Kris Bock's Blog, page 44

Pamela S. Thibodeaux on The Visionary – Women’s Fiction with #Paranormal Elements @psthib

Today guest Pamela S. Thibodeaux is discussing her novel:  The Visionary  – Women’s Fiction with Paranormal Elements. Find Pam at a Christian Fiction Lover’s Themed Facebook Party tonight. You can join the party here.

A visionary is someone who sees into the future Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disturbingly prevalent in today’s society. Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives?

Excerpt: 
Taylor thrashed about and fought the fear clamoring in her throat. Panic stole her breath. The monster held her while Trevor grappled with a gun. She struggled and kicked, but the monster held her fast. She had to get away. She had to stop him! She begged and pleaded, but the monster just laughed. His gnarled, horrid sound sent shivers of terror through her soul. A blast of gunshot, a flash of lightning, and the scream tore free from her throat and echoed through the room. The door burst open and strong arms encircled her. Gentle hands stroked and soothed, a soft voice caressed, tender words flowed over her. Taylor buried her face in Alex’s shoulder while he cradled her against his chest and rocked.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured. A pulse hammered against her skin, a tremble shimmered down her spine. She pushed herself closer, found safety and comfort in his embrace. Alex tightened his arms around her, smoothed her hair.
“It’s okay. That’s why I’m here and exactly why I didn’t want to leave you alone tonight.”
Purchase Links:Amazon Hardcover  http://amzn.to/n8as1b  Paperback http://amzn.to/1uROE2oKindle http://amzn.to/1s23QYvPrint @Create Space:   http://bit.ly/1lNvyWD B&N Print:   http://bit.ly/1oGbV6S Nook http://bit.ly/1Qjo3AJSmashwords http://bit.ly/167J9SoDeeper Shopping  http://bit.ly/19lw1Kc

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, ”Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as ”steamier and grittier than the typical Christian nove without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!
Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.comBlog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.comNewsletter: http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletterFace Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxTwitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthibPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdUBookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux

#NewMexico #Adventure - hiking the Gila National Forest

The Gila National Forest includes three wilderness areas for a total of 3.3 million acres. According to the US Forest Service, "The Gila National Forest includes more wilderness than any other national forest in the Southwest. This undeveloped natural country can refresh the human spirit simply by its grandeur, purity, and remoteness." You can find campgrounds as well as plenty of opportunities for backcountry camping. Recently we visited the northwestern part of the Forest, in west central New Mexico, close to the Arizona border. As you can see from these photos, I loved the interesting trees there.





What do you think? Would this landscape inspire you to camp, hike, or at least stop and take a few photos?

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Check out my #MFRWHooks for Whispers in the Dark: #Romance and #Suspense at an Archaeology Dig

Last weekI shared a short excerpt from early in Whispers in the Dark. The excerpt continues here.
I gaped up at the man towering over me. Bare chest, muscular and bronzed. Black hair pulled back from a face full of sharp planes and angles. Dark eyes fierce under scowling brows.
My heart jolted painfully. I’d come face to face with an ancient warrior. He was gorgeous.
And furious.
At me.
***“Don’t you read signs?”
I blinked at the apparition. “Uh....”
He gestured back at the main path. “The signs at every turn saying ‘Stay on the path’? The notice at the entrance telling you to leave artifacts alone? I could have you arrested and fined.”
Oh. I felt color flooding my cheeks. My pounding heart refused to slow yet, and the rush of adrenaline turned my arms and legs to jelly, but I rose steadily enough. I tried to ignore the heat in my face and the queasy feeling of panic in my stomach, which hadn’t yet accepted the message that I wasn’t in danger. “I’m Kylie Hafford,” I said coolly. “The archaeologist. Are you Danesh?”
I saw a satisfying flash of surprise and then guilt. Or maybe I had just imagined it, as his face settled immediately into a neutral mask. “Yes, I’m Danesh.” He hesitated before adding stiffly, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine.”
He must have caught my irony, because he almost smiled—I think. He said, “I’m sorry I startled you. I wasn’t expecting you yet, and....” He shrugged. “I’ve been noticing scuff marks in the ground, off the trail where tourists aren’t supposed to go. I figured someone was poking around, maybe looking for treasure.”
“And you assumed I was your treasure hunter?”

This is a blog hop. Visit all the Book Hooks from #MFRWHooks - You might find your next great read! 

Kris Bock writes romantic suspense novels set in dramatic Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark brings a gothic drama to an archaeology dig at ancient Southwest ruins. In What We Found, a young woman’s life swiftly changes when she finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, an artist heads back to the children’s art camp she once knew well – but danger awaits.
The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a legendary treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives must follow a series of complex clues in a competition to locate a buried treasure. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, reader favorites Camie and Tiger the cat help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. Each book stands alone, with no cliffhangers.
Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

New Mexico Adventure – Socorro #NewMexico

I write novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. On this blog I sometimes talk about books and sometimes post pictures from New Mexico hikes or Southwestern vacations. Today I'm sharing photos from in and around Socorro. Camie and Erin – and the cat Tiger – from my Southwest Treasure Hunters novels live here, or at least in a fictionalized version of this town. I don't think these photos need much explanation, so here they are.




All right, maybe this one needs a little explanation. Socorro has an annual Festival of the Cranes, and this house does a festival of the crayons. The rest of the time, it's pencils.




Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.


In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.
Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Oney: My Escape From Slavery #History Inspires

Today I'm featuring ONEY, MY ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY by Diana Rubino and Piper Huguley
Diana Rubino’s Oney: My Escape From Slavery is a painstakingly re-imagined account of a true and painful story told generations on. At its heart is the paradox of liberty – for an individual, for a race, for a nation. In a modern world where cultures and histories collide, it is a timely reminder of perspectives on ‘slavery’ and ‘freedom’ that we may have become blind to. It is a big, strong, uplifting book with a soul.
Oney’s Story…
Teenaged Oney Judge was Martha Washington’s ‘favorite servant.’ Oney and Martha both longed for freedom, but in very different ways. Martha hated being confined to the president’s house, forced to entertain politicians and foreign diplomats. Oney hated being someone else’s property, forced to do labor and wait on her owners day and night.
After President Washington served one term as president, he wrote his farewell speech. He and Martha started packing for their retirement at Mount Vernon, but it was not meant to be. He was elected again—unanimously. He did not want to serve another term, but gave in under pressure.
Martha had no say in it whatsoever. But as she hosted her tea parties and levees, she became close friends with several forward-thinking women, such as Abigail Adams and Judith Murray, feminists of the time. Their radical ideas rubbed off on Martha—education and job training for women to be self-supporting instead of depending on husbands. By the end of George’s term, she experienced a steep character arc. She even changed her attitude toward slavery. When Oney escaped at age 20, at the end of George’s final term, Martha was very resentful: “She was more like a child to me than a servant.” The Washingtons knew that she’d escaped to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and made several attempts to recapture her. But in a sudden act of lenience, Martha gave up on Oney and let her remain free. During her husband’s presidency, Martha complained, “I am more like a state prisoner”, so perhaps she put herself in Oney’s place and realized she deserved liberty, too.
As our first First Lady, Martha Washington evolved from a  grandmotherly wife and homebody to an outspoken champion of women’s rights. She provided freedom for her slaves at her death.
While living in Portsmouth, Oney married a sailor, Jack Staines, and had three children. She outlived her husband and children, and lived her remaining free life in Greenland, New Hampshire. Somewhat of a local celebrity, she lived in poverty, but the locals supported her and she took in sewing to supplement her meager income. She declared in an 1847 interview, “I am free now and choose to remain so.”
An Excerpt from ONEY, MY ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY
The hour finally came—while they ate dinner.
Nothing heavied my heart—not remorse, not guilt, not sadness upon fleeing my master and mistress. Raw thirst for freedom overcame all that. I walked straight past the Washingtonsand out that door. When I shut it, I left them—and my forced bondage— behind me.
I tore through the muddy streets in pouring rain. Gasping for breath, soaked to the skin, my heart slamming in terror, I glanced behind me, again and again. No one pursued me—yet. I dreaded and expected pounding footsteps, a clap on my shoulder. But, I asked myself, who would chase me through the driving rain? No, it is not possible, I affirmed—they didn’t even know I’d left the kitchen.
At the Jones house I slowed and caught my breath. When Absalom opened the door, I staggered inside, laughing, sobbing, gulping for dear life.
I spent the night pacing the attic room, hands clasped. “I beg of you, dear God, walk beside me on this journey. See me through this safe. Don’t let them capture me. I only want to be your servant, no one else’s.”
As daybreak nudged away the darkness, I fell to my knees, weary with fatigue. “Thank you, dear God, for ending my final night of bondage.”
Serendipity at Work
In May 2014, popular romance author Brenda Novak had her annual auction for diabetes—authors donate books, critiques, etc., and people bid on them, similar to Ebay. I donated one of my other books, and I also donated a free manuscript critique. An author named Piper Huguley won the critique auction, but the auction ended and I never heard from her. I thought oh, well, she doesn't want it after all. About 3 months later, she wrote me and sent me her story, A CHAMPION’S HEART, to critique. It's a romance about an African American girl, set in rural Georgia in the 1910s. Very moving and powerful story. I loved it. It was published in 2016 by Liliaceae Publishers.
getBook.at/AChampionsHeart
I'd been wanting to find an African American author to go over my Oney novel, but never looked for anyone. I thought of asking one of my grade school classmates, but just didn't get to it...well, one day I decided to ask Piper.
Right after I asked her, she wrote back and said she'd be happy to help. Then I went on Facebook and saw that Piper just posted that her mother passed away that morning. So I sent her a message of condolence. Then she wrote this back to me:
And I appreciate your kind comments about my mother. You see, I see your request as "heaven sent" for I think I told you about how my mother told me about Oney. I know that she would want me to work on anything, do anything to forward that story. So, even in the midst of a difficult time, I look forward to helping you--something I really didn't expect after you had helped me so much. Thank you for that.
I don't remember her telling me that her mother told her about Oney. I've heard so many stories about people who pass away, and send 'signs' etc. to their loved ones, this was just too strange to be coincidence. Piper helped me a great deal with Oney’s story and became my co-author. We dedicated the book to her mother.
Purchase ONEY
About Diana and Piper:
Diana writes about folks who shook things up. Her passion for history and travel has taken her to every locale of her stories, set in Medieval and Renaissance England, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial Virginia, New England, and New York. Her urban fantasy romance FAKIN’ IT won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III Society and the Aaron Burr Association. When not writing, she runs CostPro, Inc., an engineering business, with her husband Chris. In her spare time, Diana bicycles, golfs, plays her piano and devours books of any genre. She spends as much time as possible just livin' the dream on her beloved Cape Cod.
Piper Huguley is a two-time Golden Heart ®finalist and is the author of the “Home to Milford College” series. The series follows the building of a college from its founding in 1866. Book #1 in the series, The Preacher’s Promise was named a top ten Historical Romance in Publisher’s Weekly by the esteemed historical romance author, Beverly Jenkins and received Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest Contest of Self-Published e-books in 2015.
Her new series “Born to Win Men” starts with A Champion’s Heart as Book #1. A Champion’s Heart was named by Sarah MacLean of The Washington Postas a best romance novel selection for December 2016.
She blogs about the history behind her novels at http://piperhuguley.com. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son.
Connect with Diana and Piper:
www.dianarubino.comhttps://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor/Twitter: @DianaLRubino
www.piperhuguley.comhttps://www.facebook.com/piper.huguleyTwitter: @PiperHuguley

Check out my #MFRWHooks for Whispers in the Dark: #Romance and #Suspense at an Archaeology Dig

“This book was a delight from start to finish!”
Whispers in the Dark , romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, will appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell. This title stands alone and is not part of a series. It has 4.2 star-average with 55 reviews.
Young archeologist Kylie Hafford heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Her first exploration of the crumbling ruins ends in a confrontation with a gorgeous, angry man who looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past. If only Danesh weren’t so aggravating… and fascinating. Then she literally stumbles across Sean, a charming, playful tourist. His attentions feel safer, until she glimpses secrets he’d rather keep hidden.
The summer heats up as two sexy men pursue her. She finds mysteries – and surprising friendships – among the other campground residents. Could the wide-eyed woman and her silent children be in the kind of danger all too familiar to Kylie?
Mysterious lights, murmuring voices, and equipment gone missing plague her dig. A midnight encounter sends Kylie plummeting into a deep canyon. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive. Everything becomes clear – if she wants to save the man she’s come to love and see the villains brought to justice, she must face her demons and fight.
“This book kept me turning pages until the end. The plot was full of twists and turns, always keeping the reader rooting for the heroine. Excellent read!”
Excerpt
I hurried along the trail until I reached the canyon rim, where I stopped and grinned. The canyon cut across the land in front of me—maybe more of a ravine, really, several miles long but only a quarter-mile across and a few hundred feet deep. The bottom looked shady and cool, while the sun lit up the small ruin to my right. ...
I couldn’t wait to explore further. Of course, regular tourists weren’t allowed to leave the trail, but one of the perks of being an archaeologist was special access. For the next few weeks, this would be my playground.
The next site on the map was just a vandalized rock shelter, and the trail guide complained that people had torn down the walls before it could be excavated. Only part of one wall and a jumble of stones remained. But the guide also mentioned that the site might have yielded storage jars or food remains, had it been left for archaeologists. Since my interest was ancient food, I decided to creep down for a closer look.
I moved carefully, so as not to disturb the loose rocks, and squatted near the biggest pile of rubble. I gently lifted a few broken pieces, putting them back in exactly the same place after I’d examined them. I couldn’t do much with the fragments, but as always, I marveled over touching something from the ancient past.
Hovenweep Castle by Greg Willis
Creative Commons license Tomorrow would be soon enough for scientific method, for testing and hypothesizing. Tonight I only wanted to touch the magic of this ancient world. I closed my eyes and tried to feel some ancient presence, to hear whispers from the past.
The air seemed to tremble with possibilities. If only I believed in magic—
A shout slashed the air. I twisted so fast I tumbled onto my backside.
I gaped up at the man towering over me. Bare chest, muscular and bronzed. Black hair pulled back from a face full of sharp planes and angles. Dark eyes fierce under scowling brows.
My heart jolted painfully. I’d come face to face with an ancient warrior. He was gorgeous.
And furious.
At me.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance featuring outdoor adventures in Southwestern landscapes. E-books are available from $.99 to $3.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. The Southwest Treasure Hunter novels feature feisty heroines and supportive heroes tracking down mysterious treasures in New Mexico and Arizona. Each book stands alone, starting with The Mad Monk’s Treasure. Kris’s other titles include Whispers in the Dark, a gothic drama at an archaeology dig in the Four Corners area, What We Found, a murder mystery set in small-town New Mexico, and Counterfeits, a suspense set near Jemez Springs.


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Amazing #NewMexico skies - sunset in the Southwest

I had to share these pictures of a fantastic New Mexico sunset. These were all taken within a period of about five minutes. My phone camera tends to make things a bit too orange. The third photo, with the paint, is more accurate. Impressive regardless, aren't they!


Kris Bock lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets. Her home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as roadrunners and foxes. 

Kris writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Foundis a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.comor visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Soul of Stone #suspense and #romance by Traci McDonald @tracimcauthor

Welcome guest author Traci McDonald, introducing her latest non-explicit romantic suspense novel, Soul of Stone.
“A whirlwind romance mixed with epic fantasy elements and spine-tingling suspense and mystery." –Micah Persell, Author of the Middle of the Garden series
Danielle Lyndon, owner of a 200-year-old bookstore in Greenville, Alabama, has built a fortress of suspicion around her heart. A tragic fire has taken the lives of her beloved Grandmother and mother, leaving her with nothing but an ancient collection of magical books. Facing what seems like an eternity of loneliness and abandonment, her life is inexorably altered late one night when a runaway teenage girl breaks into her store and Danielle receives a mysterious text message…from her dead mother.
The only person who can help her is Aaron Donnell, a reckless, tormented drifter with haunting silver-blue eyes who is searching for the burglar, his younger sister. Aaron somehow holds the answers to the mysterious texts, but he’s arrogant, dangerous, and is clearly no good for her. The problem is . . . . she’s falling in love with him.
Consumed with Aaron’s mysterious darkness and the prospect of locating the source of the texts, Danielle allows him to unwittingly drag her into an insane, mystical world where human trafficking is the usual, black magic reigns supreme, and inhuman power lasts forever.
Publication Date: April 10, 2018


Excerpt: Chapter 1
“I’m…I…No, don’t shoot.”
Danielle twisted her mouth into a scowl. Her heart hammered against her breast bone as it behaved as if she’d injected the organ with caffeine. “The law gives me the right to do exactly that. Breathe wrong and I’ll blow your brains out.” Her finger trembled against the gun’s cold steel. Embers from the dying fire sparked off the metal form clutched like a life preserver in her fist as they drifted into the flue. With the straight line of the barrel trained on a dark form, she cleared the remnants of sleep from her throat.
The lurking silhouette stumbled backward. She searched for the gun’s hammer but couldn’t find it in the dark. “You want to explain what you’re doing here after closing time?” Spiked with bitter adrenaline, her voice squeaked as she groped at the plaster wall. Fumbling for the edge of the light switch, she coughed, scraping the early morning sleep from her tonsils. “Better yet,” she said, glaring at the figure squatting in front of the locked bookcases, “why don’t you tell me how you managed to get in?”
A pair of dark eyes darted around the towering bookcases as Danielle turned the lights on and snatched her cell phone from beside the cash register. The burglar’s chin shuddered as if the teeth were battling one another for escape from a clenched mouth. One ragged, duct-taped tennis shoe shuffled past the long line of glass-covered doors protecting the priceless collection of rare books. Windows in the rear of the bookstore peeked their empty eyes between the diagonally placed shelves lining the floor between the fireplace and the counter. “I said don’t move.”
The shapeless intruder reached for the locked collection before the partial glow of the smoldering embers illuminated a thin face. Trembling fingers tugged at a threadbare sweater. “I came for a…um…book.”
Danielle’s breath snagged against her throat. It’s a girl. A teenager of all things.
A quick cursory inspection of the collection confirmed the intact condition of the locks and glass barring the bookcases. Fingerprints, the only evidence of intrusion, were smeared across the glass as well as the sculpted hearth and mantel surrounding the fireplace. Her stomach wilted. With her temples throbbing, she clamped her teeth closed. How dare she stand there crying like I done kicked her crippled puppy? I’m the one who’s getting robbed.
The edges of her vision closed in until her skull threatened to collapse beneath an ocean of pressure. Breathe, she mentally insisted. Y’all can’t protect your collection…or your life if all you can manage is a Scarlett O’Hara fainting spell.
Gulping to get her pulse under control, Danielle inspected the girl’s thin clothing. Threadbare jeans and a tattered sweater hung from the teenager’s frame as if she’d crawled in from the cotton fields. One toenail, a glint of flaking polish, peeked from beneath her torn shoe. “That’s an awful pretty pedicure,” Danielle said while curling her upper lip. “Is the polish purple or blue?”
The girl’s eyes brimmed as she shuffled backward. “What happened, sugar? Did your mama force you to spend the day at the spa with her, and now you’re breaking the law so you can get her properly ashamed?”
When the thin teen sniffed before she hardened her expression, alarm bells rang in Danielle’s head. Maybe her mama is dead. I could be picking on this poor girl and she had to come here because she’s got no one.
Danielle shook her long mahogany hair off of her face. If her mama had died, she’d be in the custody of youth services, not hanging out in the dead of winter in rural Alabama looking for books. It doesn’t matter, Danielle thought as she stomped toward the burglar. Her problems are no worse than mine, and I’m not breaking into people’s houses.
She let her focus drift along the same trail the girl had taken to get in, past the rows of diagonally placed bookshelves to a broken windowpane in the far corner. Her glare snapped to the quaking girl. “If you were cold or hungry, sugar, you should’ve come to the front door. I live upstairs. I’d have let you in without you breaking nothing.”
The marble countertop dug into the backs of her thighs. She winced as she stepped onto the faded Chinese rug. “Only someone who wants to steal from this collection breaks in.” The girl’s raw lip trembled in reply. Danielle shook her head. “Are you a collector? You don’t look old enough to care about what’s the most complete private collection of ancient histories, hieroglyphs, and mythologies outside of the rare books room at the Library of Congress.”
Visit Traci’s website or Amazon page.
Follow Traci on Facebook or Twitter - @tracimcauthor

Traci McDonald is a blind author of clean romance novels, including Burning Bridger (Muse It Up, 2015), Killing Casanova (Crimson Romance, 2012) and the forthcoming Soul of Stone. She believes that falling in-love is the greatest risk of all, and her non-explicit romances are about hurting, healing and finding true love. Traci has been blind for 20 years. When she isn’t writing she is an editor for Ink and Quill Press and the co-host for a blogtalk radio show on The World of Ink Network. Traci is an active member of the National Federation of the Blind, on the board of her local writer’s guild, and a speaker for various writing conferences and book fairs. She is a full time wife and mother of three boys, an avid reader, and loves living in a small town on the fringes of Nevada's Mojave Desert.

An #MFRWHooks for Counterfeits: An Art Theft #Romance & #Suspense

Jenny returns to her grandparents’ art camp in a remote New Mexico town after her grandmother’s sudden death. That night she wakes to the noise of intruders. What do the strangers want? As more bizarre events unfold, Jenny realizes the people she thought she knew are not what they seem – least of all Rob, an old friend whose past may be coming back to haunt them all.
“Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners, and Kris Bock used all the things I love about this genre.  Appealing lead characters, careful development of the mysterious danger facing one or both of those characters, a great location that is virtually a character on its own, interesting secondary characters who might or might not be involved or threatened, and many surprises building up to the climax.” 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog
Available on Amazon. Free via KU.Romantic SuspenseHeat level: PGViolence level: PG (fights, no torture or murder)212 pages/65,000 words
I shared the opening of Chapter 1 two weeks ago and the next bit last week. The chapter continues here:
Jenny slipped from the room and down the hall. She paused at the top of the stairs, which were open to the living room on one side. She had to figure out where the intruders were, so she didn’t walk right into their arms. She stood taut, senses straining.
A screech sounded, maybe a chair leg on tile, and then kitchen cabinets clattered open and closed. The kitchen was as far away as they could get from the front door. But were they both – or all, if there were more than two – back there?
What choice did she have? If they kept going through the house, eventually they would find her. She refused to think about what that might mean. She had to get out.
She crept partway down the stairs, sliding one hand along the banister for balance as she craned her neck to search the room below. Nothing moved in the dim living room, but light spilled down the hallway from the kitchen. She thought she heard two voices back there.
Jenny took a breath and held it. She had to go now.
She ran lightly down the stairs. By the time she hit the bottom, she’d reached full speed. The door was slightly ajar. She wrenched at it and hurled herself through. She swung around the door, pulling it nearly shut behind her to hide the sign of her exit. She had one moment to glance toward the back of the house before the door closed. Nothing but the light showed that something was wrong.
Jenny spun around and took one big step away from the house – and slammed into a hard body.
Kris Bock lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets. Her home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as roadrunners and foxes. Her BFA in photography is used mainly to show Facebook friends how lovely the Southwest is.
Kris writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert.
E-books are available from $.99 to $3.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

#Hiking #NewMexico - Bursum Springs, Quebradas, part 2

Spring has definitely come to New Mexico, and although it can get very windy, the weather is often fantastic for hiking. These photos are from the Quebradas, a wilderness area near Socorro, New Mexico. Last week I shared photos from the first part of the hike. This is an area near an old mine where you can find azurite and malachite, plus large chunks of barite crystals.

Here the guys are standing on an outcropping that is primarily barite, a mineral that forms large crystals.
Barite isn't particularly rare or valuable, but it can be quite impressive! This sample is as big as a dinner plate.
A mining shaft leads into the rock.

It doesn't go very far. Either it sloped downward and it got filled in with debris, or they finished collecting the malachite from the seam that ran through here. (Note the two figures crouching at the end of the currently accessible shaft.)

In the detritus from the old mine, you can find small, brilliantly colored samples of azurite (blue) and malachite (green), as well as larger chunks that show the color but aren't pure. 
I've lived in New Mexico for almost 17 years and didn't know the mine was here, even though I've hiked nearby. Just one of the many surprises always waiting when you explore the Southwest! Learn more about the Quebradas Backcountry Byway from the BLM or New Mexico tourism. Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance featuring outdoor adventures in Southwestern landscapes. E-books are available from $.99 to $3.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. The Southwest Treasure Hunter novels feature feisty heroines and supportive heroes tracking down mysterious treasures in New Mexico and Arizona. Each book stands alone, starting with The Mad Monk’s Treasure.  Kris’s other titles include Whispers in the Dark, a gothic drama at an archaeology dig in the Four Corners area, What We Found, a murder mystery set in small-town New Mexico, and Counterfeits, a suspense set near Jemez Springs.