Margery Scott's Blog, page 10

Mardi Gras, with Marcia King-Gamble

I’m thrilled to welcome Marcia King-Gamble to my blog today. As an author previously published by several New York publishers, she has now taken the leap to indie publishing.

Take it away, Marcia.

I’ve got the bug – travel bug that is! (By Marcia King-Gamble)

At age eight I left the tiny Southern Caribbean Island where I was born and headed for the United States. I was excited and nervous and never once left my plane seat. I was completely awed by the clouds whizzing by and thrilled to be on a plane (my first time ever,) heading for a new life. Never did I imagine that this trip would be an entrée into a world that was highly addictive.

14 years later, I was offered a position as a flight attendant for an international airline. I’d made the cut, even though speaking a second language was a stretch. Flying was, and still is, the best finishing school I ever attended. I learned about foods, wine, and resolving challenging situations. Even more important, I learned to think on my feet.

Wouldn’t you think with travel being my work, vacations would entail staying local and close to home? No, a whole new word had been opened up to me. Every penny of disposable income was squirreled away for the next international adventure. I was having an incredible heady love affair with people and cultures so different from me.

Oh the sights I saw, the experience I had and the people I met. I went to places like Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Singapore and Tokyo. I salmon fished in Alaska, visited a Gentleman’s Club in Hong Kong, danced with Queen Elizabeth’s secret service in India and met Nelson Mandela and his then wife, Winnie. I still carry these wonderful experiences in my heart.

When author and good friend, Michelle Monkou came up with the idea of writing Mardi Gras themed short stories, I jumped on it. These countries were places I’d been and partied. Carnival was a part of my island culture so writing about revelry was a natural for me.

Seducing Circe, my first contribution to the series is set in New Orleans. The Big Easy has something for everyone. It’s a city of mystery, tradition, culture and fun. Perfect for a story filled with suspense and adventure.

Mardi Gras can be traced way back to medieval Europe. In the 17th and 18th centuries the French introduced Boeuf Grasor Fatted Calf and the colonies got with the program. Society balls quickly became the norm in New Orleans. These segued into today’s Mardi Gras balls. Then a full one hundred years later, the first street maskers appeared, setting the stage for today’s raucous parades!

Seducing Circe captures the excitement and decadence of a New Orleans Mardi Gras. Imagine what can happen when a sexy, Cajun hero meets a savvy, slightly jaded New Yorker. Worlds collide and a steamy relationship ensues.

I encourage you to pick up the first in the series, set in exotic Trinidad. Carnival Temptress is penned by talented author, Michelle Monkou. Both novellas are available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Seducing Circe is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Marcia. I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, but New Orleans is one of my favorite cities.

You can learn more about Marcia and her books on her website or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Father’s Day – a day late

Because of Father’s Day yesterday, I got to thinking about fathers on TV. They’ve come a long way, haven’t they? In the early days of TV, we rarely ever saw fathers at work (or even knew what they did for a living). Their primary role on the series was to mete out punishment and impart wisdom to the kids, while we, the audience, never really got to know the man behind the fatherly figure.

The 70′s saw fathers (and families) changing, with Archie Bunker (All in the Family), Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch) and Phillip Drummond (Different Strokes). These fathers had more character, but they were still primarily advice-givers and problem-solvers.

In the 80′s and 90′s, we were introduced to a new type of dad – Dan Connor (Roseanne), Homer Simpson (The Simpsons) and Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor (Home Improvement). These men were human (other than Homer lol). It seemed the women ruled the household, and the men were comic relief, definitely not the idealized fathers of the 50′s and 60′s.

Then came a new century, and families have definitely changed. I don’t watch many sitcoms these days, so I can’t comment on the fathers in the shows on TV now, but I’d venture to say they’ve veered even further from the early days.

So, the question is, who’s your favorite TV dad?

Gambling on Love – guest post and contest

I’m thrilled today to welcome writing partners Nancy Fraser and Patti Shenberger to my blog today as a stop on their blog tour for their latest release, Gambling on Love.

The Challenges of Writing Historical Language and Period Accuracy

The biggest challenge in writing language for a particular historical time period is obviously accuracy. And, while it would be easy to rely on other novels from same genre, trusting the author’s expertise is a like copying your homework from the cute boy across the aisle. Are you sure he’s got the right answers? What if he didn’t study any more than you did?

There are a number of ways to double check accuracy when it comes to the last few centuries. While online resources, e.g., Wikipedia, are only as good as the information put in, they can be helpful in a number of other ways, especially if you go directly to the cited reference rather than relying on their interpretation. Never assume, just because it appears in the Oxford dictionary and was deemed a word in 1779, that it was actually used in Regency England in 1805.

Blogs devoted to specific time periods are often well-researched and the information included handed down through generations. One of the best Regency-era blogs is: http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/ which includes everything from social customs, to language, to dress, to daily living activities.

Researching language for an historical set in North America can also be a challenge depending on the setting. Language in 1860s Boston is not going to be the same as 1860s Nevada Territory. Fortunately, there’s been a great influx of archived newspaper articles made available to assist with language questions. And, as with the Regency era, there are a huge number of websites and blogs devoted to historical accuracy and information. One of our favorites is: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-slang-c.html. This site is devoted to mid-western and western slang and phrasing and … in many instances … is downright hilarious! In addition to the language information, there are also clothing styles, art, as well as vintage photos. It’s treasure-trove of information if you’re working on a western historical.

While doing research for our mid-western historical, Gambling on Love, set in 1867 Mississippi, we wanted to go back to post Civil-War (1858-1864) and one of the best online resources we found was the following site: http://members.wabash.net/~northclay/ncjhs/textbooks/AmericanJourney/PDF/docs/chap13.pdf.

The farther back you go in your setting, the more difficult it will become to find online resources such as those listed above. However, as writers, we definitely know the value of reference book. Are we going to question a phrase from the Viking period? Not likely, and especially not if it doesn’t take away from our enjoyment of the book.

The last obstacle is the perception of the words you do choose. We had a reader recently say, she liked our book but was put off by our use of the word “teat” instead of breast or nipple and that teats applied to animals, not people. Back in 1867, the word most often used in both conversation and written word was teat. We were able to verify this when we found a pamphlet of written instructions for the new mother which explained how to attach the newborn to the mother’s … you guessed it … teat! So, we can only apologize if we offend anyone, but as writers, we’ll go for accuracy any day!

Book description:Felicity Beaumont is a rich man’s willful daughter with a heart of gold who wants more than anything to free her father’s illegally indentured workers.

When she devises a plan to move them north with the help of Jake McCade, owner of the gambling boat known as the River Maiden, she finds she’s run afoul of not only her father but of the man she’s duped into helping her.

As her plan begins to unravel, she and Jake are forced into a marriage for the sake of propriety and soon discover the most important thing to them both is the life they’re now building together.

Gambling on Love is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.

About the Authors:

Nancy Fraser

Nancy Fraser has been writing since she was a child, most often on walls and with crayons or (heaven forbid) permanent marker. Since first becoming published in 1996, Nancy has received numerous five star reviews for her futuristic, time travel romance. She’s also published in short contemporary, historical romance and vintage historical romances set during the Golden Decade of Rock & Roll (1955-1964). When not writing fiction, Nancy likes to spend time with her grandchildren and is excitedly awaiting a new addition to her grand-family in July, 2013. Author Website: http://www.nancyfraser.ca/index.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265536.Nancy_Fraser Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyFraserAuthor Blog: http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/

Patti Shenberger

Patti Shenberger has been writing since she could put pen to paper. An active member of the Romance Writers of America, along with her local chapter, the Greater Detroit RWA, she currently serves as the Chapter President and the Booksellers Best Award contest chair. Patti lives in Michigan with her husband of over thirty years. She’s a mom to a grown daughter and son, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and her first grandchild is due in August. Rounding out the family are two fur babies, a cat and dog. When not writing, Patti can be found reading, traveling with her husband, or spending time with friends. Author Website: http://www.pattishenberger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PattiShenberger

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/845149.Patti_Shenberger

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPattiShenberger‘

Nancy and Patti, thank you so much for visiting with me today. Since I’m also a historical romance author, I’m always looking for new research resources. I’ve already bookmarked these.

And now for the giveaway:

Tour-wide Giveaway

Name the Hotel!

As part of a tour-wide giveaway the authors are offering one lucky winner the chance to not only name the hotel which will appear in the second McCade Legacy novel, but will also have their name used as a character in the book as well! The winner will also receive a copy of Gambling on Love and a copy of the second book when it becomes available.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember your first love, with Cyndi Faria, plus a FREE book

Please help me welcome my guest today, Cyndi Faria. A self-confessed romantic, Cyndi is the author of “A Promise Worth Remembering”. Here’s a short bio to get us started.

Cyndi Faria is an engineer turned romance writer whose craving for structure is satisfied by plotting emotional and cozy paranormal romance stories about cursed spirits, lost souls, harbingers, and even a haunted coastal town. If you love a tale with courageous heroes and heroines, where their unconditional love for each other gives them strength to defeat their inner demons, Cyndi Faria invites you to enter the pages of her stories and find happily-ever-after.

On and off her sexy romance pages, this California country girl isn’t afraid to dirty her hands fighting for the underdog and caretaking rescued pets. Find her helping fellow writers and leading readers to happily-ever-after at www.cyndifaria.com.

First Love and A Promise Worth Remembering

I’m so excited to announce my newest release titled A Promise Worth Remembering (Promises Collection, #2) which is offered FREE on Amazon Kindle today through Thursday.

As my hero and heroine discover, first love is unforgettable. And I agree. My fifteen year old self can still remember standing on a footbridge that overlooked a gentle creek while the boy who made me laugh ‘til my sides hurt, and offered a bit of the forbidden, held one of my hands. With my free hand, I clutched the cold metal railing to keep from falling for that sixteen year old boy too fast.

Love that stems from youth and blossoms into years filled with marriage, children and the joy of growing old together can be a precious thing.

Longevity, a pillar to lean on, someone who supports dreams and makes promises and commits to making dreams come true, however, is the essence of romantic fantasy.

Something a hopeless romantic like myself can’t resist writing about.

What is a memorable quality from your first love?

Leave a comment and your contact information and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win the necklace inspired by the story (see photo at www.cyndifaria.com). I can’t wait to see who the lucky winner of the beautiful pendant will be…

Magic, forbidden love, tiger rescue, and an escalating family feud on the path to happily-ever-after is the type of fantasy A Promise Worth Remembering is all about…

After ten years, tiger preserve owner Bailey Yant never thought heartbreaker Tucker Pierce would return to Safe Haven. With a hundred-year-old feud between the Pierce and Yant families escalating, and despite a mystical lovers’ rock stirring memories of their forbidden love, she’s walled up her heart tighter than her sanctuary. When her prized tiger trespasses onto the Pierce’s hunting range, and poachers threaten not only her tiger’s safety but the livelihood of her preserve, will Bailey open her heart and trust Tucker in time to save her endangered Bengals?

At seventeen, Tucker Pierce fell in love with Bailey’s strength the day he’d pulled her from the river and promised to make her dreams come true. However, to keep Bailey safe from his abusive father, he risked everything—and in the process lost her to another man. For ten years, he’s kept his reason for leaving Safe Haven secret, but he can’t forget the promise he made to her or who his heart belongs to. After finding the widowed Bailey standing on their special rock, will he finally convince her to trust he’s a man of his word?

Much thanks goes to Margery Scott for giving me the opportunity to share my memory of first love and A Promise Worth Remembering. Don’t forget to download your FREE copy today by clicking on the title above.

Wishing you much love and happiness,

Cyndi Faria

About the Author:

“Cyndi Faria writes with passion and her stories touch the heart.”

—Virna DePaul, Bestselling Author

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Cyndi. I remember that summer and my first love as if it was yesterday. There is something so special about it, isn’t there?

Now I’m off to get my copy of A Promise Worth Remembering.

“Life is like a box of chocolates” – Forrest Gump

Yesterday, I watched Forrest Gump. Again. I swear I’ve seen this movie a dozen times. No car chases, no machine guns, no wild action sequences. Just a sentimental story about a man (Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his performance) who has a low IQ but whose innate goodness more than makes up for it.

He goes through life somehow managing to be present at some of the world’s most famous historical events, while on a personal front, he’s close to his mother (Sally Field) and never forgets the love of his life, Jenny (Robin Wright Penn.)

We still use some of Forrest’s sayings in our house. One of our favorites – “stupid is as stupid does.”

Cindy Carroll and her bucket of boat trash

A few years ago, I was in New Orleans for a conference. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Factory and chose a seafood sampler, listed on the menu as “a bucket of boat trash.”

The tables had Forrest’s quotes burned into the wood. Some of the menu was on cardboard ping-pong paddles.

If we needed a waitress, we changed the license plate on the table that said “Run, Forrest, run” to “Stop, Forrest, stop!”

Sally Field’s (Mrs. Gump’s) dress was on display in a glass case, pages of the original script were framed on the walls. Memorabilia everywhere. Such a fun place to eat.

I hear there are quite a few Bubba Gump’s around the country. Have you eaten at Bubba Gump’s in New Orleans, or in any of the others? And are you one of the few who have never seen the movie?

One of those days, with Edie Hart

My guest today is Edie Hart, author of One Bad Day, from Breathless Press. And yes, that is Edie under the blue suit. She’s going to tell us about her inspiration for her latest release. First, here’s a short bio:

Edie Hart was born in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, where she now resides with her husband, two children, dog, and three cats. After spending her childhood making up stories in her head, she finally decided to put them on paper. What came of it was her first novella, One Bad Day. Edie is a die-hard romantic and believes that everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally—both in print and real life.

Edie also admits that “Edie Hart” is a pen name and an alter ego to an otherwise boring wife and mother. Edie is 20 pounds lighter, loves to skydive, travels to foreign places, and is a total sex kitten as compared to the uninteresting other half who is none of those things.

In reality the counterpart of Edie is a lackluster 40-something-year-old, whose main goal is to keep The Big One (The Boy) from torturing The Little One (The Girl). This week he hit her in the head with a 12-pack of Juicy Juice. Last week he left ravioli handprints on the back of her white T-shirt. The week before that he told her she was adopted and she believed him.

Sounds like you have your hands full, and have a few bad days keeping things under control. Take it away, Edie.

Have you ever had one of those days?

I decided after I dropped the kids off at school that I was going to clean the cat boxes. I get downstairs… no litter. I can’t even blame it on anyone because I clean the box and I buy the litter… so I decide to run to the store (I have to pick up a prescription anyway, they called yesterday and said it was ready).

I get to the store, get the litter – pharmacy doesn’t open for another 15 mins so I look around and, yes, I do have a problem, I’m an impulse shopper – which means 20 mins and $50 in stuff later I go to the pharmacy for the prescription.

Um, yeah, it’s not ready. They don’t know why they called and said it was ready, ’cause it’s not. I can come back Monday and get it.

Ok, I figure, I’m out, I’ll get some nice fresh fruit and have fruit salad for lunch. I don’t like the fruit at this store, so I go across the street to another store where the fruit is better priced. I find some fresh stuff – strawberries, blackberries, raspberries – and I get some jarred stuff – not as healthy, I know, but tasty and I love jarred pears and peaches. So, I get all my stuff, lug it out to the car, drive home and start bringing my goodies inside.

And of course, it’s me, so the bag breaks in the driveway and all my fruit goes splattering everywhere. There’s glass all over, the strawberries and raspberries popped out of their plastic containers and are scattered across the driveway.

I live in a suburban neighborhood, the houses are fairly close together. The woman two doors down does daycare out of her home, my neighbor is retired, the guy across the street works weird hours…

My reaction to seeing my beautiful fruit salad colorfully decorating my driveway is to yell “F—!” I then realize that someone may have heard me and yell “Ohhh S**t!” while looking around. Realizing that I’ve done it again, I mutter “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit” under my breath.

I decide to take my other purchases inside – I have some hamburger meat that I don’t want to get warm outside. So I take my blackberries – which has popped open, but is salvageable – along with my other stuff and put it inside the doorway. I figure I’ll throw the blackberries in some vanilla yogurt – not as good as the fruit salad idea, but at least I have my blackberries.

I get a broom and start cleaning up the sticky mess and proceed to cut my finger. Not a bad cut, just enough to p* me off a little bit more.

I get the mess in the driveway cleaned up and leave the broom in the sink – now I have to rinse that because it’s all sticky – and get ready to put stuff away.

I find the blackberry container, but all the blackberries are missing. I’m thinking WTF. I look down and there’s a dog toy next to the plastic container. Oh S**t! And I mean Oh S**t because the damn dog can’t eat stuff like that cause it gives her the runs.

I then start to put my stuff away… well, it’s all sticky. I have to rinse everything and I don’t want to put it away wet, so I leave all my stuff spread all over the counter.

Okay, now I can finally clean that cat box. I go down and start cleaning and realize that I’m going to have to drag the vacuum down two flights of stairs because my broom is sticky.

As I’m vacuumming, I look over, and the cats are out of food. Dammit! That’s The Boy’s job! Why didn’t he feed them?

I decide I should go and check on Gus – the old man kitty – to make sure he’s ok. He’s got a nice little bed with a heater under it cause he gets cold which is in the other room. I peek around the corner and – I’m not kidding – there’s a paper plate next to Gus’ bed filled with chips! The Boy fed the 19 year old cat chips!!

I feed the cats, finish the catboxes and rinse the broom.

I’m sticky and covered in cat litter dust plus whatever else I’ve encountered on my travels through my house that has decided to stick to my fruity sweatpants, so I decide I need a shower.

I get in the shower and am all wet and realize dammit! I left my new disposable razor that I just bought downstairs. I end up using my old one which is totally dull – the reason I bought the new one.

I am ready to wash my hair and Oh My God there’s no shampoo!! Dammit! I find The Girl’s No More Tears Smurf Berry Shampoo and end up using that.

Now I am sitting at my laptop, it’s lunchtime, I haven’t gotten any work done, I don’t have any fruit salad, my armpits are stinging like crazy, I smell smurfberrylicious and I’m waiting for my dog to crap all over my house…

That does sound like a day from H-E-double hockey sticks, Edie. I suspect one or two of those incidents ended up making it into One Bad Day.

Blurb:

Tessa is having one seriously bad day. After agreeing to dress as a cheesy mascot at a convention for her boss, her clothes get stolen, she gets chased through a sinister parking garage, and her apartment gets broken into and turned upside down.

Gray, an off-duty police officer, can’t resist the sexy legs he sees in costume at a hotel convention. When he catches sight of her running for her life through a dark car lot, he’s determined to find out what her story is and ends up promising to keep Tessa safe…even if that means taking her home with him.

Excerpt:

Gray stepped outside of the hotel ballroom hoping the air would be cooler out there. He hated stuffy gatherings. Hell, he hated weddings. How two people could think they’d love each other forever was beyond him. Gray didn’t do love. Which was why he was stag at a co-worker’s wedding. He’d originally planned to invite Monique, but several months back she’d become demanding and talked about moving into his place with hearts and flowers in her eyes. So he’d ended it. Deep down, he’d known that she didn’t really want him. She wanted any warm body that would take care of her. She had slowly been trying to mold him into some GQ tycoon, telling him what to wear, how to act, and even going as far as telling him what he needed to do career-wise.

A loud crash on the other side of the hall caught Gray’s attention. In the open ballroom across the way he saw legs. Glorious legs in strappy high heels. The beautiful legs were tangled on the floor and attached to an ass that was just as gorgeous. After taking a closer look, Gray realized that above the amazing ass was an enormous, white light bulb-shaped head with blue googly eyes. It had blonde hair and wore a glittery purple hat. The tangled-up legs and heels were flailing around in a pile of what looked like empty light bulb boxes. Several gentlemen nearby were quick to help Legs get her feet beneath her. From their smiles and laughter he could tell that they were all quite happy to be of assistance. Gray didn’t blame them.

He watched Legs find her balance in those high heels, and with a little wiggle and tug of her skirt she went on her way.

One Bad Day is available from Breathless Press, Amazon, AllRomance eBooks, and Bookstrand.

To learn more about Edie, and find out what The Big One and The Little One are up to, visit her via her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Edie. Best of luck with One Bad Day, and hope you don’t run into any more of those days.

Why do we love stories? Guest post by Gina Conkle

Please help me welcome my guest, Gina Conkle, to my blog today as she kicks off her Rafflecopter tour (see below). Take it away, Gina.

Why Do We Love Stories?

Everyone craves a good story now and then. Whether the tale comes by way of movie, book, or shared anecdote with a friend, we all push life’s pause button for a story.

Make it a great story and that’s time well spent. But what’s the draw?



What lures you away from a mile long “to-do” list? Some might say escape or entertainment. But I have a different, deeper idea.

We seek meaning. We seek connection.

Think about it. From the first cave paintings to Egyptian hieroglyphs, man worked to express what he saw in the world around him, to understand. We progressed from stone and brick to papyrus and paper. Yet, even oral traditions lasted for centuries and for good reason. Ancient storytellers from hot Mesopotamia to skalds in icy Norse lands fed legends and sagas to rapt audiences.

Often the tales touched on gods and goddesses as men and women tried to make sense of life events, the big things going on around them. Of course, many a yarn was told that included the internal things…like love.

Why else is romance the number book genre sold in America?

Love is as old as Adam and Eve. We seek the deepest connection in love, yet frankly that powerful emotion can baffle us. Books, stories give us some meaning, some understanding and insight into life’s complexities.

Even if we don’t get all the answers, we still shared an experience with the writer and lots of other readers. Don’t you love to gab with a friend about that great book you both read?

Long ago, I briefly volunteered at an adult literacy organization and later became an elementary school teacher. One of the key points I learned while training for both endeavors was this: reading is social.

Stories help us connect and find meaning to the world around us and ultimately to each other.

Thanks for sharing your time with me!

As I close, thank you, Margery Scott, for your kind invitation to be part of this blog. And I invite you, blog reader, to share a comment below on why you love to read.

What makes you hide out with a book?

BIO:

Gina Conkle, a history nerd to the core, loves castles and museums. Her motto: “the older and moldier, the better.” When not enjoying relics, she lives in the present, dabbling in organic gardening. Gina married her favorite alpha male, Brian. The two live with their boys in southern Califronia.

Learn more about Gina and her books here:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Amazon

NORSE JEWEL excerpt:

He saw wetness on her lashes. She turned her face to the fields, and another piece of the riddle that made Helena fell into place.

Hakan cupped her chin. His thumb stroked her scarred jaw. “Your pouch, the stone is the reason for this. Magnuson said as much.”

She nodded, sniffling and swiping at tears that rolled down her cheeks.

His thumb brushed a tender stroke over her cheek’s curving pink scar. “The stone almost cost you your life. Why?”

Hakan, with great tenderness, stroked her face. The salve had done its work: smooth, touchable skin remained. But the salve only healed skin deep wounds. Some wounds lurked deeper than the Dane’s cut. What ached beneath the surface? More fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I am a peasant maid.” Her voice quivered. “When Guerin wanted me, I felt…” Helena sniffed and chewed her lower lip. “I was suddenly important. A woman of value. Without it…”

Her vulnerable admission was a tender spot for her. Couldn’t she see her worth was higher than any stone?

His thumbs wiped away her tears. “Keep the pendant. It came at a great price. Wear it for all to see.”

Hakan took her hand in his and set the necklace in her palm. He curled her fingers over jewel and chain. “Aye, Helena, the stone could buy more thralls. But ‘tis metal and stone. They do nothing for me.”

Her lashes, spiked with wetness, fluttered at him. Bewilderment writ on her face, he soothed his voice as if calming a babe.

He shook his head. “I’ll not trade you for that.”

“I don’t understand.” Her eyebrows knit together.

How could he explain what he didn’t fully understand? He was on shaky ground. From the corner of his eye, part of a red sail caught a strong breeze and fluttered. Selig replaced the rocks that tamped down the sail before the whole cloth blew free. The vibrant red waved at him, a banner by which he could escape explaining why he would not let her go. Hakan waved his arm at the sails drying in the meadow.

“Look what you’ve accomplished in so short a time. You promised me great talent weaving fine linens…to expand my wealth.” Hakan’s arms folded across his chest. “Strong sails for my ships. This I understand.” Tilting his hand toward the jewelry in her hand, the corners of his turned down. “Stones do nothing for me.”

A thousand glittering stones couldn’t equal her worth. He stared into the depths of her blue eyes and called himself a coward for not admitting this to her.

Helena sniffed again and clutched the pendant, returning it to the leather pouch. “Is there no custom? No means to gain my freedom?” she asked, her voice hoarse with emotion.

Hakan sighed. “There are ways.”

“Mardred told me a thrall can earn her freedom after some years of service. Is this true?”

“Aye.” His arms stayed crossed, unmoving. He’d give no more.

“Then, may I strike such an agreement with you?”

“Such as?”

“I want to earn my freedom.” Her eyes pleaded with him.

Hakan shifted his stance, cagey about giving an inch. His neck and shoulders knotted.

True, many a valuable thrall gained freedom after years of service. Most stayed.

“Serve me well for seven years, Helena, and you’ll be a freewoman.”

“The time cannot be shortened?” She clasped her hands together. “Seven years,” she groaned. “So long.”

“I will not be swayed on this.”

She canted her head at him, doubt clouding her features. “But, will you keep your word, my lord?”

“What makes you doubt me? The way I’ve mistreated you?”

Helena flinched at his sarcasm. She was not satisfied. Seven years must feel like one hundred to her. Her fingers plucked at her apron, and she kept silent. A stab, like a hot brand, hit him. This was rejection. An arm’s length from her, Hakan shut himself away as if in a distant fortress. “I require your respect. For seven years.”

Pain flashed from her eyes. She dabbed at their corners and nodded.

Hakan needed to move. He needed something to ease the itch that plagued him. He needed to keep a good distance from her. His ax leaned against the barn. He grabbed it and swung the heavy tool over his shoulder.

“I have to clear some trees,” he announced. The field did need widening, and he needed wood.

The tree line would keep him a safe distance from her, yet he could keep an eye on the longhouse. And the loom where she would sit. Hakan walked to the edge of the yard and something pushed him to needle her.

“I expect fresh bread at my table tonight. See to it.”

Her eyebrows shot up at his harsh command. He hadn’t spoken to her that way since the journey to Svea. Her body visibly bristled at his tone. He waited, and Helena bowed her head in exaggerated servitude. Hakan whistled on his way to chop wood, pleased at gaining the upper hand.

Much could happen in seven years.

NORSE JEWEL is available on Amazon

Here are the details of the Rafflecopter Blog Tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grand Prize

Grand Prize: 3 wooden spoons, $25 B&N gift card, &The rules:

1 tweet with @ginaconkle about Norse Jewel = 1 entry

1 blog tour comment (1 comment per blog only) = 1 entry

Join my newsletter (see the website “contact page” – can only enter once) = 3 entries

The Rafflecopter lasts as long as Norse Jewel’s Entangled Blog Tour from June 4 – July 4, 2013.

Downton Abbey – a glimpse into my family history

I admit it. Like millions of other viewers, I’m hooked, even though I’m coming to it very late. I’d heard so much about this series that I couldn’t help myself. I had to see what all the hoopla was about.

Here in Canada, we’re in Season 3, so it wasn’t until I went to the US that I caught the first season on Netflix. Okay, you got me. But where was Season 2??? Netflix didn’t have it!! Now I have to wait until it’s available at the library (approximate wait time 57 days) to find out what happened to Edith and Sybil, how Mr. Bates and Anna got together, and how Lady Mary ended up married and pregnant.

What’s really interesting to me is that the other day, out of the blue, it struck me that I’d been watching a fictionalized version of my grandmother’s life. As a young woman in England in the early 1900′s (at the time the show is set), my grandmother was “in service”, which is really only a nice way of saying she was a maid in a house not unlike Downton Abbey.

I can’t help wondering which character she would be. Would she be Daisy, the lowest on the totem pole? Did she work her way up to a position like Anna’s? Or was she somewhere in between? I know Downton Abbey is fictional, but I think the basics are realistic to the time period, and it does give me a glimpse into what my grandmother’s life as a young woman was like. I wish I’d asked her more about her life when I had the chance.

Moral of the story: The older members of your family have so much to teach us. Ask questions. You might be surprised at what you learn.

What about you? Are you a fan?

Press release – The Birthday Fantasy

As I promised the other day, I’m back with the details for The Birthday Fantasy. The official release day is tomorrow, but you can order it now from Amazon.

Blurb:

He’s her kidnapper. Can he be her fantasy?

Tate always knew Jamie’s fiancé wasn’t the man for her, so when her father approaches him with a plan to kidnap her in order to the stop the marriage, Tate believes this might be his last chance to convince Jamie he’s the man for her. He whisks Jamie away to Fantasy Lake, Colorado, for her twenty-fifth birthday, hoping to rekindle the passion they’d once shared. Jamie can’t believe her father and childhood best friend and former lover could do such a thing to her two weeks before her wedding to a rich Dallas land developer. But with hot days and scorching nights, her sexy cowboy kidnapper could be just what she needs to fulfill her every fantasy.

Excerpt:

Tate leaned against the frame of the living room door in a much too relaxed pose with his arms folded over a dark green western shirt nearly matching his eyes. He looked her up and down with a smugness irritating her further.

“What are you doing here?”

Removing his hat, he grinned and pushed away from the doorframe. “It’s nice to see you too, princess. I’ve been fine. Thanks for asking.”

“I’m in no mood for your sarcasm.” Glaring at him, she entered the living room and headed for the cabinet in the corner where her father kept a bottle of good Kentucky bourbon. After pouring two shot glasses, she handed one to him.

He raised a dark brow. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?”

She lifted the glass and smiled. “I’m celebrating. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

He shrugged and tapped the edge his glass to hers. “Sure.” He glanced around and sat on the rawhide couch. “I’m here to lighten your mood.”

Jamie tossed back her drink and set the glass on the end table. Crossing her arms in front of her, she leaned against the liquor cabinet. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in nearly four months and now you show up and act like we talk every day. And you’re avoiding my question. What do you really want?”

“Well, you haven’t actually been around much.”

Which was true. Lately she’d been spending a lot of time in Dallas. She tapped her foot and narrowed her eyes on him. God, why was he so damned handsome? His black hair curled around the collar of his shirt. Green eyes danced with mischievousness reminding her of Rhett Butler when he saw Scarlett after she tossed the vase over his head in the drawing room of Tara.

He’d set his hat next to him on the seat, and her breath caught. It was the tan Bailey she’d bought him for his birthday the wonderful summer they’d been together.

Tate looked into his glass of whiskey before drinking it in a single swallow. He winced and set the glass next to hers on the table. “I have a gift for you.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything. I got you a gift for your birthday, but it’s upstairs.”

Why did her heart always race like a horse out of the gate when he smiled at her like he was now?

“Really? You thought of me on my birthday?”

“I’ve always gotten you something for you birthday.” Shrugging, she glanced down at her crossed arms and shifted her feet. “I just never got a chance to get this year’s present to you.”

“Tell you what. You can give it to me later, but you’ll have to come with me to get yours.”

She thought that was odd, but smiled anyway. “Okay.”

“After you.” Standing, he set his hat on his head and gestured through the door.

The last thing she remembered was him putting something over her face and the devil’s voice in her ear.

“Sorry, princess. I’m hoping someday you’ll thank me for this.”

Bio:

Sara Walter Ellwood is an award winning author whose novel Gambling On A Secret was named by bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today as one of her favorite romances of 2012. Although Sara has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia.

She also writes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name of Cera duBois.

Author links:

Website: http://www.sarawalterellwood.com

Blog: http://www.sarawalterellwood.com/blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarawalterell...

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sara_w_ellwood

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

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Shiver me timbers! The Notorious Lady Anne is aboard!

I’m thrilled to welcome Sharon Cullen back to my blog today. Sharon visited when her book, The Notorious Lady Anne, was first released. You can read her post here. I read this book and LOVED it!

Now, here’s Sharon.

I’m so excited to announce that my historical romance, The Notorious Lady Anne, is now on sale for .99. If you like swashbuckling pirates and a heroine who isn’t your normal, run-of-the-mill heroine, you’ll enjoy this book.

The .99 price is for a limited time only and it’s available in both Nook and Kindle formats!

Nicholas Addison, celebrated captain of the Blackwell Shipping Fleet, has agreed to take Mrs. Emmaline Sutherland aboard the Prideand ferry the raven-haired beauty across the Atlantic on what he imagines will be a routine trip. But when the ship is attacked by pirates, the seemingly innocent passenger is revealed to be none other than the infamous marauder Lady Anne, whose name strikes fear in the hearts of sailors everywhere—and whose seductive wiles commandeers Nicholas’s affections.

Lady Anne, a legend of the high seas, has spent the last eleven years plotting revenge against her father, the owner of Blackwell Shipping. She’s targeted the Pride in hopes of plundering its captain’s company secrets. But beneath her fierce courage and bitter determination, Anne has the delicate heart of a woman—a heart that cannot help falling for Nicholas. Now Anne must make a difficult choice: bring down Blackwell or surrender to love.

BIO:

Sharon Cullen is the author of the historical romance, The Notorious Lady Anne (on sale now) and The Infamous Lord Blythe (available fall 2013). She’s also published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance and contemporary romance.

Her other job descriptions include chauffer, laundress, cook and mediator to her three very busy kids, her husband and two dogs. She lives in southwest Ohio with her brood although her dream is to someday retire to St. Maarten and live on the beach.

If you’d like to find out more about Sharon and her books, you can visit her website. She’s addicted to social networking so you can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Friend her! Like her! Follow her! She’d love to hang out with you and talk about her passion—books.

Where to purchase The Notorious Lady Anne for .99: Kindle | Nook

What people are saying about The Notorious Lady Anne:

“A must read for anyone who enjoys pirates with a twist, historical romance and a plain good read. ”My Book Addiction and More | 11 reviewers made a similar statement

“What’s really done well here is the romance. ”ejaygirl | 5 reviewers made a similar statement

“I spent every free minute reading this book, and waiting for the happy ending. ”Jennifer L. Irving | 2 reviewers made a similar statement

“If you’re a fan of Johanna Lindsey you won’t want to miss this book.” – USA Today

“Sharon Cullen’s The Notorious Lady Anne has everything I look for in a romance – swashbuckling adventure, a hero and heroine with sizzling chemistry, and non-stop, leap-off-the-page action. Cullen’s debut is a sexy, fun and thrilling read.” ~ Shana Galen, Bestselling Author of When You Give a Duke a Diamond.

“A deliciously hot hero, a fascinating heroine, fantastic chemistry, and a plot that’s equal parts adventure and steam – Sharon Cullen’s story pulls you in and won’t let go.” ~ Julie Anne Long, Bestselling author

Note from Margery: The Notorious Lady Anne is on sale only until June 1. Get your copy today. You will not be disappointed!!!