Sarah Ballance's Blog, page 26
October 10, 2013
#Roadtrip: A Few Photos from our 5,000 Mile Surprise Vacation
A few days ago my husband and I surprised our kids with a cross country road trip (IT WAS AWESOME!) and the nine days just FLEW by. I took about 2,800 pictures. O.o Needless to say, I won’t be putting them all on my blog, LOL, but I plan to give you all the grand tour. Today, I’m offering the highlights, but no worries about missing the good stuff. We’ll take a closer look at each of these spots and on future #roadtrip installments throughout October. 
Captions are under the pictures. Enjoy!
Historic Deadwood, SD
Ohio sunset
Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming (closed, thanks to the federal government shutdown)
Beautiful Wyoming
Mt. Rushmore National Monument, South Dakota
The Chicago Skyline
Wind turbines in Minnesota
Stunning South Dakota
The Badlands of South Dakota
Rim Road, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
The kids and the Badlands
I absolutely love this photo of my husband taken in South Dakota.
A bison grazing in South Dakota
The magnificent snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Wyoming off in the distance.
That’s it for today, but I’ll be back tomorrow with more. Which of these pictures is your favorite? Have you been to any of these places, or would you like to go?
October 9, 2013
Diana Quincy: Can an Arranged Marriage Lead to Love? #Giveaway
Please welcome Diana Quincy, author of TEMPTING BELLA, a historical romance now available from Entangled Scandalous.
Diana Quincy: Can an Arranged Marriage Lead to Love?A 13-year-old girl is forced to marry the heir to a dukedom in order to settle a gaming debt between their fathers. After the ceremony, the bride and groom go their separate ways. Years later, the groom spies an enchanting beauty at the opera and is thrilled to learn she is his wife.
The true love story of Lady Sara Cadogan and Charles Lennox, the Earl of March, who later became the Duke of Richmond, inspired my latest historical romance, Tempting Bella, the second book in my Accidental Peers series.
According to accounts from the time, the marriage was arranged after the first Duke of Richmond lost a round of cards to the first Earl of Cadogan. To settle the 5,000-pound debt, a marriage between Lord March, the duke’s heir, and Lady Sarah Cadogan, the earl’s daughter, was arranged.
The following day, the debt of honor was paid when Lord March was brought from university and young Sarah from the nursery, to stand before a clergyman. When the handsome young groom spotted the plain awkward girl, he is said to have exclaimed in disgust, “You are surely not going to marry me to that dowdy!”
But whether he liked it or not, the marriage did indeed take place. Immediately afterward, the groom jumped into a waiting carriage and, accompanied by his tutor, headed off on his Grand Tour of the continent. The bride, meanwhile, returned to her mother and the nursery.
Years later, when Lord March returned home after his travels, he was known to be “a strikingly handsome, cultured young man” who wasn’t eager to renew his acquaintance with his “ugly duckling” wife.
On his first night back in London, avoiding a much-dreaded reunion with his wife, Lord March attended the opera. In the box opposite, he spied a beautiful woman and asked who she was.
“You must indeed be a stranger to London,” was the answer, “if you do not know the beautiful Lady March, the toast of the town!”
The marriage is said to have been an enormously happy one. The Richmonds were known to kiss, coo and cuddle constantly. On one occasion, an acquaintance of the couple, Horace Walpole, said ”the duke sat by her side all night kissing her hand and gazing at his beautiful daughters.”
It was also a fruitful union. The couple made excellent use of the marriage bed. Sarah got pregnant twenty-eight times and twelve children survived. When the duke died in 1750 at the young age of 49, Sarah was despondent. She died a year later, in 1751, at the age of forty-five.
Those who knew the couple said the duchess died of a broken heart.
While I do re-imagine key parts of the Richmonds’ love story—such as the youthful marriage and the first sighting at the opera—Tempting Bella takes its own course as my hero and heroine struggle along their way toward happily ever after.
I also add my own twist by making Bella a future duchess in her own right, meaning she’ll inherit the dukedom once her father passes.
That little tidbit also came about from my research, when I read about Henrietta Godolphin, the 2nd Duchess of Marlborough. Her father, the first Duke of Marlborough, had two sons but neither lived to adulthood. An act of parliament in 1706 allowed the first duke’s daughters to inherit his English titles. Henrietta became a duchess in her own right after her father’s death in 1722. Sadly, like her father, she outlived both of her sons, so the titles passed to her sister’s son.
Before I was published, I entered a number of contests for unpublished writers and Bella’s early marriage and status as a future duchess in her own right were criticized by some judges as historically inaccurate. Once I let judges know both elements were inspired by true events, Tempting Bella started doing well in contests.
You could say that proves the old cliché about truth being stranger than fiction…or at least as interesting. I guess that’s why three of the four books in this series were inspired by real events. They captured my imagination and I ran with it. I hope you like the result!
Giveaway
Which love story, real or imagined, has inspired you? Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Seducing Charlotte, Book 1, in my Accidental Peers series and a $25 Amazon Gift card. (Rafflecopter here)
Tempting BellaThe Accidental Peers Series: Book Two
Mirabella can hardly remember the man she married as a girl. And it’s just as well. She feels nothing but contempt for the man who married her for her fortune and promptly forgot she existed.
Since then, Bella’s had no use for the company of gentlemen — until temptation appears in the form of an olive-skinned stranger with haunting eyes the color of a turbulent sea.
Sebastian has been apart from his child bride since their wedding day, after a teenaged marriage forced upon him to rescue his family from certain ruin. His attempt to honor his vows to his absent wife have earned him the nickname, “The Saint.”
But when he encounters an enchanting impish beauty at the opera, Sebastian cannot resist learning who she is. He is thrilled to find she is none other than his long-ago bride.
Already resentful of his early abandonment, Bella is suspicious of her husband’s unusual activities —mysterious midnight outings and apparent liaisons with pretty servant girls. Then there is the mounting evidence that Sebastian is not who he claims to be.
Guarding the painful secret of his true identity, Sebastian is entranced by Bella. Delighted by his good fortune, he is eager to make her his wife in truth. But he soon realizes the beguiling lady has no intention of coming meekly to the marriage bed!
Find it @ Amazon
Tempting Bella | Excerpt
Sebastian Stanhope’s first glimpse of his future wife came minutes before they were bound for all eternity.
He’d rushed from university in a haze of disbelief after receiving the urgent summons from his father. His father now sat across from him during the long carriage journey to the bride’s ancestral home, barely acknowledging his son’s presence, his open disdain crowding the closed space.
Sebastian sucked air into his lungs, his unease growing as the coach-and-four closed the distance between him and the stranger with whom he would be forever intertwined. He should be grateful. Being joined to the daughter of a duke was a much better match than he, a mere mister, had a right to expect. And, more importantly, the alliance would save his family from certain financial ruin.
A mammoth baroque edifice rose into view, dwarfing the surrounding landscape, its numerous chimneys, towers, and domes sprawling across a blue, cloudless sky. Sebastian’s stomach loosened, a faint cramp deep in his belly.
The fortress hovered over them as the carriage jerked to a full stop on the circular drive. The heavy front doors gaped open. Sebastian alighted and strode into the clutches of a murky future, barely noticing the stone-faced butler who showed them in. Squaring his shoulders, he walked ahead of his father through the mirrored hall. His black Hessians clicked a protest against the marble floor, the sound echoing high into the endless ceilings before trembling away.
His hand went to his cravat, adjusting it even though it had been perfectly wrought that morning. He always took care with his grooming because his appearance was not extraordinary. He stood only average in height, lacking the towering elegance of his four brothers. He’d always been different from the rest of the family. His powerful build and dark features lacked the gilded radiance of his lithe brothers. And their father.
Find it @ Amazon
About Diana QuincyAlthough I’ve always loved reading and writing, I’m not one of those people who has always known I want to be an author.
I discovered my love of romantic fiction about four years ago, while picking up summer library books for my two boys. I noticed a historical romance by Shirlee Busbee on the end cap and picked it up to browse through while waiting in line to check out our books.
That’s all it took to hook me.
I spent that summer reading every historical romance I could get my hands on.
A few months later, I was motivated to try writing my own story, which resulted in my first manuscript, Compromising Willa.
Now I cannot imagine not writing.
I guess you could say I’m a late bloomer.
I’m now working on my fifth manuscript, which is my first foray into contemporary fiction.
When not bent over my laptop or trying to keep up with the laundry, I enjoy reading, spending time with my family and dream of traveling much more than my current schedule (and budget) allows.
Online, you can find me on Twitter @Diana_Quincy and over at The Dashing Duchesses, where I blog about history and romance with a talented group of authors.
I am a proud member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), Washington Romance Writers (WRWDC) and the New Jersey Romance Writers (NJRWA).
I am fortunate to be represented by Kevan Lyon at the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Learn more @ Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
October 8, 2013
Sarah Ballance: 5 Ways Colonial Puritans Got their Freak On
This first appeared when I visited Christine Warner’s blog in September.
5 Ways Colonial Puritans Got their Freak OnI don’t know about you, but I never considered Puritans to be the naughty type. Maybe it’s the way they tend to frown from those stodgy old sketches that populate text books, or perhaps it’s the reputation earned after they strung up their neighbors willy nilly during the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692-93. Or maybe I just can’t picture them gettin’ busy when they’re glaring at me from a few centuries back. (Y’all, now is NOT the time to google Cotton Mather, mkay?) But YOU GUYS, they totally got their freak on. Here are a few facts that’ll have you wishing you hadn’t clicked that link for ol’ Cotton (you did, didn’t you?), because you so don’t need that visual in your head for this.
The Wooden Plank for Birth Control
Young couples needed their parents’ blessings for courtship. This courtship often involved testing their compatibility by spending the night in the same bed (usually in the same room as the girl’s parents) with a board bundled between them. Interestingly, (and depending somewhat on who you ask) some 20-40% of these young ladies were knocked up before the big day. Now, I don’t know what they were going for with this compatibility test, but apparently the answer was all too frequently a resounding yes.
Covet Thy Neighbor
If a married woman had an affair, it was called adultery and was most often punished with death. Men who strayed to other women, however, were guilty of mere fornication. Their punishment for the very same act that could get a woman killed? A public lashing. People knew this, and still they carried on like fiends. That, my friends, is dedication. (Or a lack thereof, as the case may be.)
Grounds for Divorce
Unsatisfying sex was grounds for divorce. So was a lack of sex. If you were impotent before the days of Viagra, you were screwed. (Or, rather, you were not so much screwed, but I digress.) Lest that seem unfair, women could also be accused of impotence. I’m not sure how that works, exactly, but good for them for thinking outside of the box.
A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On…
Handfasting—something you will see in HER WICKED SIN—was a totally acceptable method of marrying. Basically, you shook on it. Anyone who’s ever dropped a few grand on a wedding can probably really get into this method, but men (sorry, guys, but it was usually the man) quickly figured out how to ruin it for the next few centuries. You saw this coming, right? “I will love you forever,” he says. Next morning, he’s hopping out the door on one leg trying to don his trousers with the other, never to be seen again. (Handfasting apparently worked better with witnesses.)
…But Not on Sundays
Pretty much everything was forbidden on Sundays, including travel, preparation of meals (they did this ahead on Saturday), work (not sure how the ministers got around this), and sex. Probably not the end of the world, but since many of them tended to believe babies were born on the same day of the week they were conceived, this little rule got quite a few good Puritans in a heap of trouble. Oftentimes those poor Sunday-born kids were even denied baptism, as many ministers were vehemently strict on this infraction. The Reverend Israel Loring was one such stalwart … until his wife delivered twins on a Sunday.
Now that you know Puritans aren’t quite as boring as we’ve all been led to believe, I hope you’ll carry some of that newfound interest over to HER WICKED SIN, my new historical romance from Entangled Scandalous. Set during the Salem Witch Trials, the story features a woman with a dark secret, a handsome stranger on a mysterious errand, combustible smexiness, and a couple of dark, delicious plot twists that will keep you out of the woods at night. Intrigued? Read on!
Her Wicked Sin | A Sins of Salem Novel (#1)SALEM, MA 1692
On a moonless night, he rides into the winter forest on his beast as black as midnight….
Dashing stranger, Henry Dunham, comes to Salem on a mysterious errand, but is thrown from his horse in the dead of night and rescued by the local Puritan midwife, Lydia Colson.
Haunted by her past, Lydia is running from her own dark secrets, avoiding intrusive questions by pretending her dead husband is simply…away. But when she and Henry are caught in a compromising situation, one punishable by Puritan law, he saves her from scandal by claiming to be her errant spouse…and claiming her bed.
Forced to fake a marriage, Lydia and Henry find their passion overwhelming and their vows a little too real. As their lies become truths, a witch hunt closes in on Lydia, threatening not only their burgeoning love, but her life.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Title: HER WICKED SIN (Sins of Salem #1)
Author: Sarah Ballance
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: September 9, 2013
ISBN 13: 9781622662494
Available format(s): ebook
Her Wicked Sin | Excerpt
“Willard, you beast.” A round of profanity followed the utterance. Though the stranger’s words were foul, they offered for his equine companion both comfort and reassurance. Their soothing cadence eased the alarm from the horse’s eyes, leading his ears to relax from their pinned state.
Lydia found herself enchanted by the man’s tones and by his obvious affection for the horse.
He shifted in the leaves, still facing away, and he had yet to acknowledge her. She should flee. She had freed him from his quandary, and his voice tinged itself not with pain, but with humor. She would feel no remorse for moving past, yet her feet did not budge.
If she remained silent, would he not know her there? No, eventually he would wonder what held the reins aloft. She watched, waiting for that moment. Through the profound darkness, she noticed his hair was a nutty brown and longer than that of a Puritan man, though its richness showed no trace of the powder worn by many wealthy travelers. He was a study of contrasts, this man. For all of his finery, he seemed to shun the ways of society, and his roguish nature appealed to those innermost desires she had thought long lost. Her husband, as he were, had ruined her womanhood.
This stranger, in the most insignificant ways, had roused it.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Review Snippets
“A thrilling romantic historical that deals with the Salem witch trials in a way that’s never been done before. Amazing!” - NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken (cover quote)
“Sarah Ballance has done an exceptional job with this release. The story is well built, plot flows effortlessly and the language is true to the era. An exciting read, start to finish! Definitely a must read!” – Joe Breedon via Goodreads
“This was wonderfully written and I just feel in love with the characters and the story.” – Crystal via Goodreads
“I loved and adored this book! Historicals are tricky because I often find that the characters use modern language and have modern opinions and feelings. NOT true here. The author has clearly researched the period and uses language that the people of the time would have used.” - Negar Arvanaghi via Goodreads
“This story is a page turner. There was one particular incident I never saw coming when it happened I was like OMG it can’t be. This is a must read for lovers of historical romance.” - Nadene via Goodreads
“This book was so good! … The relationship between the two characters is sensual and has twists that made me gasp. … I would definitely recommend this book and would read it again in a heartbeat.” - Darcus Murray via Goodreads
“I loved “Her Wicked Sin” from the first page. … I fell in love with her writing and characters. Sarah is able to make you feel as if you are a part of her character by her descriptions of their settings and feelings.” – Vicki Lake via Goodreads
October 7, 2013
No, “Ruby Hill” is not PC. Here’s Why. (#Giveaway)
RUBY HILL released September 30 from Entangled Publishing’s Ever After line of supernatural novellas.
If you’re not familiar with my haunted asylum novella, RUBY HILL, let me give you the quick introduction. Ruby Hill is an abandoned lunatic asylum, very much patterned after those which came into vogue in the 1800s and subsequently became synonymous with overcrowding, torture, abuse, and neglect of the residents. These massive institutions exploded onto the American landscape, only to fall out of favor some 100 years later. Most were closed in the mid-1900s when mental health care was deinstitutionalized, but a few held on.
I say that to say this: RUBY HILL is not politically correct. Those of you familiar with the way these institutions worked won’t be at all surprised to learn that, but this will be news to some.
The truth is, institutionalized mental health care came from a good place, but quickly turned into a real-life horror story. There are some ugly references in RUBY HILL, but they’re all legitimate references to the reality of lunatic asylums as they existed in the United States.
My story picks up some thirty years after the Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum closed its doors, but not even decades of abandonment can change the ugliness that existed inside. And while the asylum in my story is fiction, the horrors are very much the truth.
And the truth isn’t always PC.
Click here to learn how to enter to win a $25 gift card and a gorgeous skeleton key necklace. Want to see it? Scroll down the page!
Ruby HillOne reunion. One ghost. One night that will change everything…
From her earliest memories, Ashley Pearce has been drawn to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum, and she’s not the only one. Decades after the abandoned hospital ended its institutional reign of torture and neglect, something lurks in the shadows. Since she’s a paranormal investigator, it’s Ashley’s job to find out what.
Crime scene expert Corbin Malone doesn’t believe in ghosts. A born skeptic, he has no interest in entertaining the hype surrounding the mysterious deaths at Ruby Hill, but he won’t turn his back while more women die. He agrees to an overnight investigation, never expecting his first encounter would be with the woman he pushed away a year ago. But when he discovers Ashley is a target, he learns his greatest fear isn’t living with his own demons, but losing her for good.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Title: RUBY HILL
Author: Sarah Ballance
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: September 30, 2013
ISBN 13: 9781622662258
Available format(s): ebook
Ruby Hill | Excerpt
Visions of the crime scene photos made an unwelcome reappearance in his mind’s eye. Young women—beautiful young women. Death hadn’t changed that. “In both cases, heart stopped. Sudden cardiac arrest. No known cause. No family history. No leads.”
She nodded, unimpressed. But then again, she subscribed to the boogieman camp. “So a ghost did it.”
He expected her to claim victory with that sentiment, but instead her words harbored bitter undertones. The shift threw him off balance. The whole damn place had that effect on him. The air felt as if it bred illness rather than oxygen—darkness gathering like rain clouds, too fat with their wares to find the sky.
He’d choke on the toxicity.
Is that what Cash had done?
Though the air boiled, inexplicable cold sluiced Corbin’s spine. He glanced toward a window. Dusty and broken, it had a morbid effect on the sunshine attempting to filter through from outside, where the world lazed deep orange. The thought of darkness on the other side made him shudder. When he turned to shut the front door, he realized the darkness on the inside was far worse.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Giveaway
Click here to enter to win this gorgeous skeleton key necklace and a $25 gift card.
October 3, 2013
5,000 miles, 9 Days, 6 Kids…Yes, it’s an Epic #Roadtrip
YOU GUYS! Where the heck have I been? I haven’t meant to neglect you all–really I haven’t–but wifi has been sketchy and then a whole row of keys on my laptop stopped working. That lasted until I bought another keyboard (OF COURSE!) and I discovered it when I tried typing my password because I have made that feeble attempt faithfully even after the keys quit on me. So now I have an extra keyboard (a souvenir of sorts from South Dakota, lol) and a fervent prayer the laptop hangs in there until at least November so I can meet my deadlines. (I’m SO excited about these new stories…can’t wait for you all to see them!)
I wanted to post pics each evening but my attempts at uploading have been met with “x hours to go” so, um, no. I can’t sit in one spot for ten hours to upload pics, lol. (I’ve taken THOUSANDS). But when I get home I’m going to use my available blog days to share pics and stories from our travels, which, yes, have been EPIC. And needless to say, they didn’t go as planned. I’ll spill the mishaps when the pics are available, but suffice to say we did not get to go to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons and the gates of Devil’s Tower were blocked. (Thank you, federal government).
The good news is we’re really enjoying our family time together and the kids are getting along really well. I’m still waiting to see what that’s all about, LOL, but in the meantime I’ll enjoy it. I’ll see you here Sunday or Monday for some pics and stories from the road. Have a great week!
If you’ve missed the news, I have two new books available from Entangled Publishing. Her Wicked Sin is a historical romance set during the Salem witch trials, while Ruby Hill is a creepy supernatural romance that takes place in an abandoned lunatic asylum. Go there…if you dare. Muahhahaaaahhhaa!
September 29, 2013
It’s Release Day for Sarah Ballance and “Ruby Hill” (#Giveaway)
RUBY HILL by Sarah Ballance is now available from Entangled Publishing’s Ever After line of supernatural romance! Click here to learn how to enter to win a $25 gift card and a gorgeous skeleton key necklace.
Ruby HillOne reunion. One ghost. One night that will change everything…
From her earliest memories, Ashley Pearce has been drawn to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum, and she’s not the only one. Decades after the abandoned hospital ended its institutional reign of torture and neglect, something lurks in the shadows. Since she’s a paranormal investigator, it’s Ashley’s job to find out what.
Crime scene expert Corbin Malone doesn’t believe in ghosts. A born skeptic, he has no interest in entertaining the hype surrounding the mysterious deaths at Ruby Hill, but he won’t turn his back while more women die. He agrees to an overnight investigation, never expecting his first encounter would be with the woman he pushed away a year ago. But when he discovers Ashley is a target, he learns his greatest fear isn’t living with his own demons, but losing her for good.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Title: RUBY HILL
Author: Sarah Ballance
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: September 30, 2013
ISBN 13: 9781622662258
Available format(s): ebook
Ruby Hill | Excerpt
Visions of the crime scene photos made an unwelcome reappearance in his mind’s eye. Young women—beautiful young women. Death hadn’t changed that. “In both cases, heart stopped. Sudden cardiac arrest. No known cause. No family history. No leads.”
She nodded, unimpressed. But then again, she subscribed to the boogieman camp. “So a ghost did it.”
He expected her to claim victory with that sentiment, but instead her words harbored bitter undertones. The shift threw him off balance. The whole damn place had that effect on him. The air felt as if it bred illness rather than oxygen—darkness gathering like rain clouds, too fat with their wares to find the sky.
He’d choke on the toxicity.
Is that what Cash had done?
Though the air boiled, inexplicable cold sluiced Corbin’s spine. He glanced toward a window. Dusty and broken, it had a morbid effect on the sunshine attempting to filter through from outside, where the world lazed deep orange. The thought of darkness on the other side made him shudder. When he turned to shut the front door, he realized the darkness on the inside was far worse.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
About Sarah BallanceSarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.
She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly supernatural romance. Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found at http://sarahballance.com
Learn more @ Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
September 24, 2013
Gaelen VanDenbergh: Running Against Traffic First Chapter Reveal ($100 #Giveaway)
Join Gaelen VanDenbergh, author of the contemporary women’s fiction novel, Running Against Traffic, as she tours the blogosphere September 2 – Septembe 27, 2013 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!
ABOUT RUNNING AGAINST TRAFFICPaige Scott spent her childhood shuffled between relatives who ignored her, and her adult life hiding in her crumbling marriage to wealthy David Davenport. When David suddenly thrusts her into a remote, impoverished world, Paige is forced to face the betrayals of her past – not to mention the colorful townies of her present. Unexpected friendships and her discovery of running propel her on a jagged and comical journey toward learning how to truly live.
Add to Goodreads:
ABOUT GAELEN VANDENBERGH
I am a writer, runner, reader, compulsive list-maker, mother and zookeeper (it feels like it, anyway). I grew up in Philadelphia, moved around a bit – Maine, Boston, NYC, back to Philly – and I have lived here for the past twelve years. I live with my husband and daughter, a fat cat, several fish, and a one-eyed dog.
http://gaelenvandenbergh.com/home/
First Chapter Reveal
When Paige told me all about it, it was well over a year since the shit had hit her fan, but those solemn brown eyes don’t lie, and she had forgotten nothing. Still, she asked “You do believe me, don’t you Chloe?”
I assured her I did. “That would happen to you, Paige. It should.”
She nodded. “Thank you,” she said. She tucked her dark hair behind her ears and smiled a smile of one peeking around a corner at something enticing. She looked past me, into space. Around the corner. Into the new room.
On a sweltering Saturday in June, David Davenport announced to his wife Paige that he had purchased a vacation home for them in Wells Lake, a town in northern Pennsylvania that Paige had never heard of. Philadelphia had been hit by an early heat wave, but they had left their air-conditioned condo on Rittenhouse Square to sip sauvignon blanc at a wrought iron table outside Café Rouge. The table teetered every time Paige set down her glass, and she was so absorbed by it tilting her way, and then David’s way, and then her way again, as if switching loyalties, that she barely heard what he said about taking her to see the house the following weekend. She wiped cold condensation from her water glass onto her napkin and held the icy glass up to her face, pressing it to each cheek. “What are we talking about?” she murmured, not looking up. She set her glass down and fingered around the table for something to tuck under the table leg.
“…About a four hour drive from here, Tioga County,” David was saying when she finally gave up her search and looked up at him. He was wearing a yellow polo shirt, which was not his color. The collar was neatly pressed, and his Ray Bans rested on top of his full, sandy brown hair that he liked to gel and tousle. Women found him handsome. Over the course of their ten year relationship, Paige had watched them flock and twitter. He was like a colt, Solid, broad in the chest for his height, always tossing his head and chewing the bit. But now she could barely hear him. He was talking into the stifling breeze and looking through her. “We’ll leave around noon on Friday to miss the weekend traffic.”
Paige squinted through her sunglasses. “There’s traffic headed that way?” she asked, words sticking in the thick air around her. “We’ll see. I have to check my calendar. I’m not sure what’s going on next weekend.” She picked through her purse for her phone, mentally thumbing through potential escape plans. She was certain that she could figure out some excuse for not going. If David needed a weekend getaway to go fishing or bushwhacking, or to attend a tractor pull, or whatever one did in places like that, he could go by himself. Or, god forbid, if he felt the two of them needed a romantic pick-me-up or a literal roll in the hay, she was absolutely not going. Not that he had even vaguely attempted a single romantic gesture in ages. Not that she wanted him to. Not that. No.
He stared at her across the table, expressionless, but she felt a sudden cool ripple of trepidation run through her blood. David was never still. He picked up his water glass and took a swig from it, catching an ice cube and chewing it crudely in his whitened teeth. “We’re going,” he said, practically dropping the glass back down, forefinger and thumb splayed in the air for a moment longer. “You have nothing else to do.” Then he smiled, forced and tight. Paige could do nothing but nod in terse agreement. Damn, she thought.
Damn.
The waitress approached their table and inquired if they had looked at the menu but neither of them was hungry. She left them the check for the drinks, which they sat and sipped for a while longer, silent, watching the city stream by.
The journey to Wells Lake was long and tedious. Heavy quiet mixed with carsickness. Paige settled back into the leather seats of David’s Lexus SUV, their weekend bags carelessly packed and tossed in the back. It was only two days, she reminded herself, but why did he have to buy a vacation house there, of all places. Why not a beach house in Brigantine or Margate, even though she loathed the Shore, or simply somewhere that she had seen and agreed to beforehand. She was extremely annoyed with David, and she was not about to put on a cheerful face and make the weekend pleasant for him. He was not inclined to chat either, and so they drove over highways, then through towns steadily dwindling in size and civilization, just your average acrimonious married couple, getting away from it all. The sun shone on her bare legs through the sun roof. She stretched them out and leaned her head against the leather head rest, studying the passing scenery.
The trip stretched on, leading them over highways flanked by stubborn-looking trees and hills, and roads that rolled out through vast farm land of weather-beaten barns and mud-spattered grazing cows. The smell of manure hung in the air. They crossed bridges, and wound through flat towns with tiny churches and diners, towns that seemed to end as quickly as they began. And yet, the great open sky above and the unfamiliar, unwieldy land stretching before and behind them made Paige’s big city home seem like something miniature, encased in a snow globe. It was wild and unsettling.
Welcome to Wells Lake, white lettering on a pine green sign declared, as David pulled into a small gas station on the edge of another miserable little town that appeared at first glance to be all on one road, straight ahead of them. She expected a few blocks up, where she could only glimpse a wall of forest, there was a sign that read “Come again, if you’re sure you want to.”
David filled the tank and Paige walked up to the small shop attached to the service station. She spotted a handful of town brochures on the rack by the register that held newspapers, and a few tabloids. She perused one of the brochures, which was more like a single-sided bookmark. It explained that Wells Lake, named for an original settler, had in the early twentieth century been a trade center for a large surrounding area, and had been the site of several mills, including a saw mill, a flour mill, and a milk-condensing plant. Now, Paige discovered as she read on, the town boasted no such exciting amenities. From what she could see, as she stepped outside and squinted up the main road, it even lacked any sort of quaint village charm. No cobblestones, no flower baskets hanging from old fashioned street lamps, no visible evidence of a bed and breakfast, or antique shops. There appeared to be only two traffic lights on the entire stretch of road, dangling from black wires, one swaying alongside a pair of shoes, tied together and hanging from their laces.
Paige looked back down at the bookmark. The remainder of the story of Wells Lake was summed up in one line, offering nearby fishing, free camp grounds and hiking trails in the nearby wooded park land. There was a small sketch under the blurb of a deer and a few trees, and some random black dots that she assumed represented ticks.
Paige jumped as David honked the horn. She stuffed the brochure into her purse and hurried back to the car.
David steered them off of the main strip. The trees and shrubbery lining the narrow road that he sped along – what the hell was his hurry? - appeared to be a jungle of weeds and bramble. Paige nervously dabbed sunscreen onto her fingertips from a tube and patted it onto her cheeks and nose.
David drove around another bend and crunched up a rutted dirt and pebble driveway leading to a dilapidated house with a sagging front porch and peeling lime-green shutters. The siding looked like it might have been white at one time, but was now the color of dingy mop-water.
“Gee, David, couldn’t you have had it renovated before we came out here?” Paige asked. She leaned her head back wearily. “What were you thinking? This place is clearly unsalvageable. Did you even have it inspected?”
David sprang out of the SUV and slammed his door. Paige sighed and stepped carefully out her side, wary of where she set her shoes down. She shaded her eyes with one hand, taking a longer look at the house. God, it was terrible. She would have to convince David to sell it. She certainly was not coming back for any more weekend getaways here. But who would buy this mess? Finally she turned toward him, and nearly tripped over her bag which was on the ground beside her. David was standing by the front of the car, arms folded across his chest.
“What’s the matter with you? Where’s your suitcase?” Paige snapped with fresh annoyance. “We might as well go in. It’s too hot to stand around out here all day.”
“I’m not staying,” he said. “What? What do you mean?” Paige asked, feeling her heart begin to jump against her rib cage.
“You’re staying. I’m going home. This,” he tossed a set of keys onto her suitcase, “is your home now. There is a bank card in your purse. Your account is with the local branch on Cherry Street. I had the utilities turned on, and I arranged for some supplies to be stocked in. That should get you started. Good luck, and goodbye.”
Paige felt light headed and there was a faint ringing in her ears. She reached for the passenger-side car door handle and grasped it to steady herself. David was already climbing back in on his side. He snapped on his seatbelt and powered down the passenger window. In that instant, she saw a man she barely knew. He seemed to be wearing a mask of himself. “I’ll send you the rest of your clothes and things,” he said. “We’re through. Feel free to see other men.”
“You feel free to see other men, too,” Paige squeaked. But she was drowned out by the revved engine as the Lexus lurched backward, forcing her to yank back her hand. The car bumped down the driveway, jerked into forward and sped around the bend and out of sight.
Driveway dust hung around her in a cloud, suspended in the stagnant summer air as if time had slowed to a near standstill. A couple of bees circled lazily nearby and she could hear the faint buzzing. The sun burned into the top of her head. She blinked up at it like a bewildered bird pushed from its nest. Then she dropped to the hard, dry ground and sat watching the dust shimmering above the road where her husband’s truck had disappeared. The Lexus was gone, but she stared at that empty road for a long time.
Why was this happening? Hadn’t there been happier times? A gray memory or two to make them reconsider the end? She focused on drawing in air and pushing it back out, until she could hear nothing else. The screaming inside her head ceased. Reality buzzed off with the bees, and she suddenly laughed out loud. Of course, this is one of David’s hijinks, she thought, desperately craning her neck and listening for the car, which would surely come roaring back around the bend at any moment. She had learned a long time ago that in a refreshing sort of way, David loved these tricky moves. He possessed a debonair devil-may-care attitude that Paige had both admired and envied, early into their courtship. David loved nothing more than to buck rules and manipulate systems, especially when no one was the wiser. It became clear later that the last thing David wanted to do was change the world or bring down the corrupt. He was just a tricky rich child, and his antics made him feel taller. Paige was an extension of his outward appearance, and they could laugh at the world together in private, but in public he expected her to keep the secret, and dress, speak and act appropriately.
This was a simple role for Paige. She was a seasoned actress in the world. She played her role expertly. For a while.
The stream of thoughts slowed to a trickle and then a drip. It was dusk when Paige began to fade back from her stupor. She was seated cross-legged on the sparse grass of what was now her lawn – oh god, oh god, this is my lawn, it was all rushing at her, images flashing through her mind, scenes and conversations leading up to this point.
Teetering table, David staring her down, long, hot drive, gas station, David driving away. Paige clapped her hands over her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. As her mind sank into bleak quiet, she dropped her hands to her knees and focused on them until she was left with only a slow, pulsing ache in her temples.
Her gaze shifted to the house keys on her suitcase beside her. She would have to go inside. Eerie evening life was stirring around her. A twig snapped in one corner of the yard, as from another corner came the deep croak of what could only be a giant, mutant frog, answered by another in the shadows under the porch. Oh hell, was the house built on a swamp? She hugged her knees. They were gathering. Advancing. The shriek of hundreds of crickets pierced the evening air, and a mosquito the size of a tarantula floated an inch from her face. Heart pounding, Paige swung into action, leaping to her feet and scrambling across the yard and up onto the porch, her suitcase bumping behind her, breaking a few spindles in the porch railing as she pulled it up the steps.
With jangly fingers she reached to jam the key into the lock, and saw with fresh horror that the front door was already slightly ajar. Her fear quickly gave way to adrenaline, and in a fit of maniacal bravado, she raised a kitten-heeled sandal and gave the door a roundhouse kick with all the strength she had. Maybe whatever was inside would be frightened and jump out a back window. The door banged open with such force that the doorknob embedded in the wall inside and stuck there. Paige hurled her suitcase into the front room, wrenched the door free of the wall, and pushed it shut. There was no lock except for the keyhole, and to her deep dismay the key kept turning in it, round and round, catching on nothing.
Gingerly flicking on an uncovered switch in the wall, Paige looked around in the dim light and spotted a chair against the wall. She dragged it over and propped it under the doorknob. She had seen that done in movies. It always worked. Next she had to find and turn on every other light in the house and, canister of Mace in hand, she would check through every room for squatters, human or otherwise.
Paige looked around the archaic living room, furnished only with a threadbare sofa and armchair in lurid pink floral. The room contained no carpet, no coffee table, no high-definition flat-screened television, just a milk crate in front of the sofa that held a small, old-fashioned box TV, attached to a black cable that ran across the floor and into the wall. In the corner was an iron wood stove. The living room spilled into what she could only guess was a dining room, because it was completely bare. Well, that’s a shame, she thought. So much for dinner parties. The wood floors were dinged and scuffed, dotted with small, splintery holes.
Beyond the dining room was a square, eat-in kitchen, the design of which appeared to be circa 1960s, because everyone involved had clearly been on quite the acid trip. The cabinets were a disturbing sunshine yellow, and every cabinet door was hung on a crooked angle. She opened the refrigerator and found bottled water, a can of ground coffee, a carton of milk and a few other food items that David must have had stocked in. How kind of him, she thought, gnashing her teeth. She grabbed one of the bottles of water and turned to face the ugliest kitchen table she had ever seen. It was oval, with four brown chairs surrounding it. Its prior owner had painted it nearly the same vile yellow as the kitchen cabinets, only brighter, making its ugliness even more startling. Its surface was made uneven by dried globs of paint and dips and dents under the paint. The splintered edges had been painted over rather than sanded. Paige shuddered and looked past it to a kitchen door, which mercifully had a key in the lock that worked when she tried it. She peeked behind a dusty gingham ruffle covering the door’s half-moon window but it had grown too dark to see anything outside.
Her adrenaline supply was drained, and she suddenly felt deflated and weak. If there is anything scary in this house, it can have me, she thought. Leaving her suitcase where she had dropped it by the front door, she crept up the creaky stairs off of the living room and skulked through three small bedrooms and a dollhouse-sized bathroom, leaving lights on everywhere she went for some small comfort. The bedrooms were sparsely furnished, two with single beds and one with a queen sized bed, all made up with linens and blankets. Whoever had prepared the house for human occupants had assumed a family was coming.
Paige decided numbly that she would sleep in the room with the largest bed, and in a final flailing safety gesture, she peeked under the bed, and then yanked open the closet door to see what was living inside. The door promptly broke off of its one rusted hinge and banged to the floor. Paige looked down at it for a moment, then walked around it and fell into the bed.
Pump Up Your Book and Gaelen VanDenbergh are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!
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Tuesday, September 3 – Book featured at One Page at a Time
Wednesday, September 4 – Book featured at Margay Leah Justice
Thursday, September 5 – Interviewed at Literal Exposure
Thursday, September 5 – Book featured at Miki’s Hope
Friday, September 6 – Book featured at Icefairy’s Treasure Chest
Monday, September 9 – Book featured at Sweeping Me
Tuesday, September 10 – 1st chapter reveal at Books and Needlepoint
Wednesday, September 11 – Book featured at Soctrates Book Reviews
Thursday, September 12 – Guest blogging at Storeybook Reviews
Friday, September 13 – Interviewed at Review From Here
Friday, September 13 – Book featured at Mom Loves 2 Read
Monday, September 16 – Guest blogging at The Writer’s Life
Monday, September 16 – Book featured at The Self Taught Cook
Tuesday, September 17 – Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz
Tuesday, September 17 – Book featured at Libby’s Library
Wednesday, September 18 – Book featured at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Wednesday, September 18 – 1st chapter reveal at Reader Girls
Thursday, September 19 – Interviewed at I’m Shelf-ish
Thursday, September 19 – Guest blogging and 1st chaper reveal at Ali’s Books
Friday, September 20 – Book featured at Confessions of a Reader
Monday, September 23 – Book reviewed at My Devotional Thoughts
Monday, September 23- Guest blogging at Crystal’s Many Reviews
Tuesday, September 24 – Book featured at Jody’s Book Reviews
Tuesday, September 24 – 1st chapter reveal at Literary Winner
Tuesday, September 24 – Book reviewed at Queen of All She Reads
Wednesday, September 25 – Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, September 25 – Book reviewed at Ramblings of a Book Lunatic
Wednesday, September 25 – 1st chapter reveal at Sarah Ballance
Thursday, September 26 – 1st chapter reveal at moonlightreader
Thursday, September 26 – Book featured at My Cozie Corner
Friday, September 27 – Book reviewed at All Grown Up?
Friday, September 27 – Book reviewed and Guest blogging at Jersey Girl Book Reviews
September 22, 2013
“Her Wicked Sin” Blog Tour Dates ($50 #Giveaway)
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September 23 Spotlight and review
Love Saves the World
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September 23 review
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September 24 Interview
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September 25 Spotlight
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September 26 Spotlight
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September 27 Spotlight and review
Snarky Mom Reads…
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September 27 Spotlight and review
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September 21, 2013
Sept.22.2013 #SnippetSunday: Her Wicked Sin (Entangled Scandalous) #WeWriWa
HER WICKED SIN (Sins of Salem #1) is now available! If you enjoy the following excerpt, click over to Entangled to read much more of this scene.
Her fingertips raked his back, and she marveled at the strength she had not yet seen—at the rise and fall of tightly formed muscle under smooth skin.
“I wish to know you as my wife,” he said in a coarse and desperate whisper.
“Then you shall,” she replied, her words a breathy promise, the consequences of which she would neither consider nor deny.
He released her hair and began to work on her bodice, though he could only grope clumsily at the tiny buttons at a pace much too slow. But when her attention turned from his fumbles to the expanse of his chest, she decided he could tarry the process all he desired, for never had she seen a man so magnificent. Thick, wide shoulders gave way to a powerful chest, which then narrowed into a chiseled stomach as rigid as a washboard. Though she had seen shirtless men in her time, never had such a combination of raw power met with such fine, unmarred skin. Never had she imagined something so hard could be so silken to her touch—or that she would tremble with such anticipation for any man, let alone that one existed who could release her every inhibition in a single day’s time.
Want more? You’ll find the continuation of this scene at Entangled Publishing!
Want the book? Find it @ Entangled | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Review Snippets
“A thrilling romantic historical that deals with the Salem witch trials in a way that’s never been done before. Amazing!” - NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken (cover quote)
“Sarah Ballance has done an exceptional job with this release. The story is well built, plot flows effortlessly and the language is true to the era. An exciting read, start to finish! Definitely a must read!” – Joe Breedon via Goodreads
“This was wonderfully written and I just feel in love with the characters and the story.” – Crystal via Goodreads
“I loved and adored this book! Historicals are tricky because I often find that the characters use modern language and have modern opinions and feelings. NOT true here. The author has clearly researched the period and uses language that the people of the time would have used.” - Negar Arvanaghi via Goodreads
“This story is a page turner. There was one particular incident I never saw coming when it happened I was like OMG it can’t be. This is a must read for lovers of historical romance.” - Nadene via Goodreads
“This book was so good! … The relationship between the two characters is sensual and has twists that made me gasp. … I would definitely recommend this book and would read it again in a heartbeat.” - Darcus Murray via Goodreads
Click here for more awesome snippets from Weekend Writing Warriors!
Her Wicked Sin | blurb
SALEM, MA 1692
On a moonless night, he rides into the winter forest on his beast as black as midnight….
Dashing stranger, Henry Dunham, comes to Salem on a mysterious errand, but is thrown from his horse in the dead of night and rescued by the local Puritan midwife, Lydia Colson.
Haunted by her past, Lydia is running from her own dark secrets, avoiding intrusive questions by pretending her dead husband is simply…away. But when she and Henry are caught in a compromising situation, one punishable by Puritan law, he saves her from scandal by claiming to be her errant spouse…and claiming her bed.
Forced to fake a marriage, Lydia and Henry find their passion overwhelming and their vows a little too real. As their lies become truths, a witch hunt closes in on Lydia, threatening not only their burgeoning love, but her life.
Title: HER WICKED SIN (Sins of Salem #1)
Author: Sarah Ballance
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release: September 9, 2013
ISBN 13: 9781622662494
HER WICKED SIN is available from: Entangled Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo. Click here to add to Goodreads or here for reviews.
September 19, 2013
Claire Baxter: To Read or Not to Read…a Stupid Question? (Flirting with Danger Blog Tour and #Giveaway)
What do you think shapes certain people into readers, and others into non-readers?
I’ve been thinking about this for weeks, ever since I had an odd conversation with people who claimed that they never read fiction, and had zero desire to do so.
I’m not talking about people who can’t read due to learning difficulties or a lack of opportunity, but people who choose not to read fiction.
I tried to imagine my life without reading, and was appalled. I read because it engages me in a way nothing else does, and if you’re here at this blog, it’s a fairly safe bet that you’re an avid reader too.
Then I heard someone say that it takes imagination to be a good reader. Is this the answer? Do non-readers lack imagination?
It’s true that reading takes work. Unlike when we watch television, images don’t enter our minds directly through sight and sound. Written words have to be filtered and interpreted, so a reader participates actively in a novel. The story world doesn’t exist until it’s created by the reader in her own mind. And those images created by a novel are a collaboration between writer and reader, a combination of the experiences of two people.
But it’s not difficult work, it’s enormously enjoyable. At least, it is for me. Why isn’t it enjoyable for everyone? I’m sure it’s not the result of nurturing since I have two adult sons, one of each – an avid reader and a non-reader – and they were both encouraged to read as children. So this has me stumped. Can you imagine a life without reading as a very important part of it?
Flirting with DangerTo be together is dangerous. To stay apart is impossible.
Firefighter Jasmine Mackinnon has always just been one of the guys. So no one’s more shocked than she is to find herself kissing fellow firefighter and all-around sinfully handsome playboy Aaron Parkes after a friend’s wedding. Jasmine knows she can’t risk an emotional connection with a colleague—a potentially dangerous entanglement when fighting fires together—and nothing’s more important to her than her job.
Aaron never noticed how beautiful Jasmine was until he saw her out of her firefighter duds, but there’s something about the fiery woman that tempts him. Though he knows pursuing a real relationship is out of the question for a serial dater like him, when their casual flirtation builds into something more serious, it’s not just their jobs or their safety on the line. It’s their hearts.
Promotional Video: http://youtu.be/Wi8mCLcG-B4
About Claire BaxterClaire Baxter writes contemporary romantic fiction of all lengths. Her short stories have been published in commercial women’s magazines around the world, while her novels have been translated into 20 languages and have been nominated in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year Award, the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards, and the Cataromance Reviewers’ Choice Awards (Winner, Best Harlequin Romance).
Before following her passion to write full-time, Claire was an award-winning corporate communications manager. Earlier, she worked as a translator and a PA.
Claire grew up in Warwickshire, England, but for more than 20 years has called Australia home. She considers herself lucky to live near one of Adelaide’s beautiful metropolitan beaches where she loves to walk and think up stories.
Learn more @ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway
To enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a charm necklace, please click here.
