Nancy Lee Badger's Blog, page 35

By the time you read this I should be working hard at the...

By the time you read this I should be working hard at the New Hampshire Highland games that have taken place for 42 years. Side-by-side with my family and good friends (many who I only see once a year) we serve under the Information Tent. We help visitors find the locations of the caber toss, the sheepdog trials, the food courts, the vendor tents, the restrooms, and the lost & found, and we do a lot to make the games run smooth. Thor 'The Mountain' photo by Nancy Lee BadgerWhile Volunteering at these games for years (this will be my 21st time) I got the idea for my Scottish romance novels. How could I watch thousands of kilted hunks, such as Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson, who you might know as 'The Mountain' or 'Sir Gregor' on Game of Thrones , walk by along with bagpipe players and marching bands without dreaming up sinister or sensual plots?



You can find all my books on my blog's book page HERE  
Later, I will tweet and post photos on Facebook. The games run from today (the 15th) until Sunday the 17th.

*I will have several autographed copies of Shimmer: The Beginning as well as my Clan of Dragons novels with me, available for sale. Find me at the Information Tent next to the Parade Grounds. For info on the games click HERE

Always Remember

As a native New Yorker, I will always remember September 11, 2001. I would like to share a favorite quote with my readers: 
  
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." -- Maya Angelou 


Nancy Lee Badger

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...

The Prince's Pea by Caroline Lee

USA Today bestselling author Caroline Lee stopped by to share an interesting book that I found out about and just had to read. I love the cover, the premise, and her books. The Prince’s Pea is the book, released August 23rd. Caroline, please tell us more!
This Pea won’t fit under the mattress…but the truth will!

Micah grew up in the Zapato orphanage, and is proud to take over Abuelo Zapato’s role of providing for the family—the children that have become his siblings—in Everland’s leather goods shop. Since being scarred in one of his brother-in-law’s gunfights, he knows they’re the only family he’ll ever have. And he’s at peace with that…until fate—or the Guild of Godmothers—drops two unexpected females in his path.

When his old childhood friend Penelope—Pea—shows up just in time to save him from a gruesome death, Micah is smitten. And when he sees her cuddling the new baby orphan, he’s in love. 

But Pea isn’t in Everland on a whim; she’s there on a mission regarding Micah’s past, and refuses to tell him the truth. That secret is going to tear them apart, unless they get some help from a particularly dopey Godmother.

And that's when everything goes wrong…
Excerpt:They were going to hang a man.Penelope heard the news as soon as she stepped off the train at the dirty little station in Dilbert, Wyoming. How could she not? It seemed to be all anyone was talking about, and besides, there was a man literally yelling as he told a gathered group of rough-looking men how it had taken him and three buddies to subdue the poor victim.“Poor victim” because he obviously wasn’t whom they thought.According to the story being told—yelled—as Penelope walked about to stretch her legs, a group of miners had recognized Draven and had attacked him. They’d assumed the feared bounty hunter was in town to take down one of them—she wondered why no one else had stopped to question why they’d assumed that, but decided it wasn’t part of her mission, and thus she could ignore it. So they’d waited until the man had ordered his third whiskey at Dilbert’s disgusting-looking saloon, and four of them had jumped him. Then they bashed him over the head.And now they were planning on lynching him. Right now, in fact.Didn’t this town have a sheriff? Penelope tsked in irritation, over the fact she seemed to be the only level-headed person around here.Draven? Brought down in a bar by a rifle butt to the back of his head? Preposterous! Plus, Penelope knew for a fact, as of last week, the man in question was out in Utah, following up on a lucrative bounty out there. There’s no way he could’ve made it to Dilbert this quickly, and no way he would’ve let his guard down long enough to be captured by a lynch mob.A lynch mob who had just finished celebrating at the same sordid saloon, judging from the crowd of men pouring out into the street. And—oh dear—the one in the front was holding a rope already tied into a noose.Well. Penelope sighed. It looked like it was up to her to do something about this. Especially since she had a horrible feeling about who this mob would really be hanging.She flagged down the porter and requested her luggage. “I know this isn’t my destination, sir. I have just discovered I have rather urgent business here, which I assume will take up enough of my time so as to prevent me from being on the train when it departs.”When he continued to complain about having to fetch her luggage, she drew herself up to her not-inconsequential height and gave up on impressing him with her manners. “Get out of my way, then.”All she’d brought on this trip was a large valise and her rifle case, and she could easily fetch that herself. The longer she spent arguing with this man, the more time the mob will have to kill the other man.Sure enough, by the time she’d climbed down once more, holding her two pieces of luggage and scanning the station platform with practiced eyes, almost ten minutes had passed since she’d first heard the news. Dilbert’s main street was almost empty, and the few citizens she did see were hurrying towards the western edge of town.Blast! That’s where the lynch mob would be then.Behind her, the train whistled as it chuffed its way out of town. Penelope straightened her shoulders, hefted her bags, and hurried westward, praying she’d still make it in time.The mob had gathered just outside of Dilbert. Of course, this far in the back, it was hard to call it a mob. Here were the mothers and curious children, the shopkeepers and the prostitutes. Here, at the rear of the crowd, were the people who wanted to know what was going on but didn’t want to be involved. They weren’t the dangerous ones.By lifting herself up on the toes of her very elegant—and increasingly dirty—boots, she was able to see the rest of the crowd, which stretched up to the trunk of a large tree. How unusual, to see a tree so large, this close to town. Perhaps it was a favorite picnic spot…or the local hanging tree.Knowing what she would find when she reached the tree, Penelope began to elbow her way forward, not bothering with niceties. She only prayed she wouldn’t be too late.Oh, thank God. She breathed the silent praise when she reached the front of the group of casual bystanders, and the rear of the angry mob. Because these men in front of her? Definitely angry mob. And—per her prayer to the Almighty—they hadn’t committed their offense yet. For the moment, they seemed content to shake their impromptu weapons and yell insults about Draven, one of the West’s most feared bounty hunters.Under the tree’s largest limb stood a wagon hooked up to a skittish-looking horse, whose eyes rolled fearfully at the sight of so many angry men wielding pitchforks and rifles and rope. There was an unsavory man holding onto its reins, but he looked ready to yank on its head at any moment. And when he did, that wagon would lumber forward, severely inconveniencing the man with the bound hands standing in the rear of it, the noose around his neck also tied to the tree limb above him.The man who, even now, scanned the crowd with those gorgeous so-dark-they-were-almost-black eyes she remembered so well. Did he look confused? Frantic? Scared? It was hard to tell from this distance, but she would know him anywhere.It was Micah. It had to be. He looked too much like that serious little boy from so long ago. She’d spent months searching for him, and it was cruel to find him here, like this.
Buy link:  Amazon 


More About Author Caroline LeeUSA Today bestselling author Caroline Lee has been reading romance for so long that her fourth-grade teacher used to make her cover her books with paper jackets. But it wasn't until she (mostly) grew up that she realized she could WRITE it too. So she did.

Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After in NC with her husband, sons, and brand-new daughter, Princess Wiggles. And while she doesn't so much "suffer" from Pittakionophobia as think all you people who enjoy touching Band-Aids and stickers are the real weirdos, she does adore rodents, and never met a wine she didn't like. Caroline was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006 and is really quite funny in person. Promise. Connect with Caroline Lee here:
FACEBOOK    INSTAGRAM      TWITTER

With Every Heartbeat - Release Day!

A starry-eyed romantic grows up fast when the man of her TV dreams comes to town. Lust, and secret glances, start to heat amid an enraged father and a kidnapped child.
In this contemporary romance, taking place mainly in Manhattan and Long Island (near where I was born and raised), I bring together an Olympic hopeful and an older actor wanting nothing more than to act. 
Book BlurbRebecca Delacourt plans to try out for the US Olympic tennis team and loves being a tennis pro at a Long Island country club. Her mother gave up everything for love, but Becka refuses to take time for love or marriage. Her older sister’s problems add to their family’s discord which escalates after dumping Becka’s nephew with their parents. On the phone, Laney demands more help, the same time their parents show up courtside with the man Becka has secretly loved since he first appeared on television. Becka is swept into Laney and her nephew’s problematic, and ultimately dangerous, lives, pulling Taylor Adams into danger with her.

Taylor Adams left his home and family in New Hampshire, changed his name, and followed his dream to be an actor in Hollywood. Unfortunately, his science fiction television show went into reruns many years ago. Commercials, and appearances at Sci-Fi conventions, are not enough. He has set his eye on a film career. Visiting an old friend on Long Island, a producer who promises to help him achieve his goal, little does he realize the young woman swinging a racquet at their country club has loved him for years. Their subsequent meetings in Baltimore and New York City turn steamy, until her older sister’s dangerous lifestyle interferes. Worse, all Hell will break loose if her father discovers their secret romance.Buy Links
Amazon     Amazon UK    Amazon CAN  
Amazon AUS      Nook    iBooks    Kobo
Coming Soon:Amazon PRINTB&N PrintB-A-M PrintBook Depository Print 

COVER REVEAL - With Every Heartbeat

Have you kept busy this summer?I have! A June trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida with my adult son was an eye-opener. Diagon Alley, Hogsmead, and Hogwarts Castle, oh my!
Nancy & author donna steele at the RWA ConferenceThe annual Romance Writers of America Conference last month was fun and educational. The workshops and speakers have given me the tools to continue my trade...writing books!
On Pre-OrderReleases on September 1, 2017   
A starry-eyed romantic grows up fast when the man of her TV dreams comes to town. Lust, and secret glances, start to heat amid an enraged father and a kidnapped child. 

Amazon    Amazon UK  Amazon CAN   Amazon AUS  Nook     iBooks  NOOK    Kobo 
Coming Soon:Amazon PRINTB&N PrintB-A-M PrintBook Depository Print

Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Barbara White Daille

Today I’m interviewing BARBARA WHITE DAILLE. Her book, The Rancher’s Baby Proposal, is a short contemporary romance and was released on May 1, 2017. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.
Barbara - Ally, the heroine, has been in love with Reagan Chase forever! But their romance needs a few nudges from her best friend’s matchmaking grandpa, the owner of the Hitching Post Hotel. FYI, the books in all my series stand alone as far as the romance wrapping up in each couple’s book.
Nancy- When did you start writing toward publication?
Barbara - I’ve been “writing” since before kindergarten and writing toward publication since grade school, probably, when I handwrote and submitted poetry and short stories to Highlights for Children. (Unfortunately, they never acquired any of my work.)
Nancy- Did you have several manuscripts finished before you sold? If so, did you send them out yourself?
Barbara - Yes, I had several full-length manuscripts written and submitted (and rejected) before I sold. These were romantic suspense, short contemporary romance, and a not-quite-finished cozy mystery. But my first sales were short stories to romance and mystery magazines, including Woman’s World. And yes, I submitted everything myself.
Nancy- Why have you become a published author?
Barbara - You know, this is one question I can’t help answering the same in every interview, because the response comes from the heart. I want to reach readers, and I hope my books give them as much pleasure as other authors’ stories have brought to me.
Nancy- Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?
Barbara - Sure. Write what you love most, because when you sell, your editor will most likely want to see more of the same. Remember, only you can tell your characters’ stories. And don’t ever give up.      Nancy- Please Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
Barbara- I’m giving this topic a theme.  ;) Vehicles I Have Driven:1) Bus 2) Fire engine3) Model T (Note, it was an original, not a replica – but I didn’t drive it until it was an antique!)
Nancy- What’s next for you?
Barbara - My Snowflake Valley series from Entangled Bliss, which began with Snowbound with Mr. Wrong, continues with book two this fall and book three early next year. No firm titles yet, but I’ll be announcing details in my newsletter as I get them!
BOOK BLURB from HER SECRET COWBOY CRUSH
Ally Martinez has always been known as a fun and flirty kind of gal.  But deep down she’s never forgotten the cowboy who left town. When her crush Reagan Chase comes home after a five-year absence, Ally knows this is her big chance. The guy I’ve always wanted. Only Reagan has something different in mind…
Still reeling from his last relationship, Reagan needs a babysitter for his month-old son. With Ally’s help, he can get his family’s ranch ready for sale and get out of Cowboy Creek. The problem? Ally is one seriously cute distraction. But Reagan will do whatever it takes to keep his heart safe. Even if it means losing the only place—and the only woman—he can call home.  >
Excerpt: Just a quick setup for this look at the story: Ally is inexperienced and uncomfortable when it comes to being around kids. This is her first time alone with Reagan’s son:
    As she pulled the car up to the ranch house, Ally peeked into her rearview mirror at the car seat Reagan had left for her at Mrs. Browley’s house. Luckily, she had gotten instructions from Tina on the right way to install the seat in the car and then how to fasten the baby safely inside.    Another mirror suction-cupped to the back window reflected the infant’s image. In the frequent quick peeks she had taken on the drive to the ranch, she hadn’t seen him stir. Now, his eyes were open, blinking in the light, staring up at the mirror.    “Hey, baby,” she said softly. “So, you’re awake. Listen, the two of us are going to get along great. No tricks, no temper tantrums on your part. And only first-class care on mine. I promise you that. After all, I’ve been trained by the best. There’s nothing like learning your trade from a brand-new mama.”    She winced. As far as she knew, the baby didn’t have a mama. Had he ever heard the word before? How would he react at hearing it from her?    But he lay still in his seat, blinking lazily.    She took a deep breath and let it out again. Now or never. She would rather never, but that hadn’t been the agreement she had made with Reagan.    She went to the rear passenger door and knelt on the backseat to unhook the safety harness. “This is only your first time out here at the ranch, isn’t it?” Her hands shook just a tiny bit. So did her voice.    The baby looked up at her. He had slept through the entire ride, as if the bouncing of her car on the frequently uneven road had soothed him. Maybe the wobbly sound of her voice had the same effect. If that was the case, she would let her nerves take over and talk to him all day long.
Nancy- How can my readers buy your book?
Barbara - Readers can go to my author page at the publisher’s website  or to any of the locations in the links below.  The book is available in both print and digital formats.
Buy Links….
AMAZON    BARNES & NOBLE    KOBO
BOOKS-A-MILLION    INDIEBOUND    

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too! Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed "The End" to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade. Now she's writing contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life HERE  
You can find more information about Barbara here:


WEBSITE     BLOG    Twitter 
Facebook    Amazon Author Page 

And My Goodreads Giveaway Winners Are...

Amber A., Salem, IN

Stephanie H., Evarts, KY

Charissa R., Arkansas City, KS

Teri G., Benton, AR

Ricarda F., Springfield, NJ



Congratulations! Your Autographed copy of Shimmer: The Beginning is in the mail!

(Didn't win? I will be giving away several copies next week. Those winners MUST BE ON MY NEWSLETTER LIST! To join, click HERE )

What The Lady Wants by Author Nika Rhone

Author Nika Rhone stopped by to share her latest romantic suspense novel. The book is titled What the Lady Wants (Boulder Bodyguards #1) and was released July 14th. Since I like to pay it forward to other authors, I have invited her to tell you more about it.
BOOK BLURB:   
Thea Fordham has wanted him forever. The years haven’t cooled the heat Brennan Doyle arouses in her, so it’s time for her to make the former Marine open his eyes to everything he’s missing. What will it take to prove she’s not some untouchable porcelain doll, but a red-blooded woman determined to finally get her man?

Doyle’s honor has kept Thea off-limits, but every time he turns around she’s there, wreaking havoc on his senses, making him think about long, sweaty nights and how good she would feel wrapped in his arms. How long could a man be expected to ignore the woman who calls to his every desire?

Doyle holds a secret that could jeopardize not only the first fragile bonds of love, but Thea’s very life. Will he be able to act before it’s too late for them both?

  BOOK EXCERPT:
   Thea scowled, stabbing her fork into her cheesecake as though it were a stand-in for the man in question. “Sometimes I think Charles is marrying Senator Westlake’s connections, and Mellie is just the fully trained political hostess who comes with the deal. Kind of like the toy surprise you get with your burger and fries.”   “You do realize that you’ve just equated your friend’s marriage to a Happy Meal?”   “You know, I’ll be satisfied if ‘happy’ figures into things in any way it can.”   Although he knew Thea’s concern for her friend wasn’t entirely unwarranted, Doyle selfishly didn’t want it to put a damper on the evening, not when he was enjoying himself in Thea’s company for the first time in weeks.   Deliberately, he picked up his fork and helped himself to a large bite of Thea’s cheesecake. It was difficult to swallow without choking on laughter at the look of affronted chagrin that crossed her face at the sneak attack.   “Nope.” He made a show of smacking his lips. “Definitely as good as ever.”   “And why would you think it wasn’t?” Thea watched him lick the fork clean with obvious resentment.   “Well,” Doyle said, eyeing her plate again, “I figured since you were mutilating it rather than inhaling it like you usually do,” he paused a second while she sucked in an indignant breath, trying to ignore the way her breasts heaved upward against the silk of her dress, “that there must have been something wrong with it.”   “Well, you thought wrong, mister.” Wary of the covetous looks Doyle was still throwing at it, Thea moved her plate to where he’d have to lean over her to get at it. “Dessert stealing is a very serious offense, you know.”   Doyle twirled his fork between his fingers, fighting a grin. “Is it, really?”   “Yes.”   “I hadn’t realized that.”   “Ignorance of the dessert laws is not an excuse.”   “Are you going to read me my rights before you haul me in?”   Thea’s lips twitched. “I think maybe we can avoid any hauling, since this is your first offense—this is your first offense, isn’t it?”   With as innocent a look as he could manage, Doyle replied, “Of course.”   “Of course.” Thea’s echo sounded less than believing. A sudden, speculative light lit her eyes. “You will, of course, be expected to make restitution.”   “Resti—” Doyle followed her gaze to his own plate, heaped with one of the most decadent slabs of Black Forest cake this side of the Atlantic. “Oh no. You’re not getting my cake. Sorry. Uh-uh. Go ahead and call the sweets police, babe, because I’ll go down fighting before I surrender any of this.” With good reason. The pastry chef was originally from Germany, and made an authentic Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte worth every overpriced penny Rudolfo paid him.   “Just a bite.”  BUY LINKS:
The Wild Rose Press     Amazon
Barnes & Noble    Google Play
More About the Author:
Nika Rhone spent her childhood wearing out library cards as she read her way through the extraordinary worlds far beyond her small hometown on Long Island, NY. By her teens, her imagination was taking her places all on its own, forcing her to learn how to type (badly) so she could get all the stories down on paper. After a long love affair with science fiction and fantasy, she finally discovered romance, fell head-over-heels, and now spends her days crafting happily-ever-afters for the characters who still tell their stories faster (and better) than she can type them. Connect with her here:
WEBSITE     TWITTER     PINTEREST
Facebook     Facebook Author Page

WIN MY BOOK in the new Goodreads Giveaway

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Goodreads Book Giveaway


Shimmer
by Nancy Lee Badger

Giveaway ends August 13, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter Giveaway

Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Author Kate Hill

Kate Hill stopped by to share her latest book and intimate details of her writing life. Her book, Fangs and Fists 3: Victor is an erotic paranormal romance and was released on July 28th. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book. 
Kate - In the Fangs and Fists series, demons have taken over Earth and rule from towers based in cities all over the world. For entertainment, the demons have captured werewolves and use them to fight in gladiatorial matches. Victor is a gladiator and the Alpha male of his house. Jolanda is a rare wolf witch who comes to the tower under the pretense of joining the demons, but she really plans to free the captive wolves. To do this, she realizes she needs Victor’s help. Though he’s attracted to her, he doesn’t trust her. She needs to convince him that she’s not a traitor to her kind so that they can find a way to escape the tower.
Nancy- When did you start writing toward publication?
Kate - I started when I was about sixteen, though it took ten years before my first story was accepted for publication. It was a short, erotic vampire story.
Nancy- Do you have any rejection stories to share?
Kate - My first published novel, The Darkness Therein, was rejected several times before it finally found a home. One rejection stuck in my mind. This particular publisher rejected it because my heroine, who was a young college student, acted too much like a young college student. That comment still makes me chuckle.
Nancy- Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
Kate - It’s always rewarding when someone tells me they’ve read one of my stories and enjoyed it. Reading a good story makes me happy, and if something I’ve written makes someone else happy, that’s a wonderful feeling.
Nancy- Please share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know. 1) I generally dislike romantic comedy movies.2) I don’t like coffee.3) I get motion sickness.
Nancy- What’s next for you?
Kate- Right now I’m working on Fangs and Fists 4: Haylen.
BOOK BLURB  
Werewolf gladiator Victor vows to escape captivity by demons or die trying--which nearly happens when his latest opponent takes him by surprise.
Jolanda is a member of a secret pack of wolf witches who want to free their kin from the dreaded demon tower. Strengthened by the power of her pack, she defeats Victor in the arena and demands that he be given to her as a mate.
Alone, they surrender to their overwhelming lust for each other, but Jolanda needs him for more than sex. She's been sent to rescue the captive wolves and Victor is the Alpha she needs to help her. Together he and Jolanda plan a mass escape from the tower, hoping to strike a blow the demon masters will never forget.
Nancy- How can my readers buy your book?
Kate - Readers can go to the publisher’s home page HERE   
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Always a fan of romance and the paranormal, Kate Hill started writing over twenty years ago for pleasure. Her first story, a short erotic vampire tale, was accepted for publication in 1996. Since then she has sold over one hundred short stories, novellas and novels. When she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, spending time with her family and pets and running the Compelling Beasts Blog, dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes and paranormal creatures. She also writes under the name Saloni Quinby. Connect with Kate:
WEBSITE 
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