Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 34

#Release Day Book Blast - Lorhainne Eckhart - "FRIENDLY FIRE" (The Wilde Brothers Series) @LEckhart

Friendly Fire (The Wilde Brothers)
Author: Lorhainne Eckhart
Publication: May 20, 2014
Genre: Adult/Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction/Western Romance

**CONTENT WARNING:Although this series is filled with ideals of family, love and loyalty, the Wilde brothers are strong sexy alpha males. Each book and short story in this series is filled with sexual tension, steamy romance, rough language, and passion. It is for those who enjoy adult contemporary romance, women’s fiction, western romance.






SYNOPSIS
“I wish I could find a man like the Wilde Brothers.” - Tina

“Read the whole thing in 1 day. A page turner from start to finish. Makes me wish I lived in Idaho.” – Diane

In FRIENDLY FIRE, after a roadside bomb ends his career in the marines, Logan Wilde struggles to put his life back together. When he takes a job as a sheriff in a small Idaho town, he expects a quiet, peaceful life that will bore him to tears. However, Logan hides a painful secret: He suffers from sleepless nights and flashbacks that come out of nowhere, and anything can be a trigger.

From the moment the new sheriff walks through the door of Julia Cooper’s cafe, she fights the attraction between them, especially after Logan shoots a carafe right from her hands when he’s startled by a car backfiring in the street outside. Julia has seen that wild look before: She saw it in her father’s eyes right before he shoved a gun to his head and killed himself.

Julia decides she needs to meet someone average, someone who has never handled a gun. Everyone is convinced that her daughter’s teacher is the perfect match for her, but when she’s with him, she misses the sparks that always sizzle between her and Logan—and when her daughter goes missing, it’s Logan who’s there for her, Logan who searches with her, and Logan she leans on.

Worse, Logan suspects that the teacher knows something about the disappearance, and he may not be the safe, dependable guy Julia believes him to be.


THE WILDE BROTHERS:
The One (Joe & Margaret)
The Honeymoon, A Wilde Brothers Short
Friendly Fire (Logan & Julia)
A Matter of Trust (Ben & Carrie) Coming Summer 2014<

THE OUTSIDER series:
The Forgotten Child (Brad & Emily)
A Baby And A Wedding (An Outsider Series Short)
Fallen Hero (Andy, Jed & Diana)
The Search (An Outsider Series Short)
The Awakening (Andy & Laura)
Secrets (Jed & Diana)
Runaway(Andy & Laura)
Overdue (An Outsider Series Short)
The Unexpected Storm (Neil & Candy)
The Wedding (Neil & Candy)

THE FRIESSENS: A NEW BEGINNING:
The Deadline (Andy & Laura)

WALK THE RIGHT ROAD SERIES:
The Choice
Lost And Found
Merkaba
Bounty
Blown Away, The Final Chapter




EXCERPT

Logan saw the sign over the door, a big oval carved with a tree and roots. A plastic sign on the door said “Open.” Logan pulled in front, angling into a parking spot.

When he stepped out, Clinton shut the passenger door and pointed to his phone. “I generally go home for lunch,” he said. “Let me give my wife a call. I’ll be right in, Sheriff.”

Logan took in his deputy. The gun strapped to his side should have given him confidence, but the way he spoke about his wife made his courage seem fleeting.

“I’ll be inside,” Logan said.

He took in the coffeehouse, with about half a dozen tables and a glassed-in counter holding baked goods, sandwiches, and deli meats. He scanned the chalk menu board and strode up to the counter, where a woman with cropped dark hair had her back to him. She wore a white apron over a black long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, and she turned around and glanced up at Logan with a bright smile and round face—and the most stunning green eyes he’d ever seen.

She hesitated, holding a plated sandwich. “Hey, there. I’ll be right with you,” she said. She had a killer smile as she strode around the counter and over to a table, setting a sandwich in front of an older man wearing a cowboy hat. She said something and then hurried back behind the counter. She had a neat and trim figure, with a small, rounded ass, and she wore sneakers.

Logan couldn’t take his eyes off her. He sat on one of the stools and took in her figure. Something about her had captivated him. She glanced his way, her wide eyes rimmed with long, dark lashes, all natural and so exotic. She wore not a stitch of makeup. Natural beauty, he loved it. He couldn’t help himself from taking in her round face, those soft, pink lips. She cleared her throat, setting both her hands on the counter, and his eyes went right there. No ring.

“You must be the new sheriff,” she said. As she watched him, all the light in her eyes vanished, replaced with something hard, as if she had figured him out in two seconds flat.

“I’m Logan Wilde,” he said. There was something about the way she was standing, so ramrod straight, that kept him from sticking his hand out to shake hers. No, what he wanted to do was put his hands on her, but that would definitely get him slapped. “And you are?” he finally asked, raising an eyebrow until she finally relaxed—almost, anyway. He realized this lady was not one to be toyed with. She was a difficult woman, strong, who reeled in his interest.

“Julia Cooper,” she replied. She clutched a dish rag and then tossed it down, extending her hand. “I own this place.”

Logan couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips as he took her tiny hand in his. Her soft, firm handshake stirred his interest further and scrambled all his good sense, too. “Nice to meet you, Julia.”

“So what can I get you, Sheriff?” she asked. He could tell she was still holding on to something. She had put up a wall and seemed ready to scurry behind it at any time. Logan couldn’t help wondering what that was all about. Did she have some trouble, or had something made her naturally cautious? That wasn’t necessarily such a bad thing, though it bothered him to think something had scarred her. He realized it wasn’t safe for her to take anyone at face value, anyway.

“Heard you make a mean sandwich. What do you recommend?” he asked, taking in the wide selection she gestured to on the chalkboard.

“Well, I have to say today’s special is pretty good: chicken and goat’s cheese on focaccia with a side of soup, your choice of minestrone or spinach and bean.”

He tapped his fingers on the counter. “Either sounds good. Why don’t you choose for me?”

She gave him a quick nod. “You got it, Sheriff,” she said, turning and opening the cooler, lifting out chicken, vegetables, and other fixings.

He couldn’t take his gaze off her back, with her slim curves—and that butt. Logan had never considered himself one of those guys who was a breast or ass man, but there was something about this woman. He wanted to figure out a way to get to know her a whole lot better. She was far from a super model, but she filled out a pair of plain old jeans. She wasn’t tall, either, and he was pretty sure he probably had a foot on her, but she’d sure fit nicely in his arms.

He wondered, for a moment, how responsive she’d be to his touch, or to him whispering to her in the dark. A tightening in his groin overcame him, and he swore under his breath. There had to be something wrong with him. Hell, he’d gone stretches before without a woman, but this last time…well, it had been over a year. Maybe that was his problem. He cleared his throat, trying to clear his head as well, forcing his thoughts to the meeting with Stan and Johnny Rhodes, but he just couldn’t shake the thought of Julia, who was such a distraction. The door chimed, and Logan glanced over his shoulder as Clinton strode in.

“Hey there, Julia,” Clinton said, also nodding to the older man eating a sandwich in the corner. “Slow today?” he asked as he took a seat beside Logan at the counter.

“Hi there, Clinton. Yeah, it’s been a little slow, but it should be picking up, with tourist season coming. I hope so, anyway. How’re your wife and that new baby of yours?” she asked. She had a sweet, soft voice, and Logan thought he could listen to her talk all day.

“Oh, they’re great. Annie is sleeping through the night now. She’s so sweet, and she has such a pretty smile,” Clinton said. He was already pulling out his cell phone, showing off baby pictures, and Julia leaned across the counter, taking in the photos with a natural excitement, as if she really was happy to see pictures of someone else’s baby. Maybe that was a female thing. To Logan, seeing baby photos was about as interesting as seeing some realtor’s face plastered across a billboard. He couldn’t even pretend interest.

Julia actually took the phone and touched her chest. “Oh, look at her! You have to bring her in. Tell Jenny to bring that baby over next time she’s in town.”

“Will do,” Clinton said, taking his phone back, a big smile on his face.

Logan could tell that his deputy was constantly distracted. With all the marines he had trained, he had hammered into them that they had to get their heads in the game. Clinton had two pretty faces waiting at home, but there was a time and a place for those thoughts. Logan couldn’t help wondering, if and when trouble hit, how Clinton would respond. He was soft, and the last thing Logan needed to worry about was having to knock on Jenny’s door and tell her she was a widow—and that her baby no longer had a father.

“What can I get for you, Clinton?” Julia asked, wiping her hands on a red and white dishtowel.

Clinton glanced over at the chalkboard and gestured to the special. “Special looks good, with minestrone. Would love one of them cappuccinos, with cinnamon on top, too, if you don’t mind.”

Julia nodded with a big smile. “You got it, Clinton,” she said, but when she faced the sheriff, her whole demeanor changed. She was back on guard, her smile now gone. “Sheriff, do you want something to drink?”

“Just a regular coffee would be great,” he replied, and she turned away, poured the coffee, and set it in front of him.

“Cream, sugar?”

“Just a little milk,” he said. She set a creamer in front of him, and he watched her as she turned away again and started fixing his lunch.

“I’m just going to wash up, Sheriff. I’ll be right back,” Clinton said, disappearing through a door in the back.

Logan slid around on the stool, taking in the big front window. Cars and a couple pickups drove by, a few people walking past here and there—unhurried, nothing like the way people were in the city. Everyone wore cowboy hats and blue jeans, and the way they all walked and talked said “Midwest ranching community.”

He sniffed the air at the hiss of the espresso machine, frowning out the window at an older white Cadillac that drove past. His heart was racing, his hand shaking on the counter as if he knew what was about to happen. There was a high-pitched whistle, then a bang as the car backfired in the street, and his chest squeezed as he waited for the explosion. Everything was moving in slow motion, everything louder. Where had the explosion come from? He heard the sound of gunfire.

For a moment, it felt as if he wasn’t even there. Julia was screaming, shouting at him, and he stared and stared, blinking, hearing only his breath, long and loud. Her face was terrified, and his hand trembled around his pistol—aimed toward her. It took him a minute to take it in: the shattered glass, the handle she was holding, all that was left of the carafe. There was now a hole in the espresso machine.



AVAILABLE FROM:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo |

AUTHOR BIO:
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter |
Lorhainne Eckhart is a 2013 Readers Favorite Award winner, frequently a top 100 bestselling author on Amazon in Romance, Westerns and Police Procedural. Author of 25 titles which includes novels, collections, and short stories. She writes three genres, western romance, romantic suspense and military romance and has sold more than 250,000 eBooks since her bestseller The Forgotten Child landed on the Amazon #1 Bestseller list for Westerns and Western Romance.
The German Foreign rights for The Forgotten Child have since been acquired by a major publisher, retitled The Forgotten Boy and released March 18, 2014, now a top 100 overall bestseller on Amazon. Lorhainne lives on sunny Salt Spring Island with her family where she is working on her next book.


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#Pressbook - a way to professionally #format one’s own books!

  After an RWA chapter meeting and over a glass of wine, networking with other authors  has to be one of my favorite pastimes. This happened to me recently and I can’t tell you how much it helped me at the time.

I’ll explain.
You see—for the last few years, I’ve been working with a professional formatter who has taken all my books, formatted them and made them look real pretty. We worked well together, and I’ve always appreciated his professional way of doing business.
I’d finish a book, send it to him and he’d return the mobi file so I could publish it on Amazon. I’d slap the book into their Select Program and “Bob’s yer Uncle”. The book would be finished and I’d move on to the next one.
Well, I recently decided to take all my 24 books out of the Select option and distribute them in as many places as I can (more about that on one of my next posts). So, just as I make up my mind this needs to be done, my formatter has some kind of a personal crisis and he’s no longer available for almost a month……no, no, nooooo!
While I’m hyperventilating from being overwhelmed with all these books that need to be reformatted into epubs and pdf’s, the networking happens. Drinking wine with another author who casually mentions a site she uses called Pressbook ( http://pressbooks.com/ ) Her words went something like: “It’s a template. I just slap my chapters into their slots, add in the front and back matter, and bingo – pay the ten bucks and export the sweetest mobi, pdf and epub files you can imagine. Easy-shmeasy!” (okay – mostly my words!!) No matter – what does matter is that this could be the answer to my dilemma. And boy did I need help.

Turns out she was right. That night I went home and checked out the Pressbook site. I started to upload a book and found it simple to do. But like everything new, it took some practise. In my follow-up blog, I’ll tell you about some of the problems I ran into. It might help you solve similar mistakes if you find yourself in the same situation.
What I can tell you is that using this tool has given me back control. You see, once my book was sent to the old formatter, I had to rely on him so I could publish to Amazon. Truthfully, once I decided on this new option of sharing the work everywhere, I had automatically taken it for granted that he would do all the epubs and…  supply me with Smashwords files also. Dream on!

Turns out, you can’t rely on others to be there for you when:
1.      They have a lot of other customers who demand their time and energy
2.      They dislike working on files for Smashwords
3.      They have their own lives that can kick in and take them away.
Now, with Pressbook, I  have the ability and the tools to do it myself. I’ve learned a huge lesson here. Never let the control be taken from you. You can hire others of course, but always have a backup.  So with the help of an assistant, my books will eventually be formatted and distributed. I just pray that after all this work – it pays off!!!
  The yellow Rose is for friendship!!   ****I'm trying to gather names for my newsletter list so please click the button on the side panel and add your e-mail address. I only send letters out about once a month so I won't be inundating you with mail. And be assured I would never share your information with anyone else. That's a promise!!
 

New #spirit-travel book for the Vicarage Bench Series - Together Always by Mimi Barbour

   
I should tell you a story about this new book of mine. It goes back to when I was published with The Wild Rose Press. I had six books with them, all Vicarage Bench stories and when I decided to cancel my contracts and go Indie, I realized that they had first dibs on any story I wrote for that series.
Since I had started writing Together Always , I figured it would be close to two years before I would have all the rights back to my various books and so I just closed the book up, left it on my desktop and moved on to another manuscript. Move forward to February of this year. I was driving with my husband on our yearly winter vacation to Arizona. I wasn’t working on anything just then and had decided that on the 4 driving days, I would check out the book Together Always and see if it was worth redeeming and maybe even finish it. (I’m one of those lucky people who can read, type and work on my computer while riding in a vehicle. I also have a husband who insists on doing all the driving. Works for me…!)

To my extreme surprise, (Thank You Lord!) when I opened it, I found that I had written 36,000 words and the plot was well set up. What I mean by that is - in some of my work, I leave threads hanging because I need to finish it and see what happens myself. I always have a fairly good idea of the ending, just not always the way I want the characters to get there.

But in this book, I had it well set up. When I began to read it over, the work seemed new to me because it had been two years since it had been opened. Thankfully, there weren’t too many revisions to make because I tend to write my first drafts pretty clean. Of course there’s always spelling stuff and my punctuation is atrocious. But I must say, I loved the characters and got caught right up. Found myself laughing at Mrs. Dorn’s antics and wiping away a few tears in the more emotional parts that involved the little guy, Sammy.
So…I can honestly say, if you’re a Vicarage Bench fan or even if this spirit-travel concept is all new to you, this book will brighten your day.

Okay - I'll admit it! I think it’s the best so far!

I’ll be looking forward to your reviews to see if I’m right.   Back Page Blurb: 
A new body, a new life…
Because of a facial disfigurement, Nurse Grace Joye has never felt beautiful, and when she’s told a brain tumor will end her life within a matter of weeks, she’s devastated. Grace’s friend, psychiatrist Dr. Robert Andrews has been experimenting with spirit travel. He suggests that Grace transfers her spirit to the body of his newest patient—Mrs. Vanessa Knight, a gorgeous-looking woman who is soon to be released from life-support. Grace doesn’t need much convincing to take this drastic step. She will live on and realize her two dreams: to be a mother, and be loved by a man. Only to hear her soon-to-be husband’s whispered words just before the life-support is switched off: “Good-bye, darling. I'm glad I’ll never have to see you again.” Lucas Knight has been contentedly preparing for Vanessa’s death. Throughout their marriage, this volatile woman had become increasingly vicious towards him and their young son. Therefore, he’s appalled and traumatized when, miraculously, she comes out of her coma. Strangely, this girl isn’t anything like the witch he’d said goodbye to. He could love this gentle angel. But, can he trust her to stay this way? **** 
  

Steps to format your book for #Smashwords and get it past that #@!$# Meatgringer!!

These steps were used successfully by me for the whole Vegas Series of 6 books just recently. It's a tried and true method - and once you've given it a chance, you'll see that it works!!
-       Take the latest edited version of your manuscript and make a working copy. I put mine in Times Roman Font #14 as I can tell which copy it is just by looking at the large font.
 
-       Take another copy and call it Smashwords and then copy and paste it on Microsoft Notepad to take out any formatting. Again copy and paste it from the notepad back to a word doc this time setting your page in advance. Use - Times Roman font #12. Set your indents and spacing (see Paragraphs on home page) Under alignment - click left, Under indentation – special, click first line – by put at whatever you prefer (mine is at 1.27cm) Make sure the Left and Right boxes show zero. Under spacing – put before and after at zero and the line spacing at single. Click the box – Don’t add space between paragraphs and this is what you will want your formatting to be at all times – UNLESS – you need to center a page. (see lower)


 -        Once you’ve copied and pasted the file into this new word file, this will be your final copy.
 
-         Now, go back to the larger print copy and highlight every place where you put italics. When you transfer your work from notepad, every bit of formatting is erased. It also moves your *** to the left rather than in the center which is where we want them.


-         Using the large print copy as your guide, on your Smashwords copy find and italicise where necessary.
 -         Next go in using the find and replace option to find the *** and center them using this option.
 
-         Make sure you put in the backwards P (see top right in box above) so you can see the line breaks and then go to the end of each Chapter and Insert a line break (Go to top toolbar and see the Insert page and Line Breaks) and set up the chapter headings to be the same throughout the manuscript.
 
-         Then go and add in all the front and back matter, (don’t forget to add in the “Smashwords Edition” line on the copyright page and take out any link or mention of Amazon or any other publisher. Check your back matter and links to your other books if live.
 
-         Make sure to format those pages that are centered with the paragraphs option rather than the lines one. See the larger box above – where I have it at “Left” you can click the downward arrow and it will give the center option. Use that option to center anything in your back or front matter such as copyright, table of contents, Afterword, Other works, etc. *Remember to always check and make sure the numbers on the left all stay on zero.
 
-         Type the Table of Contents list. (Smashwords wants the TOC as part of the front matter right after the Title page) You want the reader to be able to travel to each section with one click.
 
-         Now watch this video and follow Mark’s instructions. It’s really quite simple!! Really!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpB9hmlgeU4 
 
-         Do one last check to make sure it all looks the way you want it to and then you are DONE! Now go and upload to Smashwords.    
 

Have you ever read a review about your work that stood out from all the others?

 Yesterday, I read that review. Look… every author I know has a talent unlike anyone else’s. Either they can infuse emotions so tender their readers weep through pages in every one of their books.

Or they can weave unbelievable magic in such a way that the readers fall under their spell and believe.
Yet others can scare the living bejesus outta you by the violent pictures they paint with vivid of acts of cruelty to build suspense and fear and in some cases horror.
Me… I love the characters. Most of my energy goes into telling a story about the people (the hero and heroine and of course the secondary characters) in such a way that the reader becomes invested in their future. I want them to care about what happens to these fictional people. To cheer them on their journeys. Watch how they flourish and grow throughout the pages.
When I read Crystal’s review, I realized that she got it! Somehow, I had brought Francesca alive to her in exactly the way I’d visualized while I wrote the words. And finding out that I’d done the job right was such a high for me that I had to share it with you.
http://crystalsmanyreviews.blogspot.ca/2014/05/special-agent-francesca-tour-stop.html
I completely love Mimi’s books.  It’s that simple. I have yet to read one of her books that I haven’t absolutely loved in every sense of the word.  I will seriously search her Amazon page weekly, and go crazy each week that her newest release isn’t out yet. (I swear I’m not a stalker… much.)
This book is did not disappoint me in the slightest.  Mimi has an amazing ability to bring together a story that is filled with action, suspense, adventure, romance, and sexual chemistry that is just completely off the charts amazing.
If I were to want to be any female character in a book that I have read recently, I would want to be Francesca. That girl is just amazingly awesome. She has strength, courage, and an undying love for those she holds dear to herself. She is willing to jump into anything with her eyes wide open and completely ready to take on the day.
Sean’s character was great too, don’t get me wrong. But I just love how strong Mimi makes the female characters in her books. They are all amazing women.
Now, even though I did love this book, there is one thing in particular that I loved the most about it. When it comes to the sex scenes in the story, they are done with extreme class and elegance. They are put in the story for a reason, but they don’t take over the whole book. It was great in this book to watch as Sean and Francesca’s relationship grows from the start, and it’s growing on an emotional level.
If you are looking for a story that is more about a woman standing on her own, and showing everyone that she can do it. A story that is more about the relationship between two people, as opposed to just the sex. Watching as a woman finds out more about who she is, with the help of her family and friends. Then you should really look into this book, and this author.

And another thing…!!! Throughout my career, I’ve gotten my share of 5 stars, but honestly, this is my first 5 paws.

Now how cool is that???
 

I’m spreading my wings!! #Smashwords #Kobo #Apple #B&N #Google Play

 


Okay, you’re probably going to wonder why I’m making such a big deal out of this that I’d write a blog about it.  Well, to me, it’s BIG!!
In case you’re not aware, I’ve published my work exclusively on Amazon. 
Okay – that’s a fib. Here’s what happened.
Years ago, when I first went Indie, I personally formatted and published My Cheeky Angel on Smashwords also. Vicious headaches, suicidal thoughts and a near divorce later, getting my book through that blasted meatgrinder and equal to their Style Guide so it would get in the premium catalogue, had put me through a meatgrinder—oh yeah! After those 2am nights redoing the upload over and over, I decided that I would rather lick clean every window of a twenty story building rather than go through that again. Funny enough, because I’m stubborn, I was eventually successful and the book was made available. In the next few months it earned such a pittance that when I finished the next in the series, His Devious Angel , I quickly changed my path. Publishing exclusively with Amazon became my goal.
 
-         I told myself that the Amazon market was big enough for little ole me. True!
-         Their select program was worth not spreading the books to other channels and those 5 free days were gold. True!
-         Amazon’s site was easy to work with and they took a word.doc easily. Very true!!
-         And… I wouldn’t have to face that freaking meatgrinder again. Sooo true!
Until now!
I’m beginning to see that the free books aren’t such a draw anymore. Let’s face it, the market is becoming saturated. Once an author has a following, I feel that not every new book released needs to be made available as a freebie. I’m sure the readers who know they’ll get their money’s worth are more than willing to spend the few dollars we charge nowadays to be able to read what they know is worth the price.

Smashwords and their affiliates have some pretty impressive numbers now. Is it smart to disregard those opportunities?
Apple is making up a good amount of wages now earned by many authors and that just seems silly to ignore.
Google Play will be a big percentage of the market if their plans continue working the way they surmise.
And, being a Canadian, lots of my personal friends have Kobo e-readers and so I figure why not share the wealth, right?
***What do you think – are you publishing on all channels? Sure would like to hear your views?
If you're a reader and not an author, is it important to you that books be available on multi channels? 
 
 
 
 

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My 100 year-old fan – it just doesn’t get much sweeter?

 

 I received this e-mail on March 10th and if you say I was pleased, well that would be the understatement of all times. I was simply ecstatic!
My dad will be 100 years on April 15th and he is one of your biggest fans and probably the oldest. He loved your Vegas series and is looking forward to your Undercover FBI series.  He says he hopes you write fast because he knows it will be a great series and he looks forward to reading it but at his age he doesn't even buy green bananas anymore. He has a great sense of humor and is still in great shape and has a very sharp mind for someone his age. I would like to ask you if at all possible could you send him a note, card or whatever for his birthday.  I want to give him a big surprise and a note or card from you would do that. L ucille 

As you can imagine, I had plans to send Norris his birthday card until I came up with something a whole lot better.


Just a month earlier, I was involved in the London Book Fair with a bunch of other authors from the Freepartay group. We needed to have actual books to give out to publishers and agents. So... I had been forced to overcome my childish qualms about dealing with the pitfalls on Createspace, and get my book "Together Again" published.
You see, some years back it had been a nightmare for me trying to get "My Cheeky Angel" published there. Rather than dealing with the situation and learning how to do it right, like any card-carrying techie wuss, I backed off and decided e-books were just fine. Who needed a paperback anyway? They were going out of style in the next twenty years–right? So, no one would even care. (Well - except for my mom, but that’s another story.)


Move forward to the Fair and now I had no choice. I need a paperback to promote in London. So, I girded my loins (whatever that means:-) and I forged ahead. Much to my surprise, either the site had been upgraded or my brain had, but I found it relatively simple and voilà! I had me a real live paperback.
Since "Special Agent Francesca" was ready for releasing on Amazon, I quickly wrote a note to Norris as my dedication. Thanks to my wonderful formatter, I had enough time to get the story published on Createspace (I’m such a pro!!!) and rather than sending him a card, I sent him a copy of the book for his birthday.
Dedication:
I want to dedicate this book to my oldest and most adored reader, Norris Smith. Recently, his family notified me to share that he would be celebrating his 100th birthday in April and that he loved my Vegas Series and hope I’d be releasing the first of the Undercover FBI series soon. Excerpt from the letter – “He says he hopes you write fast because he knows it will be a great series and he looks forward to reading it but at his age he doesn't even buy green bananas anymore.”
My first reaction was ahhh! Then I laughed. Finally, it dawned on me what a wonder it was to have someone of his years enjoy a book I created. Obviously this very wise man knows good quality story-telling when he sees it!!!
Happy Birthday, Norris
A big mushy hug from your friend, Mimi.  
Much to my delight, Norris’s daughter sent me a picture of him holding my book. With his permission, I just had to share.


Thank you so much for the book you sent my dad for his birthday. Dedicating the book to him was just over the top.  He got the biggest kick out of you using his green bananas story.  He was laughing so hard he had to stop reading.  He received the book Monday and has already finished reading it.  He said it was a real "barn burner."  I'm sending you a photo I took of him this morning when he was officially 100 years old. I can never thank you enough for making this birthday so special for him.
Lucille
 
***This experience will be a pinnacle in my career as an author. Thank you, Norris. As far as I’m concerned, it just doesn’t get much sweeter!!


 

Battles to conquer whether as a child or an adult! Flo Barnett - Playing Hooky!

 I want to introduce a wonderful friend today. Her name Is Flo Barnett and her stories have delighted many readers between the ages of nine to ninety-nine.
Flo recently taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes questioning people, as to why their work turns out to be so different from what you expected, can be a good thing.
I’ve always enjoyed reading Flo’s stories and my normal routine was to follow with a review letting others know they’ll enjoy her work also. But this time, I couldn’t honestly do so. I had been expecting a funny, lighthearted child’s read and instead, I found the tale to be very realistic and a bit harsh. Not at all like her previous books. Rather than finish reading to the end, I put it aside.
Then I fretted on it for days. Knowing I’d promised a review, I finally broke down and wrote to her personally. I explained my reservations as to whether she’d meant for this book to be quite so severe. I worried that most kids want a fun-filled adventure and not something this serious.
Rather than being angry with me, she took the time to explain her reasoning. My respect grew in leaps and bounds when I read her explanation. As a grandmother who worried about her family, she knew from experience that the world doesn’t always treat us with tenderness. There’s hard knocks for everyone to suffer. Flo wanted the lessons in her book to be a way of showing those readers that it’s not so much what you’ve done that counts.  It’s how we eventually deal with the final outcome. How we overcome the obstacles when things seem grim. This book is her way of teaching children that even their grandparents had problems and situations they needed to learn from.
Once I understood that she meant for this to a realistic view of her own experiences as a child. Her reasoning behind the story made more sense to me. I did finish reading it, and much to my delight, discovered a photo of her parents who were actual characters in the book and her explanation of how the plot was based on a true story of her and her brother.  
She asked me…
After you finished reading the book, if you don't mind sharing, what was your final conclusion regarding its negative depictions?  And by negative, I mean the tragic elements that are exposed in their rawest form.  I value your insight, Mimi.  I can't promise to change my approach, but perhaps I might consider tempering it a bit.
I answered…
I did find your book a bit harsh but I didn't understand the reasoning behind why you wrote it that way. Once you explained, I accepted what you were trying to do. Therefore, I wonder - if you put a small explanation of your reasoning with the photo of Frank and Mary in the front matter - let the reader know why you feel these lessons are important, then they won't have the same reaction that I did. But will be prepared for what's to come.
She followed my advice and thanked me graciously. But I should have been the one to thank her. She reminded me of a very important lesson. As authors, we don’t have to just entertain out readers. Especially, those of us writing for children! We can go a step further and inform them, teach them by our characters and the plots of our stories. If we let them know they aren’t alone getting into mischief and fearing how to get out of it, it might just make them less afraid to overcome their own battles.  

London Book Fair #FreePartay - It's huge!! The fair and the partay!!

Together Again has always been a special book for me because it was the story that let me believe I could truly be a writer. You see, it was the first full-length novel I had written. After three novellas, I wasn’t sure if I could bring all that necessary plotting together in order to keep the reader fully engaged and loving the romance with double the pages.
The spirit-travel theme tends to give me many conflicts in itself – I mean – let’s face it – there’s a lot going on when you make one character invade the body of another and keep it realistic and believable. This isn’t something that happens to us so we can’t visualize what it all means. I had to come up with a premise that would work. And I truly believe I did.
Most of the reviews on the Vicarage Bench Series have been positive and that led me think that my ideas worked fine. Plus, I loved writing these stories and putting my hero and heroine in difficult situations where they couldn’t run away from each other easily.
If you’ve never tried one of the books, the magic starts when two people prick their fingers on a rose bush. The soul who invades the other’s body lies in a coma until the spell is broken. The concept seems truly mind-blowing but then I feel the same way about vampires and werewolves. At least my books are never dark and depressing, bloody or frightening. In fact, quite the opposite! Most of the reviews tell of how people laugh a lot while reading them. I sure did a lot of chuckling while writing them, so my aim succeeded.
The reason I’m sharing this with you today is because my lovely book, Together Again , is now in a huge promotion in the UK at the London Book Fair and will be seen by thousands of publishers, agents and editors throughout Europe and most likely North America. My goal is to find someone who loves this series and will be willing to publish these books so that many more readers will get to enjoy them.
Keep your fingers crossed for me. It’s exciting times.



  To celebrate the London Book Fair they've organized a huge FREE PARTAY!!  This is a one of the biggest yet!!So many #free books to choose from so hurry and get yours.***The Vicarage Bench Anthology is among those in the Partay!If you've never tried one of my spirit-travel books, here's your chance to get 3 under 1 cover!!FREE!!!