Linda Nightingale's Blog, page 22
September 25, 2019
Fire Song by Tanya Anne Crosby
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tanya Anne Crosby will be awarding signed copies of the Daughters of Avalon series (3 books)(US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Praised for her beauty and grace, deep down, Seren Pendragon fears a tempest rising inside her. Her mother is a witch, her sisters are in peril, and she has been promised to a beast of a man who’s already murdered one king. When she and her youngest sister seize the opportunity for escape neither realizes how much their struggle will cost, and it will take a terrible tragedy to unleash Seren’s inner fire and true nature.
The Bastard of Warkworth is no stranger to misfortune. Everything he held dear vanished one night in a wisp of smoke and fire, and he has been scarred by his encounters with Seren’s own mother, Morwen Pendragon. Even so, when one of the witch’s daughters finds herself in trouble, Wilhelm must find the champion within and ride to her rescue.
Read an Excerpt
If you have not guessed, my true name is Cerridwen. Creirwy, Morfran and Taliesin are all children of my blood. I took this body, thinking it might serve me, but I chose wrongly. I chose the sister, not the brother. Those two scarcely knew what mysteries they would reveal… but I thank them, nevertheless.
Emrys. Poor Emrys. Would he have lain with his sister had I not inhabited her body? I think not. And Morgan? How did she learn? Well, I suppose… a mother always knows.
Stealing over to the cauldron, I peer inside. Empty at the moment, but there lies residue and I reach down to taste the blend.
I need more coltsfoot, I think. And, of course, blood…
Mentally, I pore over the faces I saw in the tavern … a man and woman traveling together, a trader and a thief. These are my choices, and perhaps I should have them all…
Incidentally, do you how the fae were created?
They were cauldron borne to serve the Sylph.
So, you see… my daughters are gifted with fae blood, but I am born of the essence from which they draw. They are whispers of the wind from which I am formed. They are breeze-kissed whilst I am the storm. They are sparks, I am the flame. They are demigods, like the fae. But I… I am a Goddess, and once the light of this world has been extinguished like the flames of a thousand dying stars, and the hearts of men are stillborn in their cradle of night… here, I shall remain.
Fools.
Kill me?
I’d like to see you try.
About the Author:
Tanya Anne Crosby is the New York Times/USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including works of women’s fiction, suspense, historical romance and fantasy. Known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, she is an award-winning author, and her stories have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews.
Tanya has been featured in magazines, such as People, Romantic Times and Publisher’s Weekly, and her stories have been translated into eight languages. Her first novel (Angel of Fire) was published in 1992 by Avon Books, where she was hailed as “one of Avon’s fastest rising stars.” Her fourth book (Once Upon a Kiss) was chosen to launch the company’s Avon Romantic Treasure imprint. She and her writer husband currently split their time between Charleston, SC, where she was raised, and northern Michigan, where the couple make their home.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyaannecrosby/
Website: https://www.tanyaannecrosby.com/
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Daughters-Avalon-Tanya-Crosby/dp/1947204378
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fire-song-11
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-song-tanya-anne-crosby/1130052932
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September 22, 2019
Only 1 Day until Autumn Kindle Unlimited Book Fair!!
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Bunches of Prizes! Amazon Gift Cards! Books! – Autumn Book Fair from Many Authors
Follow the Fair for more chances to win! See you HERE.
Only 3 Days to Autumn Kindle Unlimited Book Fair!!
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Bunches of Prizes! Amazon Gift Cards! Books! – Autumn Book Fair from Many Authors
Follow the Fair for more chances to win! See you HERE.
September 21, 2019
Mr. Piano Man – WIP
When you have seen as much of life as I have,
you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love.
J.K. Rowling
I am struggling with another Morgan story, which is not like that character at all. Usually when I have writer’s block I turn to Morgan, and he rescues mel]]
this time it just won’t come. I have the story-line, the dark moment, and the conclusion of the WWII part firmly in mind. I know where I’m going with it. The book is told in a frame, meaning it starts in one era (the present), flashes back to WWII for the crux of the story and comes back to the present for the resolution of that plot. Here’s the first few paragraphs (present):
Mr. Piano Man
Pity the beautiful old women all the more for they have lost the most.
[image error]She came into the bar, looking very ill-at-ease and out-of-place. As lost as she might seem, she was a classic beauty, her bone structure sculpted and fine. Her eyes were large, ringed with thick black lashes, and her slender nose straight. The hair in an elegant coil at her nape had once been coal black. Now, pure white streaks wove through the ebony, shining in the lament light. Excusing her way to the only vacant seat at the piano bar, she spoke to no one. She gave me a fleeting look, sat, and strung her handbag over the back of the tall stool. The other patrons of the establishment gave her scant notice. After all, she was old.
But as I watched her, something dim and distant flickered in memory.
I wanted to speak to her but couldn’t stop playing in the midst of a song. Besides, she appeared distant. What had made her cross the threshold of a piano bar on a cobbled side street in Charleston? She glanced at the man to her left, drowning his sorrows in scotch, then at the women to her right, singing the lyrics to “Mr. Piano Man”.
A spotlight pointed to my hands, but no one really paid a blind bit of notice. Tonight, I was Mr. Piano Man. What did the patrons see? A young man with long hair and a pianist’s hands? A man down on his luck, playing a piano to keep body and soul together? I was the former but not the latter. I didn’t need the tips in the fishbowl atop the scarred baby grand. Over the centuries to come, I trusted my estates would serve me as well as they’d done in the past.
Soon, the time would come for me to stage my own death and resurrection again. These things came to try vampires as the years passed but didn’t take their toll. My hair was still thick and blonde; my blue eyes young and bright—too bright if I dropped the Glamour of a normal man. By the calendar’s reckoning, I should be seventy-one years old, but no one in this wayside bar had a clue this ‘lifetime’ began in 1916.
The scent of blood bedeviled me. For nights, I hadn’t fed, and I was starved. Each different fragrance tempted me sorely. My mouth watered, my nerves stretched as tight as the piano strings.
Tonight, my life wasn’t as I’d planned. Certainly, I’d never thought I’d end up playing in a night club near where I was supposed to be—where I wanted to be. In a reckless gamble, I’d perhaps lost a friend and a centuries-old dream. At least the piano was in tune, even if I was not.
My fingers still darted over the keyboard as if I were concentrating on the music. I scanned the faces surrounding the piano, my gaze returning to her. She wore a dark silk suit fashionable twenty years ago, but on her, it was classy. Her body wasn’t the same as it had been forty years ago, but she was slender, sat straight and proud.
““““““`
This part went easily but as I got into it, now in WWII, it became difficult.
September 17, 2019
The Last Amanuensis by Lisabet Sarai
The Last Amanuensis is much less explicit than most of Lisabet’s writing. It’s a dystopic science fiction tale with an ambiguous ending. Very intense, emotionally.
Poetry is like blood – you can’t hold it back.
Blurb
The Emperor has decreed that Reason will rule in his lands. Art and literature are banned in favor of military technology. The fearsome Preceptors prowl the capitol, arresting anyone who dares, even secretly, to engage in forbidden activities.
A former teacher and frustrated writer, Adele is grateful for her job as secretary to the enigmatic Professor. During the day, she transcribes his learned treatises on a vast range of topics. Then he calls her to his room one night, to give her a more difficult and intimate assignment, one that risks both their lives.
[image error]
Excerpt (Erotic)
“Finished, sir.” I don’t need to tell him this, of course. After all the nights we’ve spent together, he can read me at least as clearly as I do him. Indeed, I suspect he knew long before I did who I was and what I was capable of doing.
“Thank you, Adele.” With practiced care, he rolls to his side and favors me with one of his rare smiles. I notice he’s half erect and a wave of heat shimmers through me, tightening my nipples and moistening my sex.
I remember my curiosity that first time. In fact, his penis is one of the only areas that remains undecorated. Pale, pure, it stirs in the sparse nest of gray hair at his groin. Saliva gathers in my mouth. My hunger has only grown over the months that I’ve served as his amanuensis—hunger for his verse-inscribed body, his dazzling intellect, his courageous and sensitive soul.
“I am deeply in debt to you,” he continues, apparently oblivious to my arousal. “Would you do one more thing for me?”
“Gladly.” I don’t demur for an instant. I’ll do whatever he asks.
“In the chifferobe, on the top shelf, you’ll find a wooden box. Bring it here, if you please. Then get the key, which is under the clock on the mantel.”
I don’t know what to expect from the box. Certainly not the pouch of gold coins he removes and drops into my palm. “For your loyalty and dedication,” he tells me. “Use this to escape. Leave the Empire. Find somewhere you can write those stories you dream.”
“But, sir, I don’t want to leave you…” Sudden dizziness seizes me. I slump down on the bed beside him, paralyzed by sorrow and need.
“Tonight’s poem was the last, Adele. As of tomorrow, your services will no longer required.”
“No—please—don’t send me away…” I seize his illuminated thigh, making new marks with my fingernails. Only when I see the pain in his eyes do I release my grip. I know that the bloody crescents I’ve carved are not responsible for his distress. “I need you, sir. I can’t live without you.”
“Nonsense! You’re young, strong, full of life. You have a bright future, if you can manage to get out of this hellish country. As for me, my last days are ticking away. And I have accomplished what I set out to do—with your help, my dear.”
He reaches out to brush my cheek with his fingers—only the second or third time he has ever deliberately touched me—and I dissolve into tears. I fling my arms around his neck, mashing my breasts against his tattooed chest, and flatten him to the bed. He gasps as the mattress presses against tonight’s work, but for once I ignore his pain. In an instant I’m straddling him, fighting to remove my voluminous nightdress and bare my own skin to his gaze.
“Adele…get hold of yourself!” he admonishes in his most professorial tones. Still, he does not resist as I grasp his cock and stroke him to full hardness. I take him into me, swaddling him in my wet heat. His eyes grow wide as I clench around his surprising bulk and ride him as I’ve dreamed of doing for so many months—since that first night, really, when he trusted me with his secrets.
About Lisabet
[image error]From my elementary school years, when I devoured everything I could find by Asimov, Heinlein and Bradbury, I’ve been drawn to speculative fiction. Now that I’m an author myself, I create my own futurescapes. My visions are sometimes bleak —but always illumined by desire.
Links:
Website: http:/www.lisabetsarai.com
Blog: http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LisabetSarai
MeWe: https://mewe.com/profile/5a98233a027c3b6572066abd
Email List: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/lisabetsarai
September 11, 2019
Fragments of French by Wanda St. Hilaire
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Wanda St. Hilaire will be awarding a ribboned beret & Paris coin bag with an E-book of Fragments of French to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (International offer) Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
After a harsh brush with her mortality, shadowed by a premature divorce, Wanda St. Hilaire pledges to be true to her primary passion—living ardently through travel. On the fateful day her life intersects with Jean-François, a charming Frenchman, on a bustling street in Lisbon, every fiber of her being feels as though she has finally entered the doorway to a magical world that she knew existed since she was a young girl.
St. Hilaire turns a complicated romantic ballet full of missteps into a collage of people, places, and cultures. Fragments of French is an exquisitely detailed travelogue of Portugal, Canada, France, and Mexico, filled with minor characters who delight with their humanity. However, what really makes this tale a standout is a gift for pacing and description to rival Tom Wolfe.
The hero’s journey is not only for the characters of our favorite stories or mythical legends. At some point, each of us receives the call to adventure. Fate summons the hero; we can refuse the call, or step into something that will turn our lives upside down, and potentially change everything we know to be true.
From feeling “completely disarmed, no fortress standing”, to embracing her untethered strength, the author turns this account of living life out loud into lessons for us all.
Read an Excerpt
French words from my childhood pop into my head at opportune moments, surprising me. On our family visits, my French grandfather whom, to my seven-year-old eyes, looked like a wizened turtle, walked me to the cheese factory near his home. Hand in hand, we would saunter ever so slowly, and he would mutter foreign words to me. His horrid wife, Step grand-mère—the Wicked Witch of Winnipeg—made the grandchildren speak only French in her presence, and I am oddly grateful to her at this moment.
Jean-François asks if I am concerned about our age difference. To my mind, age is determined by the essence and energy of a person. I have known people who are biologically thirty, yet exude the air of a person many decades older. I know my energy is younger than my thirty-five years, and this is what concerns him, but the eight years between us is as insignificant as dust in the wind.
The castle looms over this ancient section of the city, making the evening more dream-like. The cultural blend and integration of the inhabitants creates an exotic atmosphere. With Brazilian, Latin, and African influences from the former Portuguese colonies, I am moved by the cadence and archaic soul of the music. My body involuntarily sways to each new rhythm, and I close my eyes to breathe in the antiquity of my surroundings.
About the Author:
Her prime passion is the thrill of travel—of experiencing other cultures, traditions, lifestyles, and languages—thus expanding her perspective.
Wanda St. Hilaire has a predilection and passion for all things Latin, and she believes life is too short not to do what you love, where you love. She spends time writing in Mexico for inspiration and to escape the frozen landscapes of Alberta.
Through writing, St. Hilaire shares what she’s learned from the high peaks of adventure and love, to the dark valleys of illness and heartbreak. Her mission is to help people overcome the self, and tap into their wise inner guidance system. Her wish is to inspire others to live true to their unique and beautiful nature.
Website: http://www.fragmentsoffrench.com
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPp3vMOpFFw
Blog: http://www.lifebyheart.wandasthilaire.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandasthilairethewriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spicytraveler
Fragments of French on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fragments-French-Unexpected-Journey-Heart/dp/189433115X/ref=sr_1_1
Companion Poetry Book, Of Love, Life, and Journeys on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Life-Journeys-Companion-Fragments/dp/1894331176/ref=sr_1_3 (Inspired during the story of my travel memoir, this collection of poems and verse was first published in 2004 and became a Canadian bestseller for poetry. This second edition was created as a companion book to Fragments of French.)
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September 8, 2019
Bedeviled by Madison Michael
Bedeviled
The Beguiling Bachelors, Book 3
By Madison Michael
~ Free September 7th – September 10th Only ~ About Bedeviled:
If You Build Your Love on Lies, You Better Run Faster than the Truth
Newly appointed Finance Director, Charlotte Roche escaped dangers lurking in Boston by moving to Chicago. A new name, a new beginning – all built on lies. Believing she is safe, Charlotte drops her guard and sets her sights on her ruggedly handsome and wildly sexy running partner, Alexander Gaines. Can she advance their relationship from the track to the bedroom and still maintain her charade? or will Alex’s probing questions pierce her carefully rehearsed story?
Alex, with unrevealed secrets of his own, struggles to hold the irresistible Charlotte at arm’s length. But when Charlotte sustains a suspicious injury, Alex seizes the opportunity to cuddle up to the sassy beauty. Does he dare risk his reputation, his fortune, his friends, and his heart by letting her get close?
How can they build a bond with deceit on both sides? With exposure imminent, their freshly forged relationship is in jeopardy and so are their lives. Can their love survive or are they bedeviled?
Join Alex and Charlotte, in this steamy romance, the third in the five-star rated Beguiling Bachelor series. The suspense builds as the characters you’ve met and loved in “Bedazzled” and “Beholden” help tackle the maze of half-truths and cover-ups threatening the lovers.
ASIN: B06WLQL2FT
Genre: Steamy Romantic Suspense
Amazon Buy Link: https://amzn.to/321d24H
Excerpt from Bedeviled:
Keeping his mind on the topic always took all of Alex’s effort anyway. When Charlotte sat hip-to-hip with him as she had today, he felt the heat of her skin, saw the long length of thigh exposed in front of him, heard her heavy post-run breathing until he was in sensory overload. She smelled so good, not stinky and sweaty like he must. She smelled classy and expensive with all those clean, floral scents. She smelled like a woman he could trust.
More like a woman I want to trust.
Thinking back, Alex recognized that she had been hiding something all along. When he wasn’t lost in a sensual fog, he was able to zero in on where the conversations lagged, when she got testy with his probing or tried to change the subject. It had something to do with her life in Boston before she moved to Chicago and it was something that had been going on for a while. She was practiced at her excuses by the time she used them on him. She was making too many trips back East for ‘Harvard stuff.’ She had met Regan Howe through this same ‘Harvard stuff’ yet Regan went back to her alma mater only once or twice a year, if that.
Oh yeah, Charlotte is definitely up to something and I intend to find out what. I have been patient long enough.
Sitting waiting now for Charlotte to arrive at Starbucks, Alex promised himself that he would get to the bottom of this or walk away.
Since she had declined his offer of a ride, Alex currently sat at a shady outside table enjoying the last of summer, waiting for her to walk over and speculating on her possible secrets. He was planning his subtle interrogation during the few minutes Charlotte would need to make her way across the park,
Stubborn. She should have just accepted the ride.
You driving over or walking?” she had asked him, once they caught their breath.
“I have the car if you want a ride?” When she hesitated, he tried tempting her. “I have the new car.”
Alex was the proud owner of a brand new Mercedes AMG. The sleek, luxury sports car suited him despite most people’s image of him as logical, conservative and staid. The need for speed was actually deep in his blood. “You will love it, tight on the curves, fast and quiet. She purrs,” he had bragged.
Charlotte hesitated on his last remark and Alex had been sure she would accept. “The new car, huh?” she sounded intrigued. “I am excited to see it at last, Alex. You have certainly been talking about it long enough.”
“I need to walk off this tight hamstring, so I’ll have to pass this time,” she had replied reluctantly. “Meet you there in five.” Of course, Charlotte had been Charlotte, and that included being unpredictable.
Charlotte, leaving Alex standing there, had taken off across the park without a backward glance. Alex stood dumbfounded a moment, watching her slow jog-walk toward the trail across the grassy lawns of Lincoln Park. She was heading directly toward their usual post-run Starbucks and if he didn’t get moving, she would be there first.
Still he stood, willing her to look back and flash him that smile that changed her whole face. She didn’t, of course, and Alex was left standing there, admiring her lithe figure and the smooth bunch and release of her muscles in those tiny running shorts as she moved into the distance. Reminding himself to close his gaping mouth, Alex jogged to the parking lot, trading an extra moment of admiring a beautiful woman for a few short moments admiring his beautiful new car.
Arriving at the coffee shop several minutes before Charlotte, Alex was forced to cool his heels. He spent the time piecing together anything he could think of to uncover Charlotte’s deep, dark, secret. Admittedly, he needed the ten-minute head start away from her to give his overheated blood a little cooling time too. He kept envisioning the two of them in that sweet ride, sitting close with their sweat-slicked bodies. The image had intensified the jolts of.electricity already coursing through his veins from running beside her scantily clothed body.
Too bad she turned me down. One of these days we will be in tight quarters, all alone, and I will make my move. I have resisted too long already.
Since the mention of her tight hamstring, all Alex could think about was massaging her leg, and moving up from there. Did the woman not understand what she was doing to him? After all, he was a healthy red-blooded man. How long was he supposed to watch her round little ass wiggle in front of him, or the glide of muscles in those incredible legs – or OMG – her breasts bob up and down in those little running tops. The woman was killing him. He wanted her so badly he could taste it.
He chided himself to stop thinking of her that way, as he always did when he lusted after her. He would catch himself wanting her and repress the overwhelming sexual response that had plagued him since the beginning. She was so much more than just beautiful and sexy. She was a brilliant woman, funny, witty, complex and delightful. She considered him a running partner, and a friend…
…but that body, oh, that body. Stop it!
Alex determined to stay focused on what she might be trying to cover up and got his desire under control. He reviewed the signs – when she changed topics or failed to make eye contact. He carefully dissected her words while he waited for her to arrive. He knew she was being intentionally elusive. Alex resolved again that today would be the day he found out what she was concealing, beginning as soon as she arrived.
Speaking of arriving, Charlotte should have shown up long before now. She would have, unless something had happened. How long had he been sitting, pondering? How much time had passed?
Heart racing like a freight train, Alex ran into the park. Unsure why, he was terrified of what he might find.
About Madison Michael:
Madison Michael is an indie publisher, blogger and the author of the Beguiling Bachelor Series as well as the novella Desire & Dessert, from her sizzling B&B Billionaire Bachelor series.
A Chicago native and hopeless romantic, Maddy was raised on Chicago culture, fairy tales, great literature and swashbuckling movies. Maddy employs that history, writing steamy contemporary romance novels set against the sumptuous backdrop of Chicago’s elite society.
After receiving a BA in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Madison abandoned her writing to find her way in the corporate business world. Daughter of a librarian, it was inevitable that she would return to the world of books.
Maddy writes from high above Chicago where she can stare at its gorgeous skyline or the shores of Lake Michigan surrounded by feline assistants. When she is not writing,, Maddy can be found lost in a book, fighting for the rights of the mentally iil or dining on Chicago’s famous cuisine. Hot dogs and pizza, anyone?
Social Links:
Website: http://madisonmichael.net/
Maddy’s Romance Madness: https://www.madisonmichael.net/maddys-romance-madness/
Maddy’s Blog: https://www.madisonmichael.net/maddys-blog/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/madisonmichaelromance
Twitter: http://twitter.com/madisonmichael_
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/Madison-Michael/e/B01EVUGG6G/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/madisonmichaelromance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonmichaelromance/
September 5, 2019
The Fixer Upper by Maggie Mae Gallagher
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Maggie Mae Gallagher will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Abby Callier is more in love with Shakespearean heroes than any real man, and she’s beginning to wonder if there is life for her outside the pages of a book. It doesn’t help that her esteemed parents tend to view her as they would one of their science experiments gone wrong. On the eve of finishing her dissertation, she escapes her staid existence to live in the house she inherited from her Great Aunt Evie in the small town of Echo Springs, Colorado. Because, let’s face it, when a woman starts comparing her life to horror films, it might be time for a break.
Sheriff Nate Barnes believes in law and order and carefully building the life you want. In his spare time, he has been remodeling his house in the hope that one day it will be filled with the family he makes. But Nate doesn’t like drama or complications and tends to avoid them at all costs. And yet, when Miss Abigail Callier, his newest neighbor, beans him with a nine iron, he can’t help but wonder if she might just be the complication he’s been searching for all along. It doesn’t hurt that he discovers a journal hidden away by the previous tenant and decides to use Old Man Turner’s advice to romance Abby into his life.
Abby never expected her next-door neighbor, the newly dubbed Sheriff Stud Muffin, to be just the distraction her world needed. The problem is she doesn’t know whether she should make Echo Springs her home, or if this town is just a stopover point in her life’s trajectory. And she doesn’t want to tell Nate that she might not be sticking around—even though she should because it’s the right thing to do, the honest thing—because then all the scintillatingly hot kisses with the Sheriff will come to an abrupt halt. Did she mention that he’s a really great kisser?
Read an Excerpt
“Stocking up a bit?” Nate asked as they set the cooler down next to the deepfreeze.
Abby shrugged, flipping the lid up to reveal packages of steaks, chicken breasts, pork chops, ground beef, bacon, sausage, turkey. Staring at the mountain of meat, she had to admit she was a little obsessive when it came to being prepared. “Well, I did some research before accepting the position at Echo Springs Community College, and it said that roads can be impassible during the winter.”
“They can, but we do try to stay on top of road clearing. When it snows, the skiers come out in full force and head into the mountain resorts. All those travelers are the life-blood of this town, as they stop at the gas stations, restaurants, and shops. Without that, this town would go belly up in a New York minute. When the snows hit, the Styman boys stop working the appliance store and clear the streets, along with a few more of the locals. They work together to keep the city’s roads as clear as possible.”
“Good to know. But we aren’t in the city.” Which was something that wasn’t lost on her.
“No, we’re not. It can get a bit dicey out here. I tend to stay in town more and sleep at the station, but it’s good that you’re stocking up. Make sure you’ve got yourself some long underwear and some firewood.”
She blushed at the underwear comment and wanted to kick herself. What are you, a teenager? Just because Sheriff Stud Muffin’s topic made her wonder whether he was a boxers or briefs kind of man, and that she’d love to find out which he preferred, was no reason for Abby to act like an unschooled virgin.
Wait a second… “Firewood? Why would I need firewood?”
It wasn’t something she had considered she would even need. Where did she get some? Would she have to cut the wood herself? Abby could see herself trying to heft an ax to chop wood. Coordination was not her strong suit. More likely than not, she’d end up hacking the wood to bits, all while taking off a few of her limbs. It wouldn’t be pretty. Besides, knowing her, she’d leave the ax outside for the psycho killer to find and use to attack her in her home. She could imagine the headline:
Evie Callier’s great-niece hacked to death because she didn’t listen to her parents. Murder weapon apparently belonged to the victim, army of dolls suspected, news at eleven.
Jesus, she needed to get a grip.
Nate regarded her, his modest expression calling her a hundred times a fool for not being better prepared for life in the mountains, and said, “In case you lose power during a storm. It can get mighty cold up in these hills, especially when we are being pummeled with blizzard conditions. It doesn’t happen all the time, but in these older homes, power can get knocked out and be out for days.”
“What about a backup generator? Would that suffice?” Because if so, she’d turn right back around and head back to Gundry’s Bulk Superstore for one. The thought of being without power during a blizzard chilled her, and for a millisecond, she considered hightailing it back East. Until she remembered that back East would mean having to deal with her parents’ disapproval nearly twenty-four seven. She’d already visited that amusement park fun house, thank you very much, and didn’t want to return.
“Yes and no. Most are gas-operated, although there are newer models that are solar but come with a heftier price tag, and if you run out of fuel…”
“You run out of electricity. Does anyone sell firewood in town?” She’d start looking tonight online for a backup generator. The thought of having only a fireplace for warmth made her shudder involuntarily. With her luck, that would be when all the creepy dolls decided to rise up en masse and strike.
“Check with Styman’s. I’m not sure what their stock is this time of year, but if you’d like some help, I’d be happy to get you started.”
She unloaded the last of the meat into the freezer, and shut the lid. “That would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble. Thank you.”
“It’s no problem at all. After you.” He gestured at the wooden stairs.
Nate trailed her up the steps; she could feel his gaze boring into her back as they entered the kitchen. Abby restrained from fanning her face at the jolt of heat that hummed in her system whenever he was near.
About the Author:
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Visit her website here: http://www.maggiemaegallagher.com
Visit her on social media here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagMaeGallagher/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magmaegallagher
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7846308.Maggie_Mae_Gallagher
Twitter: https://twitter.com/magmaegallagher
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/maggiegallagher
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-mae-gallagher
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Maggie Mae Gallagher!
The Mystic Series
REMEMBER ME: https://amzn.to/2GuwEpY
CASKET GIRL: https://amzn.to/2Dmw9MD
The Cantati Chronicles
RUPTURED: https://amzn.to/2GueJ2L
ANOINTED: https://amzn.to/2Gu0Xgm
ASCENDED: https://amzn.to/2VRGSpz
And if you like your romance with a bit of spice and kink be sure to check out Maggie Mae Gallagher writing as Anya Summers on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
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FOLLOW MAGGIE ON HER TOUR FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN:
September 2:
4: fundinmental
8: JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
September 3:
2: Readeropolis
5: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
September 4:
1: Harlie’s Books REVIEW
2: Our Town Book Reviews REVIEW
3: Read Your Writes Book Reviews
4: BooksChatter
5: FUONLYKNEW
9: T’s Stuff
September 5:
1: Iron Canuck
2: Linda Nightingale, Author…Musings
4: Welcome to My World of Dreams
September 6:
1: Brianne’s Book Reviews REVIEW
September 4, 2019
If Wishes Were Horses By Jayne York
The horse has nothing to do with this book. I just like them! Linda
Jayne has agreed to an interview today, and I’d like to introduce her and her new book, If Wishes were Horses, a Contemporary Women’s Fiction from The Wild Rose Press. Jayne, you have the stage (and the microphone).
Let me take a moment to thank you, Linda, for hosting me. The support and encouragement of my fellow authors is one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever experienced. You’re the best.
Jayne York
Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~
What is your greatest temptation:
In men: Honey, a smooth line and a pretty face. Me, too!
In food: I’m an equal opportunity grazer. About the only things I’ll turn down flat is uncooked seafood of any type. Blech.
In clothes: Comfort. I’ve gotten attached to sweatpants.
Your dream home – mountains or ocean?
Since I’m dreaming, I’d like both please; a cozy warm log arrangement on a remote mountain and a cool breezy beach cottage with a sea glass mobile on the porch.
What inspires you as a writer? Music? Movies? TV? Books?
It’s easier to list those things that don’t inspire me. Rap music – it makes me anxious. War movies – they make me sad. Car commercial deluges drive me nuts. I can’t read slasher novels, but that doesn’t keep me from admiring the craft that goes into their making.
Do you have a pet? Please share.
My cat George, a gray and white tuxedo marked short hair is my lap warmer on cold days and quiet comfort in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping but can’t.
In your books, who is your favorite hero and please introduce him?
“If Wishes Were Horses” is my first book, so the choice is automatic. Michael McCandlis is a wounded, Navy SEAL forced into retirement. A looker with a killer smile and a good heart. He’s adrift in civilian life and looking for a reason to stick around on this planet. Attraction to my heroine, Emily Converse, blindsides him. Unsure of himself for the first time, he stumbles a bit but finally gets it right.
Who is your favorite heroine, and please introduce her?
Emily Converse is a newly minted forty-year-old independent woman on a mission. She raised her little brother and rescued him countless times. Like countless other people who have lived through the warzone that comes hand in glove with loving an addicted person, she balances precariously on the line between helping and enabling. And, she thinks she has it handled till she’s forced into one last rescue. Along the way she crosses paths and trajectories with Michael. She doesn’t care to admit her need for help, but with a man like Mike it’s tempting to let down her guard. Sparks of all different varieties ensue.
Got to admit, I love them together.
What do you have out now?
As I mentioned before, “If Wishes Were Horses” is my debut novel. It’s a labor of love, and I hope you’ll all do me the honor of reading it.
New releases anytime soon?
My WIP is a heist tale that I hope will be out next summer. It’s tentatively entitled “Midnight Acquisition.” I’m editing it now and then it’s on to submission. Wish me luck.
Where can eager fans find you?
Website: jayneyork.com (subscribe to get on my mailing list)
Email: jayne@jayneyork.com
Twitter: @YorkAuthor
FaceBook: JayneYorkAuthor
ABOUT IF WISHES WERE HORSES!:
BLURB:
Emily Converse never expected to return to Tamarack, Colorado. But she’s determined to rescue her drug-addicted brother and start a new life. Standing in her way, she finds her stepfather, a powerful US senator, looming over her future like the ever-present monster he’d been during their childhood. Meeting wounded retired Navy SEAL, Michael McCandlis, is a steamy surprise in her homecoming, though he’s adrift in civilian life. Together can they find a way to transform from victims to survivors?
~~~~~[image error]
EXCERPT:
Once upon a time, she’d run away from Tamarack like her heels were on fire, and now here she was volunteering to step back into the furnace. What was the definition of insanity? Doing the same things over and over, expecting a different outcome. Like if she managed to change, be stronger, be smarter, things would turn out better—different. It wouldn’t be that simple. She downshifted the Jeep to slow for the last of the S-shaped turns on the narrow ribbon of asphalt. The road led her past the pretentious granite columns that marked her stepfather’s compound. She wasn’t consciously holding her breath, but a trickle of fear dribbled down her spine just the same. Her molars ground together in determination. The past wouldn’t decide her present, not ever again. In spite of herself, images of her last day on his estate flashed through her mind like the herky-jerky frames of a child’s flip deck animation. Fear sharpened every visual, clarified every word, enhanced every touch. She’d run down the steps, racing for her car. He’d charged after her, smelling of alcohol and fury when he tried to stop her headlong rush toward an unknown future. They’d screamed out their mutual hatred, all the bitter dregs of their time together. She smirked when she remembered getting in the lucky shove that had landed him in a heap on the ground. It had been her first glimpse that Senator Ray Domenico was not the invincible, all-powerful
monster she’d known him to be.
PURCHASE LINK:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Were-Horses-Jayne-York-ebook/dp/B07TVW54GQ
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-wishes-were-horses-jayne-york/1132549195?ean=9781509227259
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jayne_York_If_Wishes_Were_Horses?id=gt6oDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/if-wishes-were-horses-35
ABOUT JAYNE:
[image error]I’ve been an avid reader and sometime writer all of my life. I’ve never been able to resist the draw of a good story, and that has been true in my professional life as well. I was raised as the third of three children in the Colorado high country. Early on I discovered the joy of creating handcrafted jewelry, which led to a forty-five-year career as a professional jeweler. Every customer, every piece has its own story. I’ve collected them like pearls in a strand, and I often use them as a jumping-off point for the tales I tell. If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the shores of a northern lake, hammering away on my latest story of love and life in the modern world. ~*~ Find Jayne online at: http://www.JayneYork.com
August 29, 2019
Finally Home by L. Simpson
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L. Simpson will be awarding $10 Boroughs Bucks to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
HEART AND SOUL
Ben McTavish is besotted when he sees a vixen in striped leggings own a cringe-worthy moment and turn it into a hilarious bit. He can’t stop thinking about her even though he puts his foot in his mouth every time he tries to get to know her. Ben would love to spend some time with this woman who has captivated him, but he needs to get his farm established before the bank takes back the land.
Kate Bloomington is all about whipping her life into shape, including getting to know her grandmother who she is now caring for. When she meets Ben, also known as Saint McT since he helps all comers, she pushes him away. Somehow, he shows up at every inopportune moment, mortifying her and enticing her at the same time. She learns that he needs help as much as she does, and together they create a love that is unbreakable.
Read an Excerpt
True to his word, Ben was at my door right before eight in the morning. I was running a little late because I was struggling to focus. My emotions were a tumble, and while I was unable to deny my excitement at seeing him despite the fact he was Saint McT and I was a hot mess, I was still trying to bury the events of Friday night. Images of Frank would pop up, and I questioned my decision to do nothing. But the system wasn’t fair. I needed to move on. I had just started to get my life back, to feel like I belonged, and after being alone for so long, I simply couldn’t go back. It wasn’t right, but I couldn’t see any other option.
“Do we have time for coffee?” he asked as I got into his truck.
“Of course,” I said trying not to turn into mush as I took him in. He was dressed casually again, and while I missed the suit I’d caught a glimpse of, his navy woolen jumper and fitted, faded jeans had my mouth watering.
“Great,” he said and drove us straight to the bakery. While we ordered coffees, every local in the place stared at us. Their gazes sharpened when Ben put his hand on the small of my back as we walked out. I wanted to tell them all he was just being Saint McT, but it was hard to concentrate because my body came alive at his touch and I was within smelling distance. Yes. That’s right. The pastries held no sway now. I was all about Ben and his sexy, fresh soap smell. This trip was going to be a nightmare. Would it be easier or harder on the back of his bike?
“Do you not ride your bike often?” I found myself asking, trying not to sound hopeful.
“Not as often as I’d like. I didn’t think you’d appreciate it in that skirt,” he said grinning wickedly at me. I blushed.
“Have you ever been on one?”
“No way, my mother forbade them.”
“Well, anytime you want a ride…” he trailed off and I laughed, blushing.
About the Author: As a girl growing up in Australia, Laura was lost in the world of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. During high school, volleyball dominated her life. There had to be something positive about being 6’1” with red hair. Representing Australia from a young age she eventually took a scholarship at the University of Iowa. Living in America and being a full time athlete in a college town was an eye-opening experience and lots of fun (from what she can remember). #gohawkeyes
Returning from the States, her career took a different turn as she started working at the Red Cross and completed her Masters of Law in Human Rights. As one of the few non-lawyers in the class, her essays were far more floral than the rest, something that caused the discerning professors to shake their heads. Through working and studying, she realised there are other ways to win hearts and minds.
While she’s spent the last 14 years as an advocate against poverty and homelessness, the desire to change the world through storytelling has only got stronger. She now lives in the Alpine Valleys of North East Victoria, Australia with her husband, daughter, son, two dogs and seven chooks. When she’s not doing the whole mum thing, working at a homelessness agency, renovating her farmhouse, or trying to do laundry bleary-eyed at midnight, she is writing.
Say G’day to Laura:
website: http://www.lsimpsonauthor.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l.simpson.romance
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lsimpsonauthor
instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lsimpsonauthor
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-simpson-47278971
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Finally-Home-Alpine-Valleys-Simpson/dp/1951055020/ref=sr_1_1
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