Nancy Lee Badger's Blog, page 39

AJ's Wish by Renée Filippucci-Kotz

I met author Renée Filippucci-Kotz at a meeting of my local writer's group, the   Triangle Association  of Freelancers. When I heard that she had recently published her first book, I wanted to learn more.Take it away, Renée!
I wanted to write books for children since working with foster children in the late 1980’s. In addition, I am a long-time volunteer for the Wake County Animal Center. Cassandra, the inspiration for AJ’s Wish joined my family in 2009.
Book Blurb:AJ loves animals.  She enjoys playing with her grandma’s pets and the pets of her friends, but her greatest wish is to have a pet of her own.  After AJ and her family watch a TV program about homeless animals in shelters, AJ asks her parents for a pet.  When they say no, AJ sets out to prove she is responsible enough to care for an animal.
Note: This bird rescue excerpt from the book actually happened when Ms. Filippucci-Kotz was five years old.
Excerpt:
           AJ loved to visit her grandma’s farm. There were two cats on the farm who would not go near anyone—no one, that is, except AJ. AJ fed them, and they trusted her. They even let her pet them. AJ named one Blackie because he was black and the other Graybe because she was gray. One morning, AJ heard a bird screeching. She ran outside and found a bird between Graybe’s paws. Without thinking, AJ reached down and plucked the bird free.“Naughty kitty!” said AJ as Graybe meowed and ran under a bush. The bird didn’t wait a second and flew away into a nearby tree.
What is next for you, Renée?I plan to write a series of books about Amelia Jae, more commonly known as AJ. Pepper’s Misadventure is soon to be the second book in the series.  More about the Author:
Renée Filippucci-Kotz has loved books since she was a child. Going to the library with her parents and brother was a favorite pastime. Renée has been telling stories to children since she began babysitting around age eleven. AJ's Wish is her first children's chapter book. 
Growing up Renée and her family had a variety of animals including gold fish, dogs, turtles, a cat, and a rabbit. In 2001 she began to volunteer at her local animal shelter, the Wake County Animal Center.  Renée currently produces videos of their pets in foster homes and takes photographs of animals in the Center for their web page.  She also produces videos for various rescue organization to help with their adoption of animals into permanent homes.

Ms. Filippucci-Kotz lives in North Carolina with her husband, Art, two dogs and a cat named Cassie, the inspiration for AJ’s Wish. 
Connect with her here:  Website       Facebook      Twitter
Book Buy Links:www.archwaypublishing.comwww.amazon.comwww.barnsandnoble.com Book Depository    B-A-M

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Betty Bolté and Undying Love

Betty Bolté  agreed to stop by to share interesting details about her book, and her future plans. Please welcome her!
Thanks to Nancy for having me on her blog today! I’ve been writing all my life, making it my profession back in the 1990s with nonfiction writing and technical editing while I learned to tell fictional stories. I write both historical fiction/romance and paranormal romance. 
Book Blurb for Undying Love (Secrets of Roseville, #1)
When architect Meredith Reed inherits her family’s plantation after the devastating loss of her own family, she must choose how to move on with her life. Keep the plantation? Not a good idea. Sell it? Better. Turn it into a memorial park? Better yet. But can she go against her family traditions and the hunky but irate lawyer?
Max Chandler needs two things to complete his life plan: become a senior partner and find his soul mate. He’s due a promotion once his legislation to protect the county’s historic properties is approved. The wife part he finds more challenging, having never met the right woman. If only the talented, attractive, aloof Meredith didn’t want to destroy the very property he cherishes.
While Meredith struggles to reconcile her past and future, will she learn a lesson from the spectral Lady in Blue in time to save both her family and home from destruction?
Excerpt      “What is it you do again?” Max aimed mirrored sunglasses in her direction.     “I’m an architect.” Meredith slid her purse strap more securely onto her shoulder. She snatched the manila folder off the hood of the vehicle, a file Max had handed to her at his office. Inside were copies of the legal papers he’d reviewed with her across his massive mahogany desk. “Why?”     “Your grandmother said you were the perfect heir for this property.” He let his gaze drift away from her to scan the hundreds of acres of fields and trees, across the lake, and on to the various outbuildings surrounding the plantation house.     A circle of trees nearly hid the old gazebo from view, but they couldn’t stop the surge of memories of afternoons spent with her sister playing under its roof. Glimpses of white painted boards and black wrought-iron trim appeared through the dense branches and limbs sprouting with new growth.     Meredith dropped her attention to the folder, severing the thread of the past, and turned a page without reading it. Why did Max care what she did? She slanted a questioning glance his way. “I enjoy designing beautiful yet useful buildings.”     “Listen, I hate to rush this,” Max said, his words clipped, “but I have a client to meet in an hour. Let me show you around.” He indicated for her to lead up the steps.     Bristling at his tone, Meredith pinned him with a stare. “Look, you don’t need to. It’s been a while, true, but I have been here before. I know the layout. We can go.” Then she wouldn’t have to go inside and relive the happy, carefree days of her childhood through the weary eyes of an adult while Max watched.     He shook his head, his dark chocolate hair touched with gray sweeping his collar, watching her. “Things have changed. You may be surprised by what you find inside.” He tapped a hand against one thigh and cocked his head to gaze at her for a long moment. “Either way, you should take stock of what you’ve inherited.”     He didn’t appear much like a lawyer, truth be told. Didn’t lawyers wear prescription glasses and look nerdy? Not that she believed in stereotypes, but all that studying must make their eyes weak. Max was the other end of the spectrum. Perhaps her grandmother had a need for eye candy when she chose him as her estate planner.     He was delicious to contemplate, that’s for sure. Probably a couple inches taller than a cornstalk with a soccer player’s physique, Max could double for a cover model. She appreciated his classic good looks, straight nose, and strong jaw. Dressed in khakis and a deep red polo shirt, he seemed more ready for a round of golf than a client meeting. He represented the unattainable type of man for her. The kind embodying something too smart, too handsome, too much for her taste. Even if she were in the market for a man, which she was not. None of that mattered since she would be staying in the area for a short while. Despite her hard shell of indifference to the opposite sex, she couldn’t help a moment of succumbing to the temptation of drinking her fill of his appearance. But only for an instant. If she let her guard down, her personal destruction would soon follow.
Buy Links:
Amazon     Amazon CA    
Amazon UK     Amazon AU
B&N     iTunes     Kobo
More About the Author  Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal. In addition to her romantic fiction, she’s the author of several nonfiction books and earned a Master’s in English in 2008. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Authors Guild. Connect with Betty Bolte: Website    Blog    Newsletter    Facebook
Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub  Pinterest
Amazon     Author’s Den      Tumblr
Betty’s Novel Ninjas Street Team
Instagram     eBook Discovery     
What is next for you?

Undying Love is a re-release of my first sold novel, and after changing the storyline a bit and refreshing the title and cover is the first book in a new supernatural series I’m publishing featuring ghosts and witches. I envision at least 5 other books in the series. The next book, Haunted Melody, will release in March, with the third book planned to release in early June. I love to share my stories with readers and to hear from them, so please feel free to contact me at betty@bettybolte.com. Happy reading!

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Betty Bolt and Undying Love

Betty Bolte agreed to stop by to share interesting details about her book, and her future plans. Please welcome her!
Thanks to Nancy for having me on her blog today! I’ve been writing all my life, making it my profession back in the 1990s with nonfiction writing and technical editing while I learned to tell fictional stories. I write both historical fiction/romance and paranormal romance. 
Book Blurb for Undying Love (Secrets of Roseville, #1)
When architect Meredith Reed inherits her family’s plantation after the devastating loss of her own family, she must choose how to move on with her life. Keep the plantation? Not a good idea. Sell it? Better. Turn it into a memorial park? Better yet. But can she go against her family traditions and the hunky but irate lawyer?
Max Chandler needs two things to complete his life plan: become a senior partner and find his soul mate. He’s due a promotion once his legislation to protect the county’s historic properties is approved. The wife part he finds more challenging, having never met the right woman. If only the talented, attractive, aloof Meredith didn’t want to destroy the very property he cherishes.
While Meredith struggles to reconcile her past and future, will she learn a lesson from the spectral Lady in Blue in time to save both her family and home from destruction?
Excerpt      “What is it you do again?” Max aimed mirrored sunglasses in her direction.     “I’m an architect.” Meredith slid her purse strap more securely onto her shoulder. She snatched the manila folder off the hood of the vehicle, a file Max had handed to her at his office. Inside were copies of the legal papers he’d reviewed with her across his massive mahogany desk. “Why?”     “Your grandmother said you were the perfect heir for this property.” He let his gaze drift away from her to scan the hundreds of acres of fields and trees, across the lake, and on to the various outbuildings surrounding the plantation house.     A circle of trees nearly hid the old gazebo from view, but they couldn’t stop the surge of memories of afternoons spent with her sister playing under its roof. Glimpses of white painted boards and black wrought-iron trim appeared through the dense branches and limbs sprouting with new growth.     Meredith dropped her attention to the folder, severing the thread of the past, and turned a page without reading it. Why did Max care what she did? She slanted a questioning glance his way. “I enjoy designing beautiful yet useful buildings.”     “Listen, I hate to rush this,” Max said, his words clipped, “but I have a client to meet in an hour. Let me show you around.” He indicated for her to lead up the steps.     Bristling at his tone, Meredith pinned him with a stare. “Look, you don’t need to. It’s been a while, true, but I have been here before. I know the layout. We can go.” Then she wouldn’t have to go inside and relive the happy, carefree days of her childhood through the weary eyes of an adult while Max watched.     He shook his head, his dark chocolate hair touched with gray sweeping his collar, watching her. “Things have changed. You may be surprised by what you find inside.” He tapped a hand against one thigh and cocked his head to gaze at her for a long moment. “Either way, you should take stock of what you’ve inherited.”     He didn’t appear much like a lawyer, truth be told. Didn’t lawyers wear prescription glasses and look nerdy? Not that she believed in stereotypes, but all that studying must make their eyes weak. Max was the other end of the spectrum. Perhaps her grandmother had a need for eye candy when she chose him as her estate planner.     He was delicious to contemplate, that’s for sure. Probably a couple inches taller than a cornstalk with a soccer player’s physique, Max could double for a cover model. She appreciated his classic good looks, straight nose, and strong jaw. Dressed in khakis and a deep red polo shirt, he seemed more ready for a round of golf than a client meeting. He represented the unattainable type of man for her. The kind embodying something too smart, too handsome, too much for her taste. Even if she were in the market for a man, which she was not. None of that mattered since she would be staying in the area for a short while. Despite her hard shell of indifference to the opposite sex, she couldn’t help a moment of succumbing to the temptation of drinking her fill of his appearance. But only for an instant. If she let her guard down, her personal destruction would soon follow.
Buy Links:
Amazon     Amazon CA    
Amazon UK     Amazon AU
B&N     iTunes     Kobo
More About the Author  Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal. In addition to her romantic fiction, she’s the author of several nonfiction books and earned a Master’s in English in 2008. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Authors Guild. Connect with Betty Bolte: Website    Blog    Newsletter    Facebook
Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub  Pinterest
Amazon     Author’s Den      Tumblr
Betty’s Novel Ninjas Street Team
Instagram     eBook Discovery     
What is next for you?

Undying Love is a re-release of my first sold novel, and after changing the storyline a bit and refreshing the title and cover is the first book in a new supernatural series I’m publishing featuring ghosts and witches. I envision at least 5 other books in the series. The next book, Haunted Melody, will release in March, with the third book planned to release in early June. I love to share my stories with readers and to hear from them, so please feel free to contact me at betty@bettybolte.com. Happy reading!

Happy New Year

Many tell me they are happy 2016 has passed and are looking forward to a better 2017. I have decided to do the best I can to make my year better, and three simple words shall lead me down this path...


It kind of reminds me of Yoda. Anyway, I will soon release SMOLDER, Book #3 in my Clan of Dragons series. I am working on a prequel to the series, a novella that will add a bit of magic. 

As the newly elected president of my local RWA chapter, I have embarked on a higher path to help lead others toward their goal to succeed as writers. Wish me luck!

Nancy Lee

Happy Holidays

The house still needs cleaning, and I have to recheck the menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. I need to plan for more guests who will arrive and share New Year's Eve dinner at our North Carolina home. I love to cook, but making easy meals lets me enjoy the holidays with my guests.

Favorite movies we plan to watch include A White Christmas, Scrooged, A Christmas Carol (the original with dear Alastair), Love Actually, and It's a Wonderful Life. Enjoying these cinematic masterpieces with family sets me up for 2017.

Christmas Day is our annual viewing of the newest Doctor Who on the BBC channel. Listening to English accents, while sitting in our southern home, makes me think of ideas for my next book. (Well, I might add in a little Scottish brogue).

When you've filled up on Christmas dinner, and the cookies are gone, relax with a book. Whatever you plan to do this holiday season, I hope you share it with friends, family, and a good book! Need an idea? Check out all my books on my book page HERE

Moe's Christmas by Donna Steele

Donna Steele has written another new book, and I asked her to stop by and share the intimate details of her newest story, Moe’s Christmas.
Thanks, Nancy! Moe’s Christmas is my fourth Christmas novella and a fun one as it continues to follow the family from my book, Before You. Since I come from a family with a ton of cousins, this felt personal and familiar.
Our Christmas will be different this year – we will get to see our family, son, both daughters and our precious grandson and spend time with them, but we’re doing it from a one-bedroom apartment with minimal decorations – my Santa collection will have to remain in storage this year – but next year in our new home we’re going to blow out all the stops!
Book BlurbMoe hasn't taken time to think about his lack of female companionship for a while. When his cousin, Noah, finds the love of his life, it awakens something in him.
Kim is recovering, from being shot at a mall on Black Friday, from a disastrous marriage, from being separated from her sons. And it's Christmas.
When these two people meet, the possibility of life making sense again might make this a great Christmas after all.

Excerpt from Moe’s Christmas    Kim silently chastised herself for the instant retreat. This man had done nothing to frighten her. He was a large man, even bigger than Jerry, but the vibe she got from him was the complete opposite of her ex.   Jerry had used his size to intimidate and bully since his high school football days. Her first impression of Moe was of a large teddy bear though she did feel a strength underneath that he didn't need to flaunt.   "Kim Harris, this is my cousin, Moses Edwards," Noah said by way of introduction.   "Please call me Moe," Moe said quickly, cutting his eyes at Noah.   "Kim teaches at UNCA with me."   "You know him and still agreed to come?" Moe asked and she relaxed slightly at the banter. These men were good friends as well as cousins.   "Is there something you need to tell me?" she countered.   "Do you have a week?" Moe responded as Noah stepped between them.   "Ignore the hulk in the hall. Let me show you your room."   "Dinner is nearly ready," Jocelyn said. "Noah, take her things up to the yellow room. Come on back to the kitchen when you're ready." Jocelyn turned to the rear of the house while Moses, Moe, took her suitcase from Noah and headed up the stairs. She followed at a slight distance as Noah joined his wife. Hopefully Moe hadn’t noticed her retreat. When would she get over this damn skittishness?   Moe looked nothing like the shooter. That little asshole had been short, small with greasy hair and a "little man" complex, needing the gun to show his worth, if she were allowed to diagnose him. Moe's body reminded her more of Jerry, which was worse.   Kim concentrated on the house. Noah spoke of it often and his love of the place shown through, but she'd never seen it before. The place was larger than she’d imagined and obviously well cherished. The Christmas tree in the living room was magnificent and greenery on the stairwell and over the mantle gave off an aroma she hadn't appreciated this year. Moe led her back downstairs and they gazed at the tree in silence. Was he watching her?   Dinner was ready and Kim watched with surprise as the men pitched in to bring it to the table. Moe even poured the tea. Jerry had never done anything in the kitchen, even after the boys were born.   Dinner was relaxing. Kim had met Jocelyn a couple of times at UNCA functions and of course she had worked with Noah for several years. She watched their subtle interaction over the meal and envied it. Their love for one another shone clear. Had she and Jerry ever had that?   She caught Moe watching her a couple of times. He'd grin unabashedly when she did, and Kim found herself returning his grin finally.   "You have questions, don't you?" she finally asked him.   "No. But I do find myself wanting to offer to cut up your food."   She laughed and realized it was the first laugh she'd had since she could remember. This large man was a nice guy. She had no business comparing him to her ex just because of his size.
Buy Links –   
Amazon     Barnes & Noble     AllRomance

More about Donna Steele  She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers.  Connect with Donna Steele:    
Website     Facebook      Twitter      Goodreads      Amazon Author Page     Instagram

A New Release! a Kilted Boxed Set

My newest release, just in time for holiday shopping, is Highland Games Through Time. This boxed set includes three of my time travel romances set in the late 16th century, in and around the Highlands of Scotland, and at a fictitious modern-day Highland games in New England. 




I included:
My Honorable Highlander My Banished Highlander My Reluctant Highlander
As a bonus, I have includedmy award-winning novella Dragon in the Mist

Bought as separate ebooks, these 900+ pages would cost $11.97 


My Introductory Price is only 99 cents (US)
*Send the ebook as a gift with an Amazon Gift Certificate
 Buy Links: Amazon     Amazon CAN     Amazon UK     Amazon Aus

...and don't miss out on this 
multi-author boxed set filled
with more time travel romance
at Amazon

Release Day! a Kilted Boxed Set

My newest release, just in time for holiday shopping, is Highland Games Through Time. This boxed set includes three of my time travel romances set in the late 16th century, in and around the Highlands of Scotland, and at a fictitious modern-day Highland games in New England. 




I included:
My Honorable Highlander My Banished Highlander My Reluctant Highlander
As a bonus, I have includedmy award-winning novella Dragon in the Mist

Bought as separate ebooks, these 900+ pages would cost $11.97 


My Introductory Price is only 99 cents (US)
*Send the ebook as a gift with an Amazon Gift Certificate
 Buy Links: Amazon     Amazon CAN     Amazon UK     Amazon Aus

...and don't miss out on this 
multi-author boxed set filled
with more time travel romance
at Amazon

Kathy Rothenberger says Read With the Lights On!

Kathleen Rothenberger stopped by to share some interesting details about her first book, READ  WITH THE LIGHTS ON. This book is full of true stories she collected and will scare any sane person! 

Excerpt: READ WITH THE LIGHTS ON
From: THE POLICE STATION


    At one point, my husband and I were working together on ghost investigations with a medium from a neighboring town, and he wanted to investigate a haunted police station. The police chief had told this medium that he had been getting complaints from his officers at how creepy it was to work in the building after dark, or overnight. Weird sounds, shadows, flickering lights, and barely audible voices were some of the officers' comments.    The chief was mostly skeptical, himself, but he didn't want a mutiny of his officers, so he invited us down to check it out. The investigation team included 3 mediums, myself included, my husband, and about 5-6 other paranormal investigators, armed with usual ghosthunting tools-meters, audio recorders, video cameras, etc.    We split up into two groups, one going to the jail cells in the back of the building, and one staying in the office area and the evidence lockers/room. Immediately, one male spirit was detected by the evidence lockers (like high school hall lockers) because he was guarding "his stuff", he didn't want it to get stolen.     One of the other investigators got evidence from a mangled bicycle that the owner had died when a car hit him, and he was staying by his bike, waiting for help.    It started getting exciting when the one team at the cells started getting good evidence-photos of light rods, orbs, a spirit of a jailer and a restaurant worker who used to bring food to the prisoners in the 1940s. (Back then, there was a restaurant next door which had a contract to feed the prisoners).    At some point, I wandered away from that group (I wasn't really attached to either group, I was floating between the two, so that each group only had one medium.) I had consistently been drawn to a locked door in the back that had no signage on it. I kept getting the feeling of intense heat, like from a house fire, and stark terror. I wanted to ask the chief, but he was by the cells with everyone else, so I waited.     When the investigation was over, and everyone was discussing their findings, and looking at the evidence, the chief was either verifying them or saying he didn't know. When one of the other mediums asked me, kind of in a challenging way (we don't get along, at all, and she always tries to debunk other mediums) what I had found, if anything, I directed my answer to the chief.     The chief asked me, "I saw you kept going back to that door in the back of the offices, what's so interesting back there?" So,Buy Links: 
Amazon    Amazon UK    Amazon CAN    Amazon Aus     Amazon NL
Amazon Print    Barnes & Noble Print   BookDepository     B-A-M

About the AuthorBorn in NY, as the oldest of three siblings, Kathleen was always the responsible one. She did her homework, helped with her younger sister and brother, and to escape from the responsibilities, she read. Lots and lots of books. She has been reading since age 3, and has always paid attention to how words go together. Her careers have always involved writing somehow, either as scripts for TV shows, commercials or other productions, as president of a video production company that she and her husband owned in Florida, or as an editor and proofreader, which is her current career. Kathleen is a member of the Florida Writers Association and the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors.

Website     Twitter     Facebook      Goodreads     Amazon Author Page     LinkedIn

Cyber Monday Cover Reveal!

After releasing a story in the multi-author Boxed Set When Love Conquers Time , as well as a new series with SPARK and SMOKE , I put together four books in a new Boxed Set that will be released on December 5th. I want to thank author Paul A. Crust for creating a fabulous cover.

Highland Games Through Time includes three of my time travel romances set in the late 16th century, in and around the Highlands of Scotland, and at a fictitious modern-day Highland games in New England:
My Honorable Highlander My Banished Highlander My Reluctant Highlander
As a bonus, I have includedmy award-winning novella Dragon in the Mist.

Bought as separate ebooks, these 800+ pages would cost $12.96 


My Pre-Order price isonly 99 cents (US) Buy Links: Amazon     Amazon CAN     Amazon UK     Amazon Aus


Also consider these ebooks:


Buy HERE

Buy HERE