616507077#productInfoTabs
KOBO:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/diamond-legacy
Cate: How cool! Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Monica: Absolutely! Here’s the back cover…
Africa—where diamonds are the currency of the weapons trade, and trust is the only option between two strangers...
Miranda Parrish is a world-renowned veterinarian specialist with expertise in endangered species. She's fearless and will go anywhere an animal is in need. But when she journeys to Katanga, an animal sanctuary in the heart of Botswana, she lands in the middle of a blood diamond smuggling operation. And there's only one man who can help her.Special agent, Matt Bennett's parents were murdered by a ruthless arms dealer when he was fourteen. He's devoted his life to avenging their deaths and ending the cycle of violence threatening southern Africa. Undercover at Katanga, he clashes with Miranda. He's never met a woman so stubborn, who'll let nothing stand in the way of what she believes in. And he'll let no one come between him and the vengeance he craves.
Matt and Miranda will have to work together if they want to save Katanga, and both of their lives, before it's too late.
Cate: Readers, Monica has a treat for you! Monica:  So...would you go inside the Salem murder house? Yes or no...tell me why and you'll be entered in a giveaway for a free digital copy of DIAMOND LEGACY!
Cate: Thanks so much for joining the Halloween fun, Monica!

TL Reeve shares scary tales and treats - and shifters!

Cate: Please welcome TL Reeve to my special Halloween celebration. TL, please tell us a little bit about yourself. TL: Thank you for having me Cate, I’m super excited to be here. I’m a multi-genre author—mostly because my ADHD keeps my fluttering around. I’ve written everything from Action Adventure, to New Adult. I’m a mom to a beautiful and talented yet infuriating teenager. *LOL* In my spare time I like to read, and play video games. Usually 1st person shooter games like Resident Evil or Call of Duty.
Cate: Multi-genre authors rock! What do you love most about Halloween? TL: Autumn. I love that it’s not too hot, but not freezing cold. I love the changing colors of the leaves. I also love the movie selections. TMC starts I believe two weeks before Halloween showing two black/white “scary movies,” a night. Vincent Price is one of my all-time favorite actors. And, since I grew up in Los Angeles, we also had the midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show…It’s one thing I wish I would have done before moving. However I do watch it from time to time. Let’s do the time warp again? *Grins*
Cate: Oh, I haven't been to a midnight Rocky Horror in too long. Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? TL: Hmm…I think all of my favorite Halloween’s have been trick or treating with my daughter. But, as a kid I think it was the time I went to a Halloween party and then went trick or treating. BEST TRIP EVER! *LOL*
Cate: Sweet! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? TL: You mean like unexplained noises or objects moving on their own? Well, kind of. In high school, I was in band. (Band geeks rule) We went to National City for a competition plus end of the year celebration. On the last day of our trip away, we went to the Winchester Mystery Mansion/Museum. That place is creepy. I didn’t like it. They took us up to the part of the house ravaged by the 1906 earthquake. The room didn’t feel right…too much negative energy. The minute we left, I felt better. But even in the bathrooms, you always felt like you were being watched.
Cate: Creepy! *shudders* What frightens you the most? TL: Hmm…good question. I guess, dying before being able to tell my family how much I love them and how much I appreciate all of them.
Cate: Aw, how sweet. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? TL: Never (The Winchester Mansion, was just a walk through with a guide)…I want to go on one of the tours in Savannah or New Orleans. Both places are rich in history and paranormal activity.
Cate: Yes, New Orleans! I’d love to go on a ghost tour there. And Salem. So, now for the treat portion of the interview, mwahaha.... Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? TL: Two actually. When I was younger, after I’d go trick or treating, we’d have warm apple cider with cinnamon and homemade sugar cookies. 
Hot Apple Cider Recipe     6 cups apple cider     1/4 cup real maple syrup     2 cinnamon sticks     6 whole cloves     6 whole allspice berries     1 orange peel, cut into strips     1 lemon peel, cut into strips     Add all ingredients to list     Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.     Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.     Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.     Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.
Sugar Cookies Ingredients     2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour     1 teaspoon baking soda     1/2 teaspoon salt     1 1/4 cups margarine     2 cups white sugar     2 eggs     2 teaspoons vanilla extract     1/4 cup white sugar for decoration     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.     In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly.     Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cate: Yum! Sounds delicious. Now for the real treat! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. TL: My latest coming soon release is King of Her Heart. A falcon-shifter story about Archer Holt, a paramilitary/Mercenary falcon shifter who is sent to save the Secretary of State’s daughter Eira Larson, from Hugo Chavez, Alpha of the Wizards Cartel. It’s got everything. A little action, a little shifter hotness with a sexy twist. As of right now it’s still in edits. But hopefully soon it’ll be ready to go. :)
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? TL: Sure, here is the blurb: Archer Holt—falcon-shifter and leader of a group of specially trained mercenaries—has been called up by the Secretary of State, Yrsa Larson. His mission: Find her daughter, and bring her home. Eira Larson isn't one to make waves. After taking an unsanctioned vacation to Belize, she's kidnapped and held in the home of the leader of the Wizard's cartel. She is supposed to be auctioned off into slavery to the highest bidder, but an enigmatic and sexy bodyguard has other plans for her. Archer will do whatever it takes to protect Eira when he finds out the girl he's meant to protect is the woman he's destined to mate.
Cate: Sounds like a great read. What inspired you to write about the theme? TL: I have always loved shifters, but I never thought I could write them. I got too caught up in the mechanics of shifters than the stories, so I never wrote them. My first shifter story was Craving Cameo and with a little guidance from Heather Long (you rock) I learned it's actually quite easy and I was worrying myself for no reason. So, then, I tried my hand at the Black Hills Wolves series and well…as you can see, I’ve been trying to push myself to see what else I can do. Falcons seemed like an interesting challenge, so I went with it. I’m happy with the way it came out. J

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? TL: Sure, I have a newsletter now, if you’d like to sign up you can do so here. In the next couple of months I’ll have some exciting things to share, including a couple of super-secret projects I’ve been working on. Plus, I have a groupwith my co-writer, Michele Ryan for our new series, Turnskin University, we’re working on with Decadent Publishing and the Decadent ROAR line. We share snippets of what we’re writing next, give updates, plus general tomfoolery for mine and Michele’s book, Unrequited Mate…and more.
Cate: Good luck with your project! And thanks for being part of the Halloween fun, TL!

Dena Garson unleashes a wild Halloween

Cate: Please welcome Dena Garsonto my special Halloween celebration. Dena, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Dena:  Hi! I’m Dena Garson. I write contemporary, paranormal and fantasy romance. I’m a mother of two rowdy boys, a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan, and a Whovian.
Cate: Coolness! What do you love most about Halloween? Dena: Definitely the dressing up as something you’re not. I love costumes. I just love the fun!!
Cate: It is fun to pretend. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Dena: Yes – a couple, actually! One was a simple as the steering wheel being turned for me while backing the car up when I was first learning to drive. I thought my mom had done it and kept me from driving off a small embankment, but she said she didn’t touch the wheel. The other incident occurred a few weeks after my grandmother died. Once morning as I was just waking I opened my eyes and saw someone standing at the foot of the bed. The figure walked around to me and touched my leg then disappeared. Something told me it was my Grandmother and that she had just come to tell me good bye.
Cate: Aww, I love that. *sniff* But what frightens you the most? Dena: Something bad happening to one of my kids. After that, spiders. *shudder*
Cate: The specter of possible accidents always haunts me, too. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Dena: Yup! I took the boys to Eureka Springs a couple years ago and we went on the Crescent Moon Hotel ghost tour. Pretty cool!!

Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Dena: A really simple and fun drink recipe for a non-alcoholic punch is “pond scum” punch. All you need is one bottle of grape soda and one of orange soda (2 liter). Pour them both into a punch bowl then scoop globs of lime sherbet into the bowl. The light green globs will look like pond scum on the murky brown liquid. It looks horrible, but it’s really pretty tasty!
Cate: Sounds perfect, lol. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Dena:  Your Wild Heart is part of the Black Hills Wolves. It’s a multi-author series based around a wolf shifter pack in the Black Hills of South Dakota. With so many authors and voices, there is bound to be something for everyone!
You can find Your Wild Heart at Amazon  /  ARe  /  B&N  /  CTR  /  Google  /  iBooks  /  Kobo  /  Bookstrand
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Dena:  From Your Wild Heart Wildlife biologist, Isabelle Acker, meets sexy park ranger, Wyatt Powell. His Wolf sits up and takes notice of her, but when he learns why she came to the park, he becomes wary of her intentions. After all, as far as the general population knows, there are no wolves in the Black Hills. Ordered by his Alpha to keep an eye on the smoking-hot biologist, Wyatt finds it difficult to keep his hands to himself. He wants to possess her, to share everything about his life, but that might endanger the Tao Pack. But the attraction proves too great and, unable to deny his Wolf, he takes her with a passion he didn’t know he possessed. However, their sexual bliss is short-lived, and on the night of the full moon, more than one secret is revealed. When all is said and done, they must each decide—is what they have between them true love or just hot sex?
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Dena:  I have a book trailer video for Your Wild Heart:


Cate: Readers, you're in for a treat! Dena has a giveaway. Dena:  I’m giving away a copy of my fantasy romance Mystic’s Touch via an Ellora’s Cave ebook coupon code. Mystic’s Touch won the 2015 Passionate Plume as well as the 2015 Reader’s Choice Award. To be entered in the drawing all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post telling me what characteristic you like most in a paranormal hero.
Cate: Wow, very cool. Congrats on the award! And thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun.Good luck, readers!

Taryn Kincaid brings shifters, Sleepy Hollow magic and sexy heroes!

Cate: Woot! Taryn Kincaid's returned for the Halloween celebration. Taryn, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Taryn: I read and write everything. Well, not that I’ve written everything there is or ever was, but sometimes I mix up genres. I seem to be most comfortable with paranormals, if you go by my SLEEPY HOLLOW series of 1Night Stand books for Decadent Publishing, or my Black Hills Wolves shifter romances (one out, one on its way and one in progress!), but my first contract was for a Regency Romance, HEALING HEARTS, from Carina Press. And I’ve taken a dip into the contemporary romance pool, too, which has produced some of my best writing.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Taryn: Sheesh, what’s not to like? Candy, kids, apples, pumpkins and spices, bursts of amazing color when you leaf-peep, and the fabulous snack and party ideas on Pinterest. I can’t believe some of the stuff people dream up!
Cate: Exactly! lol Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Taryn: Trying to get home from school before anyone else, get costumed, made up, out the door and over to the neighbors’ before Mrs. Mac gave out all her candy apples! (She only made them for the neighbor kids she knew.) I guess no one really does that anymore.
Cate: Sadly, not that I know of. We don’t even get trick or treaters where I live! I miss them. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Taryn: Yes, but I can’t talk about them!
Cate: Uh oh! Now I’m imagining the worst, lol. What frightens you the most? Taryn: Donald Trump.
Cate: Yikes, YES! Can’t even joke about that. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Taryn: Went on a ghost tour in New Orleans, maybe the best city in the world for that. It’s got such a reputation for ghosts that you can see realtor signs hanging on apartments to let that say, “Haunted / Not haunted” and things like that!
Cate: I so want to go there. Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Taryn: Have a bunch of them up on my “Happy Halloween” Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/tarynkincaid/happy-halloween/
Cate: Yum! Ok, now for the real goodies! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Taryn: I’ve got  HER CAPTAIN coming in December from Fated Desires Publishing’s Tempting Signs series, but it’s available for pre-order now! The hero, Slate Claybourne, is a sexy, taciturn—and somewhat damaged--ex-Navy SEAL, who returns to his hometown. He’s a Capricorn and would keep to himself if he could. But the heroine, Holly Harper, a bouncy and impetuous Aries, has other ideas!
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Taryn: Would love to!   12 Authors. 12 Zodiac Signs. 1 Explosive Series. What seductive, contemporary  romance w ill you find today? 
Capricorn Slate Claybourne, an ex-Navy SEAL and former sniper who has seen and done things in country that no man should endure, returns to his bucolic hometown on Pieberry  Island, desperate for the mundane, everyday routines he once wanted to escape.
A broken soul-dead man unable to be around people, his body still a lethal weapon when his night terrors wake him from sleep, Slate’s failed to keep the promise he made to the commander who died in his arms: to look after the older man’s baby girl.
But animated Aries Holly Harper is not the pigtailed tot Slate expected her to be, when she lands on the island to take over the decrepit Pieberry House, determined to turn it into an inn for summer tourists, and even more determined to yank Slate back into the land of the living.
First she crashes into him at the island’s holiday Winter Festival, dumping a towering stack of pies at his feet, then she drags him off to a fortune teller against his better judgment. Except for the sizzling attraction smoldering between them, they’re incompatible in every way.
But when a furious December nor’easter traps them together at Pieberry House, will Slate and Holly overcome their pasts and discover they are two halves of a whole?
#Amazon : http://bit.ly/1MlhhMx‪#‎iTunes: http://apple.co/1IIsTGU‪#‎Google: http://bit.ly/1MoTeOq
‪#‎Kobo: http://bit.ly/1TsHSwV #Nook: http://bit.ly/1FxbYsW #ARe: http://bit.ly/1MlhhMx
Cate: Sounds great! What inspired you to write about the theme? Taryn: Each sign of the series has been written by a different author. So when I was asked if I wanted to do one, I chose Capricorn, which is my own sign. I knew I wanted the hero to be some sort of sea captain…my original inspiration was Billy Joel’s Downeaster Alexa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVlDSzbrH5M)…and I knew there was going to be a big Sandy-type storm…but that’s about it. I toyed with the title, Captain January, like the Shirley Temple movie because I thought the book would release in January. (It’s a December 15, 2015 release). As it turns out, it’s nothing like Captain January, and nothing like the Downeaster Alexa! About the only thing that remains is the storm! I love it.
Cate: Very cool! Anything else you’d like to share? Taryn: Yep! My next Black Hills Wolves shifter book, ANOTHER CHANCE, is coming soon. (I don’t know the date yet, or I’d share.) But here’s the gorgeous cover:
Cate: Oo, you’re in for a treat, readers. Taryn has a giveaway for you! Taryn: What’s your sign? Do you believe in astrology? Tell me that, or relate one of your favorite storm anecdotes and I’ll send a random commenter a copy of my first Black Hills Wolves shifter book, WOLF’S SONG.
Cate: The perfect Halloween treat! Thanks for joining the party, Taryn!

Pippa Jay spins an intriguing web of scifi paranormal romance

Cate: Please welcome Pippa Jay to my special Halloween celebration. Pippa Jay, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Pippa Jay: Hi. I write scifi and the supernatural, and sometimes there’s kissing involved. Scaper, Whovian, and Sith-in-training. I’ve spent most of my life living in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with my husband of 22 years and three little monsters, but continue to roam the rest of the Universe in my head. I'm a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, Broad Universe and EPIC, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. I'm also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place), an 2015 EPIC eBook and LERA  2015 Rebecca finalist. You can stalk me at my website, or at my blog, but without doubt my favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Pippa Jay: I love autumn in general - still warm and sunny but not the full on brightness and heat of summer. The smell of bonfires and household fires. The sparkle of dew or the white edging of frost in the mornings, and all the colours - red, gold and brown. But I was a practising witch as a teen, so All Hallows Eve still has a special significance to me along with Midsummer’s Eve. And every year my husband tries to do something a bit different from the usual scary faced pumpkins. Last year we had peppers with scary faces instead of a pumpkin, lol
Cate: How cool! And autumn's my favorite season too.Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Pippa Jay: Last year was unusually warm, so we were wandering around in t-shirts - on Halloween! It was nice not to be shivering inside our costumes. Our local zoo runs an event called Shriek Week, when it stays open late around Halloween so you can walk around in the dark, take the train which is made into a ghost ride, go for a spooky walk and have witches and ghouls jump out at you, and generally have fun. My kids love it!
Cate: So much better than the year we had snow, lol. Shriek Week sounds like a blast! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Pippa Jay: Yes. When hubs and I were first married, we rented a house set in what was the old Roman wall around our home town of Colchester. A couple of times our stereo system switched itself on - it had never done it before and never did it again after we moved, and we tried different plug sockets between the two occurrences. Hubs also saw a shadow that he thought was me waiting to jump out on him, but then I walked out of a completely separate room and the shadow was gone when he looked again.
Cate: What frightens you the most? Pippa Jay: Anything bad happening to my kids. Closely followed by being covered in spiders (this is a regular nightmare of mine) Cate: Some of ours are so big, they're practically domesticated, lol. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Pippa Jay: Absolutely not!
Cate: lol Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Pippa Jay: Okay, this is a recipe based on a drink mentioned in my Halloween-themed story Hallow's Eve.
Hodge's Spiced Elderberry Cordial 1.5 lbs elderberries (or however many you have! You could also use any other kind of berries.) Demarara sugar Cinnamon Sticks Cloves Lemon
Method: Remove the elderberries from the stalks using a fork. Place the elderberries in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them, then bring to a simmer and allow them to cook for 20 minutes.  The berries will soften and the liquid will be dark red. Strain out the berries with a sieve or use muslin cloth (crush with a fork or squeeze the cloth to extract as much juice as possible), keeping the juice (be careful as this stains!) Measure the amount of juice. Pour the juice back into the empty saucepan. For every 2 cups of juice, add 2 cups of Demerara sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves and the juice from ½ a lemon. Bring the mixture to a boil and maintain for 15 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure all the sugar dissolves.  Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Let the mixture cool while you prepare the bottles. If you’re planning/able to store the cordial in the fridge, simply clean your storage bottles with hot, soapy water and then rinse in boiling water. Once the bottles are cool, fill with cordial, stopper and store. Serve diluted with hot water as a warming winter drink and a boost during illness. In folklore elderberries were used as a protection against influenza, and research has now established that elderberry extract is a clinically proven treatment against flu. You could also add the same spices used in mulled wine for a more Christmassy variation.
Cate: Mm, that sounds very tasty! Thanks for sharing. Now for the real goodies - tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Pippa Jay: My most recent release is a re-release after my publisher closed this year: Tethered, a scifi romance/space opera featuring a succubus-like assassin called Tyree, who is assigned to protect a human diplomat already injured after several attempts on his life. It’s available at all online retailers.
Amazon | All Romance eBooks| B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Oyster | Smashwords | Google Play
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Pippa Jay: She can kill with a kiss. But can assassin Tyree also heal one man's grief, and bring peace to a galaxy threatened by war? For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It's the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she's about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless. For Zander D'joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way. Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there's more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction? A science fiction romance novella, previously released by Breathless Press, 24th July 2014.
Cate: Love it. What inspired you to write about the theme? Pippa Jay: I was having a discussion with some friends on Twitter about under-represented mythical races: how elves and dragons were getting all the limelight and that there must be loads of others we could write about for a change. The idea for a story about a succubus (NOT an under-represented race, I know) but in a futuristic setting popped into my head, and after that it wouldn’t leave me alone. I spent most of Christmas Day sneaking off to scribble notes. 
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Pippa Jay: This month I’m taking part in a huge cancer charity event called Scream! For the Cure, where bundles of books are auctioned off every week to support a great cause. Please stop by at http://screamforthecure.wordpress.com for more information and help my friend Cate Peace make some dreams come true.
Cate: Readers, Pippa has a treat for you! Pippa Jay: I’m offering a digital format of my paranormal romance short to one person who comments on this post with their favourite paranormal entity.
Cate: Thanks for joining the party, Pippa! Happy Halloween to you and yours.

It's October 1st! Let the merrymaking commence!

I love October! It's the month of all things pumpkin, leaves turning gorgeous hues and fluttering down like colorful snowflakes, spooky stories and best of all, Halloween.

So once again, I've invited authors to take part in a month-long celebration. Don't miss out! Check back every day.

If you're an author, a few dates are still open - waiting for you!

To kick things off, here's a delicious treat. :)





Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Butter CreamIngredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (You can substituted light brown sugar)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I left this out, too)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, optional (I didn’t add the nuts to the batter, but sprinkled them on top of the frosted loaf instead)
Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5″ loaf pan; set aside.
Directions
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined; set aside.In another bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs on medium-high speed for two minutes or until lightened in color. Add the brown sugar, mixing for about 2 minutes, then the granulated sugar, mixing for about 1 minute. Add the orange and lemon zests, if using, and beat for another minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed.Drizzle in the canola oil with beater on medium-low. Reduce speed to low and add the pumpkin puree. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients in two additions and blend for 10-15 seconds just until incorporated. Fold in the pecans using a rubber spatula.Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
PUMPKIN BUTTER CREAM FROSTING1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons half & half or milk
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional, for sprinkling on top
Cream the butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and vanilla, blending well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add half & half or milk and blend well. NOTE: This makes a very thick butter cream frosting. If you want a thinner, creamier frosting, add more half & half or milk until you get the desired consistency.You can top the frosted pumpkin loaf with chopped pecans or walnuts.

Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox

Ghost for Saleby Sandra Cox

Caitlin King can’t believe that her shopaholic cousin actually bought two ghosts off of eBay. But she can’t ignore the truth when she starts seeing sexy Liam O’Reilly, who’s been dead for over a hundred years. He’s a fascinating specter, and the more time Caitlin spends with him, the closer they become—sending them both spiraling into a star-crossed tailspin. No matter how desperately they long for each other, there’s just no future with a guy who’s already stopped breathing.



Bio
Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal and Historical Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her screened in porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.
Links
EKensington: http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31737Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Sale-Sandra-Cox/dp/1616507748/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1440436095&sr=8-3&keywords=sandra+cox Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-for-sale-sandra-cox/1121228433?ean=9781616507732Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/ghost-for-saleApple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ghost-for-sale/id979049608?mt=11Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=978-161650773-2&c=booksWebsite: http://sandracox1.comBlog: www.sandracox.blogspot.comTwitter:  http://twitter.com/sandra_coxFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraCox.Author

Giveaway 

The importance of research

I've said many times that I'm a research nut. When digging up information for a story, I can get lost in the process. Only a small amount of what I find actually makes it into the story, usually, but that's okay. It still adds to the foundation. Because the last thing you want is a rocky foundation.

But stories aren't the only reason authors should research. After spending such a long time writing, revising, and polishing up the story, authors should put every bit as much effort into researching publishers before submitting.

2008 was a crazy year for me. I'd amassed a backlog of stories I'd written over many years. Some, I'd subbed to literary magazines and was elated when they were published.

Then, one of my critique partners at the time suggested I try an online publisher. At that time, e-presses were fairly new, or at least unknown to me. So I began browsing, and targeted a few publishers, depending on their submission guidelines, because a few stories were paranormal, speculative and mainstream, and a few were romance.

With so many stories already written, I subbed quite a few. And was over the moon when I had about 14 acceptances. Needless to say, 2009 was a crazy year with whirlwind promo.

Fast forward to 2015, when the contracts have reached their term. Many of the publishers I've worked with since those early times have been wonderful -- The Wild Rose Press, Wild Child/Freya's, Lyrical Press have all been more than professional and generous. Since signing with Decadent Publishing, they've been amazingly professional, friendly and helpful, going above and beyond what other pubs do.

Another publisher, not so much. Beginning in about March of this year, I began emailing them regarding the rights for two stories. The contracts for both expired in July and August, and I wanted them back. Except for one, the email addresses listed on their web site are all invalid, so I tried sending tweets inquiring about who to contact, and had my virtual fingers slapped.

The female publisher is a "friend" on Facebook, so I messaged her several times. No response.

Frustrated, I resorted to the certified letter. When the USPS tracking site confirmed the letter had been claimed from the PO box, I did a screen shot and sent that through FB to the publisher.

No response.

One editor actually answered me, but said she couldn't help.

So I tried the publicity person. She said rights reversions were done in batches, and was sure mine would be included in the next batch. That was Sept. 2.

As of today, my author page is still up and Eternal Press is still selling my books through their site and through affiliate sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. Worse, recently both books have had sales.

I appear to be stuck in this rights limbo. According to Writer Beware, there aren't a lot of options unless I choose to file a legal suit. At this time, I'm still hoping to avoid any ugliness, though it wouldn't be the first time this publisher had encountered legal difficulties. One author was slapped with ridiculous "kill" fees for contract termination after requesting a change in the book cover. Writer Beware listed other problems in this post.

I did, however, file a complaint with Preditors and Editors. Wish I'd checked there to begin with - Eternal Press is listed as Not Recommended. I second that.

The takeaway is this - do your research. There are plenty of resources online to guide you. Here's one with a fantastic list of links. Check it out before signing any contract, and always, always read through every line of a contract before agreeing to the terms. If it doesn't feel right, don't sign. There are plenty of great publishers out there, so just keep looking.