Brenda Whiteside's Blog, page 78

WRITING VILLAINS by F.M. Meredith

WICKED WEDNESDAY Please join me in welcoming F.M. Meredith as my guest on Wicked Wednesday.  As a mystery writer I’ve created my share of villains. However, sometimes the guilty party in a story isn’t really villain, but rather someone who reacted in a violent way to circumstances.Most writers have been told that a hero or heroine shouldn’t be all good and a villain shouldn’t be all bad. I suppose that’s true in many cases, but if you’re writing about a sociopath or a psychopath it might be difficult to come up with a “good” trait to give them.Most readers, myself included, seem to favor characters who have a bit of wickedness in them. And it’s also fun to really hate a bad character.One of the worst characters I ever wrote about—and I had fun doing it—was a really bad police officer. He was nothing like the police officers who get in trouble today; this guy had no redeeming qualities. And yes, I based him on a police officer I knew many years ago, but made the character far worse.Of course there have been other true villains in many of my mysteries, but in others, the person who committed the crime didn’t fit the definition of a villain.In my latest book, I have two villains. One is a convicted criminal, Omar Padweitz,  set upon getting revenge, and the other is Elford Lemus, the leader of an odd religious sect. I had fun writing about both of themBlurb for A Crushing Death : A pile of rocks is found on a dead body beneath the condemned pier, a teacher is accused of molesting a student, the new police chief is threatened by someone she once arrested for attacking women, and Detective Milligan’s teenage daughter has a big problem.Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Crushing-Death-Rocky-Bluff-P-D/dp/1610092260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457618775&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Crushing+Death+by+F.M.+Meredith
Marilyn Meredith aka F.M. MeredithLatest Books : Not as it Seems and Violent Departures Visit me at http://fictionforyou.com/Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

VILLIANS WE LOVE TO HATE by Laurel S. Peterson

MUSE MONDAY Please welcome my guest today, Laurel S. Peterson. Read on! Thanks for having me on your blog, Brenda. I’m really pleased to be here.
It’s fun to hate. I particularly love movies or books with juicy villains.
In my new mystery novel, Shadow Notes, protagonist Clara Montague has been away from her home town for fifteen years, avoiding her mother, who didn’t listen to Clara’s intuitions, even when they might have saved her father’s life. Clara has come home because she’s had a dream that her mother is in danger, and shortly after she arrives, her mother is jailed for the murder of her therapist. Is Constance a villain? Is she the kind of woman who could kill someone? Clara doesn’t know.
Figuring that Constance’s enemies will know her even better than her friends, Clara joins the political campaign of her mother’s worst enemy: Andrew Winters. Winters slithers through the novel, oiling his campaign with donations from the town’s elite. Is it true that the enemy of her enemy is her friend? Clara can only find out by sifting through her mother’s and the Winters’ pasts to figure out where their mutual hatred originated. Winters’ sister runs his campaign and nastily teases Clara with dirty secrets from her mother’s past. Are these “secrets” even true? Is there anyone in town she can trust—or are they all villains? You will have to read and judge for yourself! Who are the villains that you love to hate? Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear from you.

EXCERPT from Shadow Notes, by Laurel S. Peterson
Going home meant returning to Mother; it meant dealing with my own guilt. I’d never told her my dream about father’s death, how I’d seen the sleek black casket, the priest, father’s face made up all waxy or plastic, like he belonged at Madame Tussaud’s.  I’d never told her he’d whispered from the casket, “Heart attacks happen, Clara.” I knew when he’d said it that I could prevent it, but I hadn’t. I blamed myself. I blamed her.
Mother lied. When I was little, before I knew better, I would tell her my dreams, and she would get this frightened look on her face. The look intensified whenever I could point to a correspondence in real life. Like the time I dreamed that Timmy Lefkowitz would throw up blood, and then he did on the playground the next day. I shouted at her that if we’d told Timmy’s mom or the teacher, they might have kept Sean Gallagher from beating Timmy half to death in the bathroom because Timmy said the Virgin Mary was just another girl, not a saint. …
Then I’d had the dream that predicted my father’s death, more terrifying than any dream I’d ever had.  Was it symbolic?  real?  She would tell me to ignore it, as she had all the others.  I didn’t want to frighten my father, in case it wasn’t true, and I didn’t want to stay silent, in case it was.  While I was paralyzed by indecision, he died.  I hadn’t forgiven myself for ignoring my intuition. That was fifteen years ago.
Now, here I was again—and this dream felt the same: if I didn’t act on it, Mother would die. She’d pushed me away—but she was my mother, and no matter how angry I was with her, I couldn’t lose another parent. If I saved her, maybe then, I would have done something right, and if I’d done something right, maybe she would be the mother I wanted.
Amazon Buy Link
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SOLD!

  TRIPPIN' THURSDAY
In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share. Sold the first day
What a whirlwind these last few weeks have been. Bittersweet. With only half of us here, the farm isn't a farm, and selling it just seems right. As for the whirlwind...Frank and I have been trippin’ through fields, painting, cleaning, and completing all the repairs we should’ve tackled All spruced uplong before now. We met with two realtors and chose Karen Riley, a delightful woman who was born and raised in Prescott, but has lived in Paulden for years.
We must’ve chosen correctly because in the first 48 hours she listed the farm, we had three offers. We weren’t ready for that! Thinking it would take at least a couple of months to sell, we really had no plan on Lizards are fat this yearwhere we would move. And we still don’t know. We’ve been too busy to look.
We still need to sell the tractor.
Today we have the home inspection and the well inspection. Next A fruit tree from the sucker I planted in 2012week will be the termite inspection and the following week the septic gets pumped. July 7this the expected closing date. Looks like it will be quite a fourth of July for us!
Really big tomato plant the first yearSharing some pictures from now and then. I’ll have to let you know just where we’ll be trippin’ to next…when we know!
Hollyhock by front door  More hollyhock The only cactus on the property Me...dressed to weed in 2012

Vacation? Lazy Muse! #romance #suspense

I finally got around to updating the cover photo for A Legacy of Love and Murder on this blog ...look to the right. I've been knee deep in completing book four and eyeball deep in getting our property ready to sell.

The old cover was one of my favorites to date, but apparently there are readers who will not pick up a book with a Swastika on the cover. The book doesn't promote Neo-Nazism. If anything the story is a slam against the movement. Neo-Nazism provides a good villain who doesn't win. This book has great suspense and completes a thread that started in book one. Those that have read the book have praised it. But I ask you, if someone won't even pick it up, how will they know? So, my only alternative was to change the cover. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, was wonderful to do that for me. I hope those readers will give it a shot. There are those who say this is my finest novel yet.

Yesterday, I hit send and the fourth book in the series, The Power of Love and Murder, is now on my editor's virtual desk. This book darn near required blood to get it finished. These last few months have been an uproar in my personal life. Not bad things, but a case of time drain. My son and his family left the farm for good and moved to Colorado for a new job. He bemoaned leaving the farm, but couldn't pass this up. We helped them move and spent a week there helping them get settled. Then we tackled the job of getting the farm ready to sell. It sold first day on the market. Amazing. In the midst of that, I typed "the end".

You might remember the Black Fairy from book one, The Art of Love and Murder. Penny Sparks was dubbed with her nick-name by Lacy. Penny was the night clerk at the Grand View Hotel who dressed Goth and fit right in with the supposed haunted hotel. Who knew she lived under an alias and had a past that demanded she stay hidden in fear? This is her book. I had a good time writing one of the villains in this story. He has a past too, sad, and it drives him down the wrong path. My secondary characters are fun. My hero Jake Winters is a rock star six months out of rehab. I think you'll like the mix and get some  nail biting suspense as Jake and Penny run from the murderer.

My muse and I think we need a breather...a mindless breather. I'll work on promotion while my husband and I hunt for a place to live. It's been a whirlwind.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH JANA LANE by Joe Cosentino

FEARLESS FRIDAY Please welcome Joe to Discover Yourself. On Fearless Friday, I am pleased to have Jana Lane with me, the leading character in Joe Cosentino’s SATIN DOLL, a Jana Lane mystery, published by The Wild Rose Press. It’s an honor to interview an Academy Award nominated actress. It’s my pleasure to be here. It’s nice to leave Joe Cosentino’s head for a while. Jana, what was it like being the biggest child star in America? I felt like God’s special child. A lot of people’s livelihoods depended on me. I worked hard learning how to do things like steer a motorboat, swim for hours at a time, ride my horse Ginger. People really believed that I was the girl in the movies who could outsmart the villains, perform acts of bravery, and save those she loved from every evil fate. What was it like going to movie premieres? Once we arrived at the movie theater in the limousine, a red carpet led us inside. Camera flashes went off in all directions. Hundreds of people screamed and cried out my name, as I smiled and waved. Once inside the theater, I saw my face on that screen as large as a billboard. I was not only the central character in my own life, but in everybody’s life in that audience. I felt so loved and protected, until it all went away when I was eighteen in 1960 and left the business. Why? I was attacked at the studio. In PAPER DOLL twenty years later you went from your mansion in Hyde Park, New York back to Hollywood and used the skills you learned as a child star to figure out who attacked you. In the process you uncovered a web of secrets about everyone you loved. Can you tell us more about that? Toward the end of the novel, my family and I are in incredible peril. That gave me the strength and courage to do all of the things I did to catch the killer and turn the tables. Tell us more about that final confrontation. I’d love to but Joe Cosentino would prefer you buy PAPER DOLL. It’s an amazing story. And your reviews were amazing. “Paper Doll is a superbly crafted mystery with an eclectic cast of characters that will engage you and elicit some very emotional responses as you are completely caught up in the events that unfold in these pages. Everyone has secrets and the people in Paper Doll have them in spades!” Fresh Fiction"Mr. Cosentino has produced a masterpiece of mystery (Paper Doll)" "The story gripped me from the start and there were enough twists and turns, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure, to keep hold of me until the end of the book." "Great book, can’t wait for book 2." Readers’ Favorite They liked me. They really liked me. Next in PORCELAIN DOLL you made a comeback film, His Obsession. In the process of filming, I uncovered who was being murdered on the set and why. My heart was also set aflutter by my incredibly gorgeous co-star, America’s heartthrob Jason Apollo. The other suspects included my James Dean type young co-star, my older John Wayne type co-star, my children’s Eve Harrington type nanny, the film’s gossipy makeup and hair artist, a local reverend trying to stop the film’s production, and Jason’s agent. You had an incredible struggle and confrontation scene at the end of that novel too with a shocking ending. Again you received terrific reviews. “Porcelain Doll is Joe Cosentino at his finest. We are drawn back to the fashions and attitudes of the 1980's in a character-driven story full of intrigue and passion." Kirsty Vizard, Divine Magazine “Beautifully written and intensely detailed, Porcelain Doll is one not to be missed. Flirtatiously decadent with a strong moral undertone, set in a decade of extraordinary social change this is a story of its period that is as poignant today as it was then. Joe Cosentino controlled the emotions that the book encouraged with a deft but delicate touch. Suspenseful and mysterious, Porcelain Doll is a masterful creation, one that was impossible not to be affected by.” Carol Fenton, BooksLaidBare Reviews “Murder, mystery, and suspense are high inside of this brilliant masterpiece by Joe Cosentino.” “Every page fills the readers with intrigue.” “Edge of your seat mystery that lures readers instantly.” “Once you read it, you can't put it down.” Danielle Urban Universal Creativity Inc. And you were nominated for an Oscar for His Obsession. I didn’t win, but I was more pleased to save myself and my family. And now in SATIN DOLL, you and your family head to Washington, DC, where you play a US senator in a new film, and become embroiled in murder and corruption at the senate chamber. Tell us about some of the people you encounter in SATIN DOLL. There are some familiar faces like my old world, loyal, and hysterically funny agent, Simon Huckby, who produces the AIDS benefit I host at the Ford Theatre. And my best friend and lawyer, Congressman Jackson Mitchell and his partner Adam, who host my family at their rustic home on a lake. And there are some new faces too like Senator Maxmillion, the Republican majority leader of the Senate, and Benjamin Topower, Maxmillion’s wealthy super pack contributor. And of course there is Senator Cassie Castle, the Democrat senator touted to run for Vice President. Is she like Hillary Clinton? Cassie is a smart, strong woman who is deeply involved in protecting the environment, women’s rights, gay rights, education, and creating jobs, like her father before her. She is also quite charismatic. So in some ways she’s very much like Hillary. In many ways she is different.
In which ways? Cassie is dating the Republican majority leader of the Senate. Cassie seems to wear her heart on her sleeve. Jana, have you always been interested in politics? Jana: I’ve always found politicians like Maxmillion and Cassie fascinating. How they can speak to someone and make him/her feel as if he/she is the only person in the room. I also marvel at Cassie’s will to serve others and to make the world a better place. The issues I am concerned with are Cassie’s issues, so I am clearly on the liberal bent. However, I believe all the political characters in the story are treated equally in showing their good points and bad. In the novel you are interviewed on the radio by a Christian host for your upcoming AIDS benefit. Do you think Christians would be offended by that character?            I sure hope not. I’m a Christian who prays and goes to church on Sundays. I try to love my neighbor as myself, not judge others, and help the downtrodden and outcasts. The radio hosts who interview me use their wealth, power, media chops, and religious affiliations to demean others and try to take away their rights. So I stand up to them and protect the people they are persecuting. As in the first two Jana Lane mysteries, you are tempted by a gorgeous man, this time Detective Chris Bove. Read how Bove is described in the book. Can you blame me? Frankly, no. And your husband goes through a major personal event. I love that part of the story. It still brings tears to my eyes when I read it.
I love your comic banter with Jackson, and with Bove. Jana: They’re both good guys. Since the book takes place in 1983, you get to dance to songs like “Flashdance…What A Feeling” and “Maniac.” You also wear layered hair, shoulder pads, and lace gloves. I loved that period! And we also experience a number of historical events like Karen Carpenter’s passing, the still new AIDS epidemic and the devastation it caused when ignored by our political representatives, and dangerous proposed legislation by conservatives like the Protect the Children Act, which was a disguise to try to make gay people second class citizens.
Like in all the Jana Lane mysteries you are a champion fighting for funding for AIDS research, protecting victims when nobody else would. I’ve always believed it is our duty to take care of the less fortunate who need our help. There is also a sexy young senator in the book, Senator Sancho Ramirez from New York. How does he play into the story? Like everyone in the story, Sancho has secrets that are eventually revealed. Can someone read this story before reading your previous two mysteries, Jana? Yes, each Jana Lane mystery is it’s own story. Readers get a complete mystery with each novel full of revealed secrets, plot twists and turns, and a white knuckle ending leading to a shocking conclusion. Through the course of the books, I not only solve the mysteries, but also reclaim the courage and fortitude I had as a child. As one reviewer wrote, I start out as a wounded bird, and end as tiger. But you play fair in your mysteries, meaning the clues are there. And again toward the end of SATIN DOLL you have a physical and verbal confrontation with the murderer. Thankfully after the shocking ending, all is resolved. What’s next for Jana Lane? In China Doll (releasing late May), I head to New York City to star in a Broadway play, co-starring the gorgeous Peter Stevens, and I’m faced with murder on stage and off. And after that? RAGDOLL, where I’m offered the leading role in a new television mystery series. And again life imitates art. How does Joe Cosentino think up all these terrific storylines and surprise endings?
I’m in his head helping him. Thank you. It’s been a pleasure. Keep fearlessly catching the bad guys and gals, heroine Jana Lane. You got it! purchase links:The Wild Rose Press
Barnes and Noble

Omni LitBlurb:Murder, corruption, and scandals rock Washington, D.C....America’s most famous ex-child star, Jana Lane, is playing a US Senator in a 1983 film. Just as she and her family arrive in DC, two Washington power players are murdered, and Jana is caught in the web of intrigue and political scandal. Jana falls under the spell of the breathtakingly handsome detective assigned to the case, ex-professional football player and food aficionado, Chris Bove. Will Jana and Bove uncover the murderer’s identity and shocking secrets before Jana and her family become the Capitol’s next victims?
Author’s Bio:Bestselling author Joe Cosentino wrote Paper Doll the first Jana Lane mystery, Porcelain Doll the second Jana Lane mystery (The Wild Rose Press), Satin Doll the third Jana Lane mystery (The Wild Rose Press), Drama Queenthe first Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press), Drama Muscle the second Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press), An Infatuation, A Shooting Star, A Home for the Holidays, & The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Dreamspinner Press), Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back & Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward (NineStar Press), and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. His upcoming novels are China Doll the fourth Jana Lane mystery (The Wild Rose Press) and Drama Cruisethe third Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press). Joe was voted 2ndPlace for Best Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2015. Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosenGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_CosentinoAmazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino

DON'T MESS WITH THE MUSE by CJ Matthew

MUSE MONDAY I'm so happy to have CJ Matthew as my guest on Discover Yourself today.
The belief that creative people have a contributing or inhibiting entity woven into their artistic process, in the form of a muse, is a fascinating idea. In writer interviews and blogs, some authors refer to consulting with their muse. Conversely, writers have accused a muse of refusing to help, or of abandoning them. In the classical framework of Greek mythology, the muses are the nine daughters of Zeus, trained by Apollo, who gave artists and philosophers the inspiration to create. Within each muse’s particular field of expertise: music, poetry, writing, and so on, she was heavily involved in a mortal’s artistic process by providing imagination and inspiration. At the beginning of the Iliadand Odyssey, Homer invokes the Muse to provide any information she may have to help him better tell the stories in his epic poems. For a romance writer, the most connected muse appears to be Erato. As the protector of love and love poetry, in art she’s depicted holding a lyre, love arrows and bows. Her name comes from the Greek word Erosreferring to the feeling of falling in love. In a more modern context, the 1999 film comedy, Muse, is set in Hollywood and stars Sharon Stone in the title role. In this movie, the fickle muse drives men seeking her help crazy by demanding gifts and constant attention.However a writer chooses to imagine the muse, either as an external force providing a direct conduit of ideas and creative resources, or as simply the name give to the author’s own inner well of creativity, history urges all creative people to treat the muse with care.
Still risking their lives…The Paladin Group.
Ginger Odom has sworn to become self-reliant… Until she is arrested in a small town and framed for the murder of a police officer. Seems everyone in the community wants her behind bars, regardless of the truth, so her aunt enlists the help of the Paladin Group. A team of wounded former military men and woman, now civilian lawyers and investigators, they rescue people in serious trouble.
Hale Peters is determined to ignore his knee injury… The former Air Force Pararescueman, wounded during a rocket attack on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, accepts his first reboot for Paladin. His mission—keep Ginger safe until he can prove her innocence—becomes a bigger challenge than expected when he and Ginger clash over who’s in charge.

The Devil Dogs just want to help… The group of older veterans steps up to assist, but when Ginger’s life is threatened by the real killer, Hale and Ginger need to work together if they hope to stay alive.


Amazon Kindle:   http://amzn.to/1Pko75r Nook: http://bit.ly/1TKkU0k Kobo worldwide: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/deadly-reboot


The Paladin Group The romantic suspense series begins with Deadly Reboot, Paladin Group Book 1 .Set in a small southern town, the series features wounded air force veterans, men and women warriors turned civilian lawyers and investigators determined to continue their rescue work.Book 2 Survival Reboot is due to release September 28, 2016.Book 3 Maximum Reboot is releasing December 7, 2016.

FREEDOM 53 by Joanne Guidoccio

FEARLESS FRIDAY Please welcome my guest today, Joanne Guidoccio, with a courageous and heartwarming Fearless Friday.
In 1984, London Life Insurance came up with a uniquely Canadian slogan – Freedom 55.
Each time I saw the commercial of the middle-aged couple walking along the beach, enjoying a sunset, or engaging in water sports, I imagined my own retirement: extended holidays as a snowbird, launching a non-profit, starting a counseling practice. A little different but compelling enough to keep me dreaming of my own freedom years. Why not leave the workforce at age 55 and devote the remaining 25 to 30 years of my life to my passions.
Five months before my fiftieth birthday, a diagnosis of inflammatory cancer brought everything to a standstill. I survived, scarred but happy to be alive and appreciative of the many gifts cancer had brought.
I returned to my teaching position, with new determination. I would not wait until age 55 to retire. Instead, I aimed for Freedom 53, a very early retirement, possible because of a generous teacher pension program.

As 2008 neared, I felt flutters of trepidation but remained committed to Freedom 53. For the most part, family and friends were supportive, but I could see flickers of doubt in their eyes. A few ventured to ask: “What on earth will you do?”
While some of my earlier dreams no longer fit, I did have a vague idea of what life on golden pond would look like. Sleeping in each morning. Leisurely breakfasts. New hobbies. Volunteering. Traveling.
These were my pat answers whenever anyone asked about my future plans. And at some point in the conversation I would work in one of my favorite quotations from Eckhart Tolle: “When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life.”
I kept my writing dream, concocted at age eighteen, tucked away, fearing to even speak the words: “I want to write.” It sounded a bit pretentious and a definite stretch from my 31-year career as a mathematics and co-operative education teacher.
All that changed when I returned from a trip to Newfoundland. I put pen to paper and wrote an article about my adventures. To my surprise, it was picked up by the Waterloo Record and published two months after my retirement. I took that early publication as a sign from the universe and announced my intention to write.
I started journaling and filled large blocks of unscheduled time with workshops and online courses. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. At first, I focused on the nonfiction market and wrote book reviews and articles about careers, money management, wellness, personal growth and development. While I was delighted with the response from newspapers, magazines, and online publications, I wanted more.“More” translated into a novel, and in my case, two novels: A Season for Killing Blondes and Between Land and Sea .
I had written the first draft of the cozy mystery during my “cancer” year and then filed it away. An integral part of my therapy, writing that novel helped me survive and thrive during the most challenging season of my life. It was now time to edit and polish the manuscript.
While querying, I distracted myself with another storyline. I wrote the first draft of Between Land and Sea (a paranormal romance about a middle-aged ex-mermaid) in three months and then spent a year editing and polishing. I was thrilled when Senior Editor Debby Gilbert of Soul Mate Publishing offered me a contract in 2013.
A year later, Editor Johanna Melaragno of The Wild Rose Press picked up A Season for Killing Blondes ( Book 1 of the Gilda Greco Mystery Series ) . The novel was released in June 2015.In September 2015, Soul Mate Publishing released The Coming of Arabella , the sequel to Between Land and Sea .
Right now, I’m polishing the final draft of Too Many Women in the Room (Book 2 of the Gilda Greco Mystery Series).
Blurb
Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation.
When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends. As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked.
Trailer
https://youtu.be/QURgFbybQVwIn the NewsA Season for Killing Blondes is on sale for $0.99May 6 – May 20Buy LinksAmazon (Canada) - http://is.gd/t0g1KZAmazon (United States) - http://is.gd/jADjPpAmazon (United Kingdom) - http://is.gd/8mknFJAmazon (Australia) - http://is.gd/r843iXBarnes and Noble – http://is.gd/n6s91MKobo - http://is.gd/BpO9gY
Website http://joanneguidoccio.com/

What's a Woman To Do...When He's Wicked by Laura Strickland

MUSE MONDAY
It's all about wicked. Please welcome my guest, Laura Strickland...

Oh, these heroines in the Romance Novels we love to read! Is there any hope for them? They persist in making bad choices—walking down dark streets alone when there’s a madman on the loose, daring to help strangers in need and worst of all venturing into that dark basement. They dress up as boys and go into battle; they hide messages in their hoop skirts and act as spies. And the men they choose! Don’t they have any common sense?

I think one of the things we love about reading (and writing) is that heroines often take chances we might not in real life, and via the written word we can make the perilous, frequently scandalous journey right along with them. Sure, we might eye the buff stud at the gym while he’s working out but would we really agree to a one-night stand with him if offered the chance? Probably not, though if a favorite heroine does, we get to go along for the adventure.

But how about those truly wicked leading men…you know the ones I mean. The dissolute Edwardian rake who spends his ancestral fortunes like water and beds a different heiress every night. The Norman warrior who has his way with the Saxon maiden he captures, and makes sure she enjoys it. The dangerous pirate with the charming smile. And oh, those Highland renegades…Some leading ladies just can’t resist. Pity the poor heroine of my Highlander Romance, His Wicked Highland Ways. All her life Jeannie Robertson has been dutiful and level-headed. She kept her father’s household in lowland Dumfries together against impossible odds and now, when her back’s to the wall, she’s still fighting for survival. Then she gets a look at her new landlord, Finnan MacAllister—the laird of the glen: over six foot of scarred and tattooed, well-muscled warrior and thoroughly wicked. What’s a woman to do?Aren’t we glad we need only pick up the book and read, to find out? Here’s wishing you happy and enjoyably wicked reading!
Buy Link Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Highland-Ways-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B00V7CT52O/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1429877108&sr=1-2

From Son's Field Trip to Novel by M.S. Spencer

MUSE MONDAY I'm happy to have M. S. Spencer as my guest today.
Thank you so much for having me, Gideon, and Claire at your lovely site today. A little background to my new romantic suspense might be in order.
When my son was in the fifth grade the teacher asked him to write a book report on a local landmark. We lived in Arlington, Virginia at the time—literally a hop, skip and jump from Washington, DC—so we were certainly not starved for landmarks. However, instead of the obvious Lincoln or Jefferson memorials, or the Library of Congress, my son chose the George Washington National Masonic Memorial. We took a tour of this fascinating building and the place struck me immediately as the perfect setting for a delightful murder mystery. It took me a few years, but eventually the victim—a mysterious Italian mason—found his way to the ninth floor observation deck of the Memorial. Thus was born The Mason's Mark: Love and Death in the Tower, my latest mystery/romantic suspense. The Mason's Mark: Love and Death in the Tower (an Old Town Romance) Wild Rose Press, May 6,2016 (Crimson Rose imprint)
Mystery/Cozy Mystery, Romantic suspense
ebook 79,000 words; print 322 pp.M/F;  3 flames
Claire Wilding is a newly minted docent for the George Washington National Masonic Memorial and a recent widow. On her first day she meets the handsome, if mysterious Gideon Bliss, newly minted U. S. Senator. They do not hit it off.

Thrown together due to the unexpected appearance of a corpse in the Memorial, any possibility of romance is thwarted by assorted villains and intrusive friends and relatives.
Blurb:In both the best and worst first day at work ever, docent Claire Wilding meets the man of her dreams, but her carefully rehearsed guided tour of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial collapses when she discovers a body and is drawn into a dark world of black ops and Italian renegade masons, of secret cabals and hidden treasure. Also cloaked in mystery is handsome Gideon Bliss, a George Washington expert who haunts the Memorial, his manner evasive. What is his secret? Claire fears she'll fall in love with him only to learn he's a thief or even a murderer. Juggling two eccentric mothers, an inquisitive sister, and an increasingly smitten detective, Claire must find answers to a complex web of intrigue, including who to trust and who to love.
In this excerpt it seems their future is close to hopeless.Excerpt (PG): The Breakup“Gideon, I…I think you should clear this matter up before we see each other again.” The phone went dead. Hmm, he took that surprisingly well. She resisted the urge to cry and went into the kitchen. When she came out carrying a glass filled with ice and a bottle of vodka, she found Gideon sitting on the packing crate. His eyebrows bristled. Claire didn’t think she’d ever seen eyebrows actually bristle. It made him look like an angry centipede. “Claire, you can’t dump me over the phone. I forbid it.” She poured a large tot into her glass. “I see.” He stood and paced, not an easy thing to do in a room the size of a refrigerator box. Watching him, it occurred to Claire that she should decorate her house in the Shaker style—have all the furniture hang on pegs, up and out of the way of large trampling feet. She forced herself to focus on the words spilling out of the side of his mouth. “I never hid my predicament from you. It’s unfair to let me fall head over heels for you and then suddenly go all ethical on me.” He stopped and peered down at her. His face drooped. “Claire, I need you to help me through this.”
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TRIPPIN' THROUGH THE ROCKIES Part Two

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY
In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share. Nana, Sadi, and peacockSo much for it being the ugly time of year in Trinidad, Colorado. But wait...before that fateful exit day, we took a day and drove to Pueblo, CO, to go to the zoo.

Pueblo, CO, has been tagged as the worst city to live in that state. I
Sadi and ottercan't say one way or the other about that, but they do have a nice little zoo Sadi thoroughly enjoyed. The two legged creatures were also very friendly. Lunch at the local
Daddy and babyVillage Inn was mediocre with horrible service, but we got free pie. Can't beat that!

Sadi loves the stairs in this 1886 homeWe awoke the morning we were to leave to five inches of snow. and it was still coming down. We had expected a little snow mixed with rain. Granddaughter was running through the house singing, "it's snowing, it's snowing! Nana, Papa, Daddy, it's snowing." Mommy was running with her. No time for tearful goodbyes. The Raton Pass is infamous for shutting down in inclement weather so we hurriedly packed the car, caught a little of
Part of the stairwellSadi's delight, and beat feet.

Snowy awakeningThere were two accidents and three spin outs in the pass. Luckily the accidents were in the lanes heading into Colorado. It was white knuckle driving for a short while. By the time we reached Santa Fe, it had turned to rain.

I love car trips over flying, even with weather. In fact, I love riding in the rain and snow. I hate driving so I'm lucky the husband enjoys it. We drove through snow, rain, sleet, fog, sun, and back into rain and sleet, and etc. That part of New Mexico/Arizona is barren for the most
Snowy retreatpart, but it's Indian country so there are some fun sites. Love the signs claiming dinosaur bones and footprints. Not saying it isn't true...

Now, Frank and I are working hard to get the not-a-farm-anymore, spruced up to sell. No plans to go trippin' anywhere next week. For now anyway...