Brenda Whiteside's Blog, page 9

The Next Book

Although I'm a mystery/romantic suspense author, I decided to try my hand at writing for children. This was the result of a conversation with my then eight-year-old granddaughter. One morning, on the way into town to get donuts, Sadi expounded to meabout how special her new puppy was, a blue nose Pit Bull, although he might bea blue Staffy. She also related her knowledge of the bad rap these dogs receiveand why. An idea popped, and she was soon bouncing on her seat while eatingher chocolate iced donut. We could write a book about Max and all his wonderfulcharacteristics. As the months marched on, the idea took shape, expanding andtwisting with imaginative tales. 

The Sadi and Max Chapter Books are directed at children ages six to ten. Sadi wanted to offer books that kids might be able to read on their own, but if not, a parent could read to them and help them learn to read. She also wanted to make it clear that the bully breed dogs can be loving family dogs. It's all in the treatment of them. She wanted kids to have fun with the stories. I think we accomplished what she set out for me.

We published the first book, sadi and max Have the Best Christmas in the Entire World , last year in time for the holidays. AMAZON BUY LINK

I've just published the second of her stories. I have noidea how many there will be—that depends on Sadi. When this project started,she was an eight-year-old. Now, at eleven, she’s growing up, evolving, andalthough her passionate love for dogs will never change, the amount of timeshe’ll spend with Nana weaving stories might.

sadi and max to the Rescue is available right now in print. The eBook version will release on March 19th. AMAZON BUY LINK

Yay for spring break! Sadi has a whole week to play withMax, the puppy she got for Christmas. But something is bothering her playfuldog. When they bump heads, and Sadi hears a voice, could it be Max, and willanyone believe her? 

Max is happy to be part of the family. He loves his humansand the two old dogs that are now his sisters. But he left another sister atthe rescue home of Talia Wagger. He knows his sister Rosie is still there andlonely. He has to find a way to get her adopted. If only his little human Sadicould understand him… 

A neighbor who needs help and a puppy who needs to beadopted are all part of the adventure in this latest Sadi and Max book. Nowthat they can understand each other, Max has mischievous plans, but he’s also apuppy with a big heart—he enlists his little human on a mission to rescue.  

Sadi Belle is a dog-lovingyoung lady who attends grade school in Arizona. Practiced in the art of caringfor and playing with her puppy and dogs, she loves to weave tales involvingthem. Her vivid imagination and big heart are evident in the stories shecreates for Brenda to write. 

 FIND BOTH BOOKS HERE

Reading and Reviews (Henderson and Abrams)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. From time to time, I'llshare my reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read islimited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook atnight for the last hour of my day. 

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. BesidesRomantic Suspense and mystery, I read crime and law novels, once in a while atrue story, WWII historicals, romance, and mainstream character driven books.

Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not-too-distant past.Maybe you'll discover a new book or author. 

Snapshot of a Murder by Alison Henderson 

IsadoraMunro can take a hint. Afterbeing laid off from her job, dumped by her fiancé, and ousted from her home—allon her fortieth birthday—Izzy packs up what’s left of her life in San Franciscoand heads to the picturesque beach town of Carmel-by-the-Sea to lick herwounds. To her surprise, the cottage she’s inherited from her Great Aunt Doracomes complete with a built-in roommate—a bossy Burmese cat named Bogart.

After a local baker and chocolatier collapses in Izzy’s arms at the town’sannual Halloween parade and later dies, a colorful trio of Aunt Dora’s friends ralliesto her side. The whole village is on edge with a killer on the loose, so Izzyand her new friends team up with an old colleague, a former SFPD homicidedetective, to solve the murder before one of them becomes the next victim. 

My Review:

I’ve read most if not all of Ms.Henderson’s romantic suspense. This is her first venture into cozy mystery, andI’d say she’s succeeding. She has a great cast of characters, including thecat, and a twisty path to find the murderer. My guess is Izzy will have moreentertaining adventures in future books. 

https://www.amazon.com/Snapshot-Murder-Izzy-Munro-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFKB7V5Y/ 

 

Unexpectedby Laylah Abrams 

ClaireMorgan is a beautiful, rich heiress, and the paparazzi love to track her.Although she holds degrees in business and computer science and works hard ather job, the only thing the public is interested in is who designs her gownsand her latest date. Claire has learned to play the part, hiding behind animage that keeps her heart safe and everyone out of her personal life. Then shemeets Nick Holden.

 

Nickis a struggling artist, waiting tables to pay the bills and his collegetuition. He’s following a dream, but he’s in the middle of a creative slumpthat jeopardizes his grad school scholarship. When Nick is tasked with waitingon famous Claire Morgan and her equally famous best friend and their dates, aspark ignites neither of them sees coming.

 

MyReview:

WhenI started reading Unexpected, I have to admit, I expected a shallow boy meetsgirl story in the world of the rich and famous. There are so many “billionaireromances” floating around. But only pages in, I realized this story wasanything but superficial. 

Nickand Claire live in different worlds, and they assume the gap can’t be crossed.But their physical attraction is strong, and they act on it. They jump into alove affair they consider a carnal convenience. What they both miss in thebeginning is the deeper draw to each other. What Ms. Abrams is adept at iswriting the slow revelation of their characters. 

Onenote on style. Ms. Abrams used clips from news articles to begin each chapter.The effect was fun and insightful for the story. 

Ilove character driven fiction. When an author can grow a character, immerse thereader, and complete the arc, the end result is satisfying. The story has depthand kept me turning the pages. Claire and Nick inspire each other to becomplete. The fact remains, they are still a rich celeb girl and a no-nameartist. Can it work? I encourage you to pick up this book. The ending will leaveyou feeling good. 

https://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Laylah-Abrams-ebook/dp/B0CK8T9ZWR/

Life's Adventures

Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

Adventures past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. 

This week we had a food gift card adventure. Okay, maybe that doesn't sound like adventure, but I love road trips which this was. For the last year, we've been fairly homebound with FDW's various medical issues (a whole different adventure he would not appreciate me blogging about). We missed the wedding anniversary weekend and an overnight trip for my birthday. As a result of celebratory dates, we received gift cards to several restaurants. I came up with the idea to hit the road for a couple of days and eat our way through the drive for free. San Francisco Peaks

The largest of the giftcards was for Chef Dahl's restaurants in the Sedona area.
These are high end establishments. We aren't the white table cloth and crystal chandelier type people so we settled on Butterfly Burger...gourmet of course. We also had Panera, Chili's, and Texas Roadhouse in my wallet. Our intentions were Panera for lunch the first day with dinner at Butterfly Burger. Second day we'd do Texas Roadhouse for lunch and Chili's for dinner back in Payson on our way home.

Mistake number 1: don't bother calling or checking locations. Just head out. 

Not too far out of Sedona, I started Googling where Panera's was located. Surprise! No Panera's in Sedona. Okay, no worry. We'll drive on to Flagstaff, get a good view of the snow covered peaks, and  eat there. We took the freeway route, and I Googled the location on the way.

Hand-tossed pie

Mistake number 2: don't assume Flagstaff has a Panera's. Apparently, the sandwich place is only big in the valley and Prescott.

Changed the plans. We headed to Chili's because we knew where it was in Flagstaff. I then called Butterfly Burger because I was feeling like things were
going wonky. And they were. Back to mistake number 1. Butterfly Burger's recording said they were closed on Wednesday. What?! Good thing Chef Dahl has more than one restaurant. We decided on Pisa Lisa featuring upmarket wood-fired pies.

View from our deckOur hotel was actually in Oak Creek Village, right next to Sedona. In fact, you can't really tell them apart. Pisa Lisa had a location just up the block. The Sedona Village Lodge where we spent the night was so quaint, yet roomy and nice. They allowed doggies, for a hefty price, and the location was beautiful. But then, the whole area is spectacular. On the very short drive to Pisa Lisa, we passed Butterfly Burger with a lit open sign in the window. What? After burgers at Chili's, we couldn't. Frank had to hold me back from marching in there and blasting them for an erroneous phone message. As it turned out, the pizza and wine were fantastic. We had no trouble spending the $90 in giftcards.

Oak Creek CanyonThe next morning, we lounged in the room feasting on pastries. Since we had to go to Flagstaff for a late lunch at Texas Roadhouse, we took the scenic drive along Oak Creek through the canyon. The last time we did that was decades ago. The leisurely drive brought back memories of when the creek was more accessible for fishing, slide rock wasn't a park but a stop along the road for high school and college kids, and picnics. 

Oak CreekWe hadn't planned on a Flagstaff to Sedona to Flagstaff trip, but I'm glad the food gift card fiasco happened. A simple drive to Sedona turned into an adventure up north.

Sedona behind us

Along Lake Mary, headed home

 

The Next Book

I don't know if all authors enjoy putting a face to their characters, I mean a face outside of what's in their heads. I don't like using people on my covers. Giving readers a preconceived idea of what a character looks like takes away some of the joy of reading, in my opinion. If I do my job, paint the picture, create my characters so they conjure visions in the readers' heads, how much more fun. And more than likely, from one reader to the next, they could possibly "see" the characters differently.

But as an aid for writing, and for fun, I search out famous or well known individuals to put a face to my character. I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the characters Joyce and I visualize for our Chocolate Martini Sisters cozy mysteries. 

First off the sisters. Joyce writes in the POV of Emma (Em) Banefield. My sister is Nicole (Nic) Earp. We each chose the likeness of our POV sister. Joyce chose Carrie Coon:

Em is actually mid-forties so age Carrie just a little in your imagination.

I chose Laura Linney (also mid-forties) for the likeness of Nic: 
Book 3, Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder will release in April, not March as first planned. We have some real characters in this story. Bettina Mayweather is a bit of a wacko:
Her male counterpart is Bradley Brannigan, known as Bear. He owns Bear Ribs, a less than enticing barbecue ribs dive: 


And we can't forget the self-proclaimed ladies' man Leo Ragazzi. But alas, Leo meets a fate no one would envy:









There are plenty of other outstanding characters in all of the Chocolate Martini Sisters adventures. You can find them all here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQ9T7ZBX

Life's Adventures

 Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

Adventures past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. 

I don't know what daily adventures other authors encounter, but here's a glimpse of this author's trek through daily Life's Adventures using entries from my calendar. After I rise and have a cup of coffee, check email, and take a mile and a half walk with Amigo, I tackle my tasks on my daily calendar. Closing down January:

January 29, 2024

**Create QR codes for promotional handouts

Done. Yay. Now when I do book fairs and someone wants an eBookinstead of print, I can hand them my post card or business card with the linkto find my books using a QR code on their phone. 

**Reevaluate all of Gaughran’s webinars and emails I’ve savedto determine if I want to invest the time in listening and reading them.

I know I need to. David Gaughran is one smart guy when it comesto marketing. I’ve read two of his books. No time today. Push it forward 

** The Amazon Ad Class I took all last week – files are closingtoday if I missed any

Huff and puff, I skimmed through all 6 because, yeah, I didn’tlook at them last week. It is much of what I already know but there were a fewgems I will review in a few days. 

**Pay personal bills

Done and paid and logged into the spreadsheet in my computer. 

**Get set up in Payson with a primary care doctor on my newinsurance.

No time today. I’ll call on anotherday. 

**Call GoDaddy, my domain provider for my website, regarding authenticationof my email and website so my newsletters don’t get bounced.

The writing community is going crazy over this. I have NOidea what it is, but I thought I should pursue it. Hold time was 46 minutes. I just can’t worry about it today. 

**Day One of getting back on weight lifting

Done! 

January 30, 2024

2:30 AM awoke with a pinching pain in my chest. I got back to sleep around 3:30. Up again at 6:00. Only ½ mile
walk. So sleepy. 

** Find out why no reviews on Amazon for Amanda in the Summer

Spent nearly an hour on texting with Amazon to no avail. Ifinally said forget it. I’ll try another day anddisconnected. 

**Make sure Amanda in the Summer is on BookFunnel, BookBub,and GoodReads

BB and GR had it already. I uploaded a copy to BookFunnel soI can give a free copy to my newsletter subscribers in February. 

**Upload the corrected copy of A Legacy of Love and Murder toAmazon

Done. Found a small mistake. This is the free book my newslettersubscribers can have.

** Start revising Amazon Ads

I’m still fuzzy headed from the lack of sleep with the chestpain thing. Push this forward. 

** Read advice from a fellow author on Amazon Ads saved inemail of 11/20/2023

Too fuzzy headed. Push this forward. 

** Call Colorado Credit Union regarding personal online account

Done! 

** Sign up for more BookFunnel promotions

I managed a couple. I need sleep. 

**Edit Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder

Ah, yes. This was relaxing and fun. I put in a couple ofhours. I am so excited to get this third book in the Chocolate Martini SistersMysteries published in April. 

**Remind FDW to call the VA billing department

Done! Suckers are overbilling us for his prescriptions. 

** Defrost the small refrigerator

I couldn’t face it today. Push itoff until tomorrow. 

January 31, 2024

Looking back on pushed forward items: 

The chest pain kind of scared me so I set my butt down and got set up with a primary care doctor in Payson. But I’m fine, you know. Done!  

I dug into defrosting the fridge. We let it go so long ittook me all day…done! 

Still not enough time to delve into Gaughran’s advice. Push it forward yet again.

Found the online chat feature for GoDaddy and spent 45minutes getting my domain authenticated. I guess. It’s all Greek to me.(Update: days later discovered I am still a fail on one aspect. I triedMailChimp and couldn’t get a response. I tried GoDaddy again and had to give upthat day after a half hour since I had an appointment. Still unresolved. Thiskind of stuff gives me a major headache.) 

Searched in KDP and Author Central for who to help me to getmy Amanda in the Summer reviews to show on Amazon. Hit dead ends on both sites.Push it forward yet again. 

I got halfway through revising Candy, Cigarettes, and Murderads on Amazon. I can see this is going to take a while…like weeks. I also need moreknowledge beyond what I learned in the Amazon Ad class. I purchased PublisherRocket. FDW has committed to helping me. Yay! 

** Schedule more BookFunnel promotions

Done! 

** Edit Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder

Aw, yes, again. I’ll be at this for the next week and a half.These hours are truly my enjoyable time. 

February1, 2024

I needed a break after those last 3 days of January. FDW and Iheaded north for lunch and shopping in Pine. Elk
roaming through town, a hippieshop full of fun stuff to walk down memory lane, delicious fudge and coffee,and a lunch in a high-country café. A satisfying adventure.

The Next Book

Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

Adventures past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. 

With an expected release date in March, Joyce and I are heavy on the editing stage for Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder, the third book of the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries. Editing is not nearly as sexy as writing...it's more like slugging through the trenches. Here's the latest from Joyce:
I checked overused words. This is my list: gaze (48) move (57) bring, brought, purse, pull, press, reach, went (43) saw (56) felt, watched, thought (123), noticed, knew, heard (51), decided, and realized. Except for the numbered words, the rest were in the low digits. Did replace/reduce some of the frequently used. BUT was used 312 x. THAT used 274. As I went along, I changed up some that, but ha ha didn't touch the buts. 
Now, the manuscript is back in my court for the next round. No doubt I'll find some words that hit me as overused, but what other stumbling blocks? Maybe...but.
Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder

It’sa rib cook off…with a recipe for murder. 

Nicole Earp and Emma Banefield are celebrating anotherbirthday at the Dulce Inn with the added fun of a rib cook off in the park. Notonly are chocolate martinis in their plans, Nic has her heart set on winningthe cornbread contest. But as the excitement bakes, someone is stirring uptrouble for the inn and its employees. 

Strange occurrences at the Dulce are on the rise. Slashedtires, menacing phone calls, and unsavory characters add a vibe that threatensthe sisters’ anticipated fun-filled stay. When the hot-headed hotel owner iscaught wielding a bloody letter opener over a dead coworker, the sisters are embroiledin a caper to help the one person who finds their sleuthing as welcomed as arattlesnake in her bed. But is she innocent? 

The Chocolate Martini Sisters are primed to find out. First,they’ll have to eliminate a host of suspects that includes a dishonestrestaurant owner, a jilted girlfriend, an ex-wife, the barkeeper, and amasseuse with a crush. If they can stay off the radar of the surly chiefhomicide detective long enough, they can put out the fire…unless the killerburns them first.

You can find all of the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries here: THE CHOCOLATE MARTINI SISTERS COZY MYSTERY BOOKS

Life's Adventures

 Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

That's been my intention, and this year I'll make that happen. Adventures will be past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. I hope you'll join me this year.

When my granddaughter was bullied in school, I worried it would leave permanent impressions on her. There's no way of knowing. She seems perfectly healthy and happy now. But it got me thinking about the things that happen in early life and how long we can hang onto a diss or a compliment.

In fourth grade, a teacher used me as an example of why she always let Betty read aloud to us and no one else. She stuck me in front of the class with the book. After several minutes of my unsteady and erratic recitation, she asked me to sit down. Betty was brought back to finish the story. Could that be why I strove to excel in school? Why I made sure in later to life to be glib and outgoing in front of an audience?

In high school, one of my close male friends told me I was cute above the knees, but from the knees down, I was wasted. I avoided dresses after that and love boots to this day.

In the fifth grade, I decided my nose was too big. I declared I was going to get a nose job when I got old enough. My Uncle Dwain did his best to soothe me. He told me I had a regal Roman nose. But in the eighth grade, when talking to a male friend about high school, I stated when I started dating I'd like to date a letterman. He scoffed. He told me my nose was too big to score a letterman. That stuck with me...not what Uncle Dwain said. A side note: phooey on him--I did date a letterman. Of course I found out he wasn't any more special than other high school boys.

So, where am I going with this rambling? Life's adventures can be moments or momentous. How we treat each other, what we say to someone, can possibly affect them forever...or not. One person may crumble. Another might rebel and grow stronger, sending them on a life adventure. But we can't know which. Be careful.

Strong Women of Fact and Fiction #girlpower

 What's Your Definition of a Strong Woman?

Would you definefemale strength different than male strength? In days gone by, I think we did,but the lines have blurred especially in fiction. Kick-ass women heroines areextremely popular. There are tons of books with female detectives, cops, bodyguards. Girl Power! 

The fact is, even in real life the lines have blurred. Takefor instance, FDW and me. For the firstthirty-seven years of our marriage, my husband always surprised me with a giftor greeting…surprised because I never remembered the date. Now, that’s justbackwards. Women are the sentimental ones, right? Then we moved into a house inRobbinsdale, Minnesota with a new phone number. The phone number ended with 22.At last, something I could relate, make a connection, give me a hint to thedate we were married. FDW is mushier than I am. Nowadays, we can admit suchthings. 

The heroines of my Wild Horse Peaks books have varyingdegrees of physical strength, but, for me, inner strength makes for a morecompelling story: living through the deaths of parents and a husband; standingup to a stalker; facing a Nazi mad-woman; leading a double life to avoid amurderer; surviving abuse. Each woman endures hardships and comes out on theother side with a shining inner strength. Actually, one of them is pretty daring and goes after her stalker with a gun, but she has even more emotional strength. 

So what is your definition of a strong woman? Do you prefer themuscle variety packing a gun? Do the women of the west, enduring hardships andloneliness strike a chord? Do you enjoy reading about heroines whose attitudesays everything about strength? 

Leave me a comment about what defines a strong woman or an example of the actions of a strong woman, and I'll gift you one of the books of the Wild Horse Peaks .

https://us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4804e039587723cfe02e83f2c&id=5e4b22a4ac

Surviving Tragedy by Susan Leigh Furlong

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Please welcome Susan Leigh Furlong to Discover... For Fearless Friday, her post on surviving tragedy shows us there're all kinds of ways to be fearless when dealing with a traumatic event.

All traumatic events, be it sudden onset like a car crash or long-termlike overcoming the death of a loved one, will cause the brain to enter one ofthree modes: Fight, Flight, or Freeze. A survivor has no control over which onethe brain falls into or when it will happen.

In Fight mode all the body’s “super powers” are heightened, taking theform of anger, rage, or the physical strength as in fighting off an attacker.In Flight mode the body wants to flee as in physically running away or mentallyhiding as in withdrawal from normal activities. Freeze mode renders a personalmost unable to function, unable to make decisions, to live in a “fog,”ignoring people and places around them. All of these types of reactions aretypical and normal in the aftermath of a catastrophe.

Our brains stay in these modes until it perceives that it has found“safety,” which can happen fairly quickly or can take years. And each person’ssurvival/recovery takes a different and individual path. (So if anyone tellsyou to “Just get over it!” get that person out of your recovery!)

Recovery or finding peace for your brain, can take many differentavenues. The first is accepting support from friends, family, a therapist, oran established group of people who’ve been through what you have. Sometimes youmay have to reject “help” from people and places that aren’t right for you, andit is your decision, not theirs.

          Join in activities thatyou enjoy or have enjoyed in the past. You may not think it will help, but atleast it is a start. Take up art, drawing, singing, participating in acommunity theater, either on stage or in the background. Join a movement orexercise class. Try aerobics or yoga, maybe swimming or even working out withtapes at home by yourself. Take walks to nowhere in particular, but in a placeyou feel safe.  Walk with a friend whoagrees to not say a word, if that’s what you need. Go to lunch and agree toonly talk about the sunshine or the clouds, depending on the weather!  Is meditation your thing? Give it a try.

          Journalling is anexcellent way to write down your feelings, your anger, or your fear and thenclose the cover and leave all those rotten emotions inside. Put a lock on thejournal if need be. No one else is to look at it. Put it in a lock box and geta trusted friend to promise to destroy the whole box if anything happens.

Make sure if you choose a therapist, you get one who works for you. Ifyou don’t connect in a way that makes you comfortable, get another counselor,and get another after that if you have to. This is your therapy!

          I will say one thingabout medication. Under a doctor’s care and direct supervision, prescribedmedication can relieve the hard work your brain and emotions are doing. Do itcarefully and never on your own!

          Sometimes it will feellike you can’t work at healing yourself another minute longer. Then don’t! Takea break, walk away, read a book, dig in the garden, whatever you need to rest.Sleep may be difficult during this time and for a long time after, but check upon relaxation techniques before bedtime. Some work, some don’t. As in all theabove, find which works for you, but don’t stop trying until you do.

          In case you think I’m talkingthrough my hat, I will tell you that I have experienced severe trauma in mylife, a damaging childhood, losing a child, and losing my belief. Each time myfirst reaction was to flee from the world coupled with raging anger, but Ieventually learned to choose another path because living with the trauma neverworks. I chose one-on-one talk therapy, journalling, and the dramatic arts,performing, singing, and writing. Writing my books comforts me in ways I cannotexplain.

You cannot bury the trauma. You have to actively work it away slowly.Choose any method you want. If one doesn’t bring relief after a few weeks, tryanother. If after a period of time your brain decides to reactivate its fear,flight or freeze, go back to a pattern that worked in the past. Never give up.

You are in charge and you need to choose the path, or several, thatare right for you. The issue is that you take an active role in whatever wayyou pull through.

You will survive! I don’t even know you, but I have faith in you!

(Incidentally, in Forgiven Never Forgotten, my heroine, Joneta, reactsby freezing, going through her life in a fog, while my hero, Rory, fights witheverything he’s got. In 1692 none of the above techniques were known oravailable, but as a writer, I made certain my characters survived together totheir own HEA!) 

Book Blurb -        

Rory Campbell, falsely accusedof participating in the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe killings, is sentenced tohang as a sacrificial lamb while the real agents of the slaughter escape blame.He risks everything to convince the love of his life, Joneta MacDonald, of thetruth. He can never forget how completely she owns his heart.

Joneta MacDonald watcheshelplessly as her family is murdered by the king’s men, but forgiving Rory forhis seeming participation is harder than she imagined. What must she endurebesides the clan’s hatred? With the overwhelming odds against them, she clingsto her love for a man labelled a traitor.         

EXCERPT –

Robert (Rory’s alias) abandoned all thoughts of good manners andpatience as he forced his way through the crowd toward the leather factory atthe end of the street. The livery needed new reins and harnesses, and he wasdetermined to get a good price. Most people cursed him when he gave them ashove as he went by, but it didn’t stop him. The horses and carriages wereanother matter, and he just had to wait until they passed.

He paused outside a dressmaker’s shop to admire several colorful boltsof cloth and three dresses displayed in the window. He wished he had someone tobuy for. He was drawn to a dark blue material with yellow specks scatteredthroughout, thinking it would suit Joneta, but here in Glasgow he knew no onewho would use the cloth, and it would stay that way for the rest of his lonelylife.

Someone, giving him a sharp jolt to his back, knocked him out of hisreverie. His feet tangled, and he only stayed upright by steadying himselfagainst the window of the dress shop, his arms splayed to the sides.

Then he saw it.

Directly across the street, a head of auburn hair moved in the oppositedirection. Sunlight sparkled over the blond streaks throughout the braids.

Joneta!

He’d seen flashes of hair like hers before, and it always gave him ashock in the pit of his stomach. Each time, after he realized it wasn’t her, hefelt sick, lonely, and cursed to never see her again, never to hold her or saythe words that stayed on his heart day and night. Even though he knew each timeit couldn’t be her, he always hoped it might be.

He had started toward the leather shop again when the auburn head ofhair stepped up into the doorway of the ribbon shop across the road to letother people pass her. She faced toward the street now, and he got a good lookat her.

Joneta!

He called her. “Joneta! Joneta!”

She looked the other way, obviously unable to hear him above the din ofthe passing shoppers.

He pushed himself onto the street just as the noisy wheels of ahorse-drawn wagon passed in front of him, blocking his way. He pounded the sideof the wagon in frustration. “Joneta!”

When he got a clear view of her again, she stepped out of the doorwayand moved down the street away from him.

In a fury, he called to her again as he elbowed people out of the way,not caring if they fell into the muddy street. He screamed, “Joneta!”

Her head turned. She scanned the crowd.

He fought harder against the flow of people.

“Joneta!”

This time she caught her name on the wind. She saw him. Their eyes met.“Rory! Rory!”

She stepped into the mass of people on her side of the street, reachingfor him and calling his name over and over. “Rory!” But the crowd moved heraway from him. She grabbed the arm of a nearby man, who shook her off, and shestumbled into a woman with several packages under her arm. The packages fell.Joneta helped her pick them up, but by the time she got steady on her feetagain, he was gone. She had to get to him. She fought harder, but it wasuseless. The people were too many, and she lost him. 

Forgiven Never Forgotten will beofficially released on 12/20/2023 – Until then it can be pre-ordered.

Buy Links

Books are available on my website -Https://SusanLFurlong.com

UNIVERSAL LINKS

Booklinker - https://mybook.to/pCg1 

Books2Read - https://books2read.com/u/mYDKDp

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199723206-forgiven-never-forgotten?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=3G6EzuBBhL&rank=5

Bookbub:https://www.bookbub.com/search?search=Susan+Leigh+Furlong

Susan Leigh Furlong knew shehad a special connection with words since she was a child. When she was 9 yearsold, she wrote and directed her first play for the neighborhood children.

 

Her love for history fuels herresilience against the sneezes and coughs that old books give her as she delvesinto research for unique historical events to inspire her historical fictionromance novels. Susan captures her readers’ imagination with a highlyenthralling style, chronological events, and smoothly flowing narratives thatkeep one’s eyes glued on her novels from the first page to the last. 

Her first three books publishedby The Wild Rose Press center on a family living in the Scottish Highlands inthe sixteenth century. Her most recent novel takes place during the AmericanRevolution, the same family but across the pond.  A fifth book takes the reader back toScotland. She also has two non-fiction books filled with over 200 photographsand tales about her home town. 

When she is not researching andcreating her stories, she writes, directs, and performs with a music and dramagroup.

Social Media Links

Facebook@SusanLFurlong

Twitter@furlongleigh

Instagram@susanleighfurlong

Tiktok@susanleighfurlong

Website – https://www.SusanLFurlong.com 

Email – SusanLeighFurlongwriter@gmail.com

Islands of Inspiration by Patricia McAlexander

Please welcome my guest, Patricia, to Discover... for a Muse Monday of Inspiration.

The “Golden Isle”of the title was inspired by the fourteen barrier islands off the coast ofGeorgia, which are sometimes referred to as “the golden isles.” (Now four ofthem are specifically promoted by the name: St. Simons Island, Sea Island,Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island.) The term originated in the 1700’swith early explorers of the coast who hoped to find glittering treasure inthem. They were disappointed in that respect, but the term remains, perhapsbecause of the color of the island beaches in sun or the stretches of marshgrasses in winter. While my novel is set on an imaginary golden isle, I wasspecifically inspired by a visit to Tybee Island with its sandy beaches, seashells, gorgeous sunrises—and from a boat, a view of dolphins escorting us anda sunset, the sky stained pink and the moon rising. 

 

Thegolden isles are often described as serene and peaceful. The protagonist of mynovel, a victim of a sexual attack still suffering from post-traumatic stresssyndrome, has avoided professional help, but hopes her summer on such an islandwill restore her mental health. In some ways the island goes beyond thoseexpectations, but she also finds dangers there. On the golden isles there areno black, craggy rocks as depicted on the cover of the novel, but I liked thecover, because for me, the rocks symbolize those dangers.

 

BOOK BLURB

Ever since atraumatic experience as a college freshman four years earlier, Clare Matthewshas had an aversion to men. But when she goes to spend the summer on one ofGeorgia's Golden Isles as a companion for her cousin Sally, she finds herselfdrawn to Jon, a handsome young security guard who works on the family estate.When the feeling seems mutual, she hopes she has at last been healed. Thensigns of his possible involvement in a dangerous criminal activity crop up, andClare must make a decision that will affect the rest of her life.

PG EXCERPT

Reachingthe island, she turned on her GPS and keyed in her uncle’s address. Thesystem’s confident female voice guided her over circuitous roads until shereached a wide concrete drive blocked with closed wrought iron gates. The GPStold her, “You have reached your destination.” She didn’t remember those gates.They were like those at the entrances to exclusive communities. Then, seeingthe sign Sanderson Estates, sherealized that this was such a community—the one her uncle had established sinceher last visit.

Shepulled up to the gates and stopped. A tall, well-built, very tan young man in awhite Oxford shirt and jeans—a security guard—came out of a small brickbuilding beside the drive. Clean shaven, with dark curls cropped short andstrong, even features, he reminded her of the statue pictured on the cover ofher high school Latin textbook. She lowered her window, and he looked in ather, examining her with direct gray eyes. He held a clipboard and had a guntucked into his belt.

Herhands grew cold. “I’m Clare Matthews, Sally Sanderson’s cousin. They know I’mcoming.”

Helooked at the clipboard, unsmiling. “You have some identification, Miss?”

BUY LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Golden-Isle-Patricia-McAlexander/dp/1509251995/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-golden-isle-patricia-mcalexander/1144163217?ean=9781509251995  

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-last-golden-isle/id6468095788 

BIO

I grew up in Johnstown, New York, anhistoric town near the Mohawk Valley, where my parents were both public schoolteachers. I earned a BA from the University of New York at Albany, an MA fromColumbia University, and a PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin,Madison—all in English. Now retired from the faculty of the University ofGeorgia, I’ve published three contemporary romantic suspense novels—Stranger in the Storm, Shadows of Doubt, and The Student in Classroom 6, with thisfourth, The Last Golden Isle, to bereleased TODAY, December 11, 2023, the date of this blog post. My short story “Falling,” which came insecond in the Atlanta, Georgia, Writers Club’s 2021 Terry Kay Prize forFiction, was published in the Fall 2022 issue of the online journal Knot (https://www.knotliteraturemagazine.com/patricia-mcalexander ). I live in Athens, Georgia with my husband Hubert, also a retired UGAprofessor.

CONTACT LINKS 

Email: mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com

Website: https://patriciamcalexander.weebly.com 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/patriciamcalexander/

Facebook: facebook.com/patriciamcalexanderwriter/

X (Twitter):  https://twitter.com/PatMcAlexWriter