Margery Scott's Blog, page 3

February 10, 2014

Mid-winter blahs

Clipart provided by Classroomclipart

Clipart provided by Classroomclipart


Ever had a day – or a few days – when you just can’t get motivated? When even getting dressed requires more get-up-and-go than you can muster up? This past weekend was like that for me. I think I have the mid-winter blahs.


Now, to be honest, every day is a weekend in that I don’t have a day job that requires me to leave the house. I am a writer, though, so I do work. Every day. And I had big plans for the weekend. I like to work on a household project on the weekends as well as tending to the writing business-y chores, although I was behind on my word count for the week so that had to be rectified first. My schedule is so tight this year that I can’t afford to squander my days. Yet I wasted an entire weekend. Just because.


Weather? Possibly. I’m so not a winter person. Grey skies and snow suck out all my energy and by this time of year, I’m not fit to live with. Lack of sleep? Probably. I’ve had a bad case of middle-of-the-night insomnia for a while now, so by noon, I’m exhausted. But more than likely, I just needed a break from my regular routine.


So I spent most of the weekend curled up on the sofa, Kindle in one hand, TV remote in the other, food and beverages at my side and a roaring fire in the fireplace, and caught up on the shows I’ve missed lately, finished reading a cozy mystery on my Kindle, napped.


And you know what? I realized it’s okay to take a day or two to just be. To relax, kick back and do nothing. To laugh at silly TV sitcoms, to immerse yourself in another world between the pages of a book, to sleep and eat when you feel the need rather than because the clock says it’s time.


As Leonardo DaVinci says: “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer.”


Who am I to argue with Leo?



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Published on February 10, 2014 03:35

February 8, 2014

Spotlight Saturday: Hot Property, by Susanne O’Leary

Welcome to another Spotlight Saturday. This week, I’m reading a Hot Property by a new-to-me author, Susanne O’Leary.


 


 

Title:      Hot Property

Author:   Susanne O’Leary

Genre:   Irish romantic comedy

 

 

 

 

 

 


Description:


When Megan O’Farrell inherits her uncle’s house in a remote part of the windswept Atlantic coast of Ireland, she imagines it will be a romantic hideaway where she can recover from her recent divorce. But the house is a wreck that requires a fortune to restore, and she decides to sell it. An easy choice, were it not for the discovery of an old family scandal and a budding love affair with both the beautiful landscape and a handsome Kerryman. Catapulted into country life and faced with the less romantic side of farming, she also has to deal with a conspiracy to make her leave.


Buy links:     Amazon        Barnes&Noble     


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Published on February 08, 2014 05:00

February 5, 2014

Bronwen Evans and A Kiss of Lies

Bron_300x421-2Please help me welcome historical author Bronwen Evans to my blog today. She’s visiting all the way from New Zealand to tell us a little about herself and about her latest release, A Kiss of Lies.


Hi, Margery. Thanks so much for inviting me to guest blog today.


I haven’t been on your website before, so I’ll tell you a little bit about me. I live in New Zealand and I’m a romance author. I’ve been writing for a little over five years, my first book, Invitation to Ruin was released in March 2011. It went on to win the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical and was a RT Reviewers’ Choice Best First Historical Nominee.


I’ve just released my eighth book, A KISS OF LIES, book #1 in my Disgraced Lords Regency series. I had so much fun writing this book because the characters were such survivors, and who doesn’t love to root for the underdog.


A-Kiss-of-Lies-B.EvansTRRMy hero, Christian Trent, Earl of Markham, was badly burned at Waterloo (read a FREE prequel on my website) and his life changed overnight. He was no longer the sought after rake with the world at his feet. He became an embarrassment to Society. The grand dames did not want his badly burned face at their balls, but they couldn’t overlook the war hero. His mistress deserted him, and the mothers who used to throw their daughters in his path now humiliatingly avoided him.


To top all that, one morning, he wakes in a brothel accused of raping the Duke of Barforte’s daughter. The Duke and his son, Simon, shanghai Christian to Canada leaving him in a strange winter-land with no money and no proof of identity.


My heroine, Sarah Cooper, is basically sold into marriage to pay her father’s gambling debts. Once she signs the marriage register, her husband steals her off to Virginia. She has no idea that the man she married is a cruel and sadistic plantation owner, who treats her little better than the slaves he forces to work his land.


How do they meet up? Christian’s in York, Canada, and Sarah’s in Virginia. Sarah manages to escape north to York, and sees an advert for the role of governess to the Earl of Markham’s ward. Sarah believes fate has brought her to Christian. She remembers Lord Markham from home, England. She knows she’s found a safe haven, a place to hide and lick her wounds, but then the passion between these two wounded people ignites, and suddenly their world is not so safe…


Here’s the blurb:


A pair of damaged souls ignite each other’s deepest passions—even as they tempt fate by deceiving the world.


Desperate to escape her abusive past, Sarah Cooper disguises herself as a governess in the employ of Christian Trent, Earl of Markham, the man who, long ago, she fantasized about marrying. Despite the battle scars that mar his face, Sarah finds being near Christian rekindles her infatuation. A governess, however, has no business in the arms of an earl, and as she accompanies Christian on his voyage home, Sarah must resist her intense desires—or risk revealing her dangerous secrets.

One of the renowned Libertine Scholars, Christian Trent once enjoyed the company of any woman he chose. But that was before the horrors of Waterloo, his wrongful conviction of a hideous crime, and his forcible removal from England. Far from home and the resources he once had, Christian believes the life he knew—and any chance of happiness—is over . . . until his ward’s governess sparks his heart back to life, and makes him remember the man he used to be. Now Christian is determined to return to England, regain his honor, and win the heart of the woman he has come to love.


Here’s a snippet:-


Mrs. Sarah Cooper, although ushered into Lord Markham’s study by invitation, immediately felt the waves of animosity rolling off him. Gone was the fun-loving, handsome, and jovial rake she remembered spying on in her youth. Instead, she found a man whose love for life seemed as snuffed out as last night’s candle.


She couldn’t miss his scars, and saw that life had hurt him, marked him . . . as indeed it had her. He was badly burned over the right side of his face.


His once sensual lips appeared to curl at the corner as if he were permanently sneering. Lord Markham had let his hair grow longer than was fashionable and allowed it to hang about his face, probably in an attempt to hide the worst of his scars. As he swung round to greet her, she glimpsed his puckered cheek. The skin was pulled so taut, surely it must hurt to talk or eat. However, God had been slightly merciful, because his eye had not been damaged, nor much of the skin around it, he even had part of his eyebrow. She’d always loved the green of his eyes, as warm and welcoming as a summer meadow.


She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been free to run through tall grass. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been free, period.


Life hadn’t transpired as she’d thought or hoped.


They had that in common.


Even though she’d heard of his injuries, when she saw them her feet tripped in shock. His burns made her think of pain. Her heart welled with pity as she took in his scars. Gone was the smile that had had women forgetting everything, including propriety. Instead, the scars spoke of excruciating pain.


With her newfound inner strength, she steeled herself not to show any emotion. Besides, life on a slave plantation had introduced her to worse injuries.


Lord Markham, she was sure, would not appreciate pity. She needed to hide the fact that she’d seen him when he still looked like every woman’s fantasy. If he thought she recognized him, it might prompt his memory, and she needed to remain anonymous. She’d never been formally introduced to the Earl, and therefore felt a modicum of safety.


Since she was pretending to be a governess, normally they should never have crossed paths. For in which world would a governess ever mix with a bachelor earl? Nowhere respectable, certainly, and this position called for respectability. She’d seen the type of women he’d been interviewing before her, and seen them being shown the door.


Sarah prayed that the battle-scarred war hero sitting behind the imposing desk would remain unaware of how desperately she needed this position. Lord Markham—“Devil Scarface,” as the local Yorkers cruelly named him—was not renowned for his sweet temperament. If he saw through her deception, there was no telling what he might do.


I hope you read A KISS OF LIES and follow the journey Christian and Sarah take to their Happy Ever After. If you do, email me and let me know what you think of their story.


Thanks for having me over today. Happy reading…


A Kiss of Lies is available on: Amazon B&N Kobo iBooks


About Bron:


Multi-award winning, and best-selling author, Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Her debut Regency romance, Invitation to Ruin won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2012, and was an RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee Best First Historical 2011. Her first self-published novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield, was a TOP 5 FINALIST in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance Book of the Year 2012 and a finalist in the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2013. Her first contemporary released December 2012, The Reluctant Wife, won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Category 2013.


Bronwen loves hearing from avid romance readers at romance@bronwenevans.com


You can keep up with Bronwen’s news by visiting her website www.bronwenevans.com


Thanks so much for spending this time with me, Bronwen. I hope you’ll come back and visit again. Best of luck with A Kiss of Lies.



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Published on February 05, 2014 04:00

February 1, 2014

Spotlight Saturday: Louisiana Longshot, by Jana DeLeon

Welcome to another Spotlight Saturday. This week, I’m reading Louisiana Longshot, book #1 of the Miss Fortune mystery series by Jana Deleon. I’ve just started it, and I’m really enjoying it so far.

Louisiana Longshot

 


 

Title:      Louisiana Longshot (Miss Fortune mystery series, book #1)

Author:   Jana DeLeon

Genre:    Cozy mystery

 

 

 

 


Description:


It was a hell of a longshot…


CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever – in Sinful, Louisiana.


With a leak at the CIA and a price on her head by one of the world’s largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small, bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she’s determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.


Unfortunately, she hasn’t even unpacked a suitcase before her newly-inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly-sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she’s not careful, this investigation may blow her cover and get her killed.


Armed with her considerable skills and a group of old ladies referred to by locals as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder…before it’s too late.


Buy links:     Amazon        Barnes&Noble      iTunes     Kobo


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Published on February 01, 2014 02:34

January 29, 2014

Jill Hughey

JillAuthorNew

I’m thrilled to welcome loop-mate Jill Hughey back to my blog today. Jill has visited twice before. You can read her posts here and here.


Thanks for visiting again, Jill. The blog is yours. Take it away.


Thank you, Margery, for inviting me to your blog.


Sass250x400I write historical romance. Most of my stories are set in the medieval time period, but today I’m going to talk about my one and only sweet American historical, Sass Meets Class, in which an English aristocrat, Alexander, finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Susan, an unsophisticated American girl, in 1880s Arizona Territory. (One reviewer called it “Mr. Darcy in the Wild West.) The story was partly inspired by a visit my husband and I made to southern Arizona, to a very real town called Portal, and a neighboring, defunct mining town called Paradise. In the book, I decided to change the names because my timeline didn’t quite fit the facts of the towns.


Alexander and Susan develop an unlikely friendship — to his snooty mother’s horror — as he initiates her in the world of literature and she introduces him to working-class America. We meet Susan’s inquisitive father and pretty sister, as well as an old coot who takes up residence on the front porch of their general store. Despite the growing affection, Alexander is compelled to stick to his plan to return to England. Susan is broken-hearted and angry, and is not afraid to tell him so in this excerpt.


BEGINNING OF EXCERPT


“Hang your chivalry!” Susan shouted in his face. “Hang it until it turns purple and its eyes bulge out. Chivalry and all your other rules are just an excuse, an excuse to treat women like they can’t think for themselves, like they can’t sort out their own feelings and see the truth. I see the truth.” Susan scrambled to her feet to tower over him. “You want me. You said it in your oh-so-uppity way and you meant it. You meant it from here.” She poked her chest. “You’ve never said you want Furnivall with a spark in your eyes like when you look at me. I’ll bet you never sat around the dinner table there and laughed as hard as you did when Pa told us about meeting up with that skunk. How can you choose a life centered on what you should do instead of what makes you come alive?”


He leaped to his feet too. “That you make me feel vital and invincible is irrelevant. I cannot have you.”


She stepped forward to stand toe-to-toe with him. “I am telling you that you can. But you aren’t choosing me. The only salve I’ll have on my soul is that when you are married to a woman as cold and flat-faced as your marble floors then you’ll know it is because you didn’t believe enough in either of us to choose me.” A fierce wind blew down the valley. Her hair streamed around her face, battering them both with whipping strands.


He grabbed it harshly, collecting the locks and wrapping the rope around his hand until her head tilted back on her

neck. “Curse this hair.” His eyes fixed on her mouth. “Curse it.” He covered her lips with his own, the wet heat clinging and taunting until she clutched his shirt to keep standing. He slid his free hand to the small of her back, pulling her tight against him. She couldn’t breathe, she didn’t want to breathe, she had to breathe as her heart threatened to burst from her chest. This was a life-changing event! Here and now, he’d finally accepted the two of them as they should be. Together.


When he pulled away, his eyes seared into hers. But then, slowly, in a nightmare from which she could not awaken, they frosted to ice blue, flat, frozen and harder than she’d ever seen them, harder than any stone floor could ever be. “Goodbye, Susan,” he said as he turned resolutely away, leaving her alone at the cypress tree.


END OF EXCERPT


As you can see, conversation gets pricklier than a cactus and desert temperatures are bound to rise in Sass Meets Class. Never fear. Time and distance and secrets cannot end a friendship that is meant to be love.


You can find Sass Meets Class at the following links:

AMAZON (Kindle and print) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089NLLBC


BARNES AND NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sass-meets-class-jill-hughey/1111451835?ean=2940014774970


iTUNES https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sass-meets-class/id549329677?mt=11


KOBO http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sass-meets-class


SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/169732


CREATESPACE (print) https://tsw.createspace.com/title/3817394


The most interesting fact about Jill Hughey is that she can sing really, really high. As in opera-singer high. But she only does that when she is not writing, working part time as a business administrator, running her two teenaged sons around, and enjoying the support of her wonderful husband. Her ideal afternoon is spent sitting on her front porch with an iced coffee as she moves the characters in her head into her laptop.


Happy reading!


If you’d like to keep in touch with her, you can find her on her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.


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Published on January 29, 2014 04:00

January 26, 2014

Spotlight Saturday: Where the Wind Blows by Caroline Fyffe

Welcome to another Spotlight Saturday. This week, I’m reading Where the Wind Blows, by Caroline Fyffe.

WhereWind

 


 

Title:      Where the Wind Blows

Author:   Caroline Fyffe

Genre:    Western historical romance


 


 


 

 


Description:

In the untamed wilderness of the Wyoming Territory, Chase Logan lives by no man’s leave, a solitary drifter who closed off his heart long ago—until the day he impulsively does a kindness for a beautiful young widow and everything changes.


For two years, Jessie Strong has dreamt of the day she can bring little Sarah home from the orphanage and call the child her own. But when her husband dies, Jessie fears the family she’s longed for is slipping away—until Chase Logan unexpectedly comes to her rescue. By pretending to be her husband, Chase can make all of her dreams come true.


Three days are all she asks of him.


Three days to ignite a love neither of them ever imagined possible…


Buy links:     Amazon        Barnes&Noble      


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nbsp;


 

Title:      Where the Wind Blows

Author:   Caroline Fyffe

Genre:    Historical romance


 


 


 

 


Description:


It’s all in the Cattitude . . .



After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.


Buy links:     Amazon        Barnes&Noble       iTunes      Kobo


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Published on January 26, 2014 01:14

January 22, 2014

Mary Marvella – Protective Instincts

Mom_HS_Scan_R_3-1

Please help me welcome author and loop buddy Mary Marvella to my blog today to talk about her latest book, Protective Instincts, and choosing just the right bad guy for your novel.


Thanks for taking the time to visit today, Mary. Villains are so much fun to create, and I’m always interested in how other authors come up with their evil people.


Choosing a Villain for a Story.

Mary Marvella
A romantic suspense requires a bad guy, the person who threatens the hero and/or heroine. A great romantic suspense requires a strong and intriguing bad guy and a strong hero and heroine.


In Protective Instincts someone wanted to kill Brit, my heroine, but who? She told me she was a widow, so I searched for the person who killed her husband years ago. Maybe he was back in the picture. That person needed to be a professional killer, but I didn’t want the same kind of killer I had seen before. What if he killed each person in a different way? Hmmm. With that question details began to bombard me and Douglas Drake came to life in my mind and on the pages. He had to be the best at what he did and thoroughly dangerous and a tad crazy. His personality and backstory revealed themselves as I put him through his paces. I couldn’t reveal all he told me, but I got a good feel for him. He wanted to attack Brit in her classroom and try to rape and kill her. That could work. Though I couldn’t allow that, he had to try and I needed a way to stop him!


Sam, the father of one her students, had let me know he found her attractive, but the scenes with my hero and heroine doing the flirting thing was much too same old stuff. I had read scenes like them more times than I could count. I liked the story and my characters, but something was missing.


After I finished the original version I had an epiphany, or rather Douglas goaded me by saying the book was boring. Both of my parents had died and my husband and I had separated and I was marking time with my revisions and edits. I challenged Douglas to try to write the story better if he thought he could, and he did! He did things I had never seen a villain do in a romantic suspense and Brit and Sam rose to the occasion and became stronger from necessity!


The more I wrote the more Douglas told me about his childhood and what he valued and what needed. I had written the story and thrown Brit and her hero into dangerous situations, but Douglas challenged them in more ways than one. Some of my critique partners consider Protective Instincts his book. Sam and Brit disagree. I am stopping now to avoid a spoiler.


Protective_Instincts_Final_LARGEBlurb

They met because he had premonitions and she was in peril. But you will never believe why they fell in love. Paranormal romance at its best.


After mourning the loss of her husband, Brit Roberts manages to pick up her life as a teacher for a rural Georgia High school. Things are fine until anonymous phone calls turn creepy and her life is endangered. It’s not until Sam Samuels, shows up to check on her that she finds a little peace, if not a slight attraction to the handsome yet meddling security specialist.


Sam Samuels isn’t just the father of one of Ms. Robert’s students, he’s a man with premonitions so strong, they make him ill. So when he meets his son’s teacher and pain kicks in, he knows something’s awry but can’t put his finger on it until he interrupts an attempt to kill the teacher. Sam makes it his personal goal to protect her, only he didn’t count on falling for her.


Someone wants Brit, and now Sam, dead too. Could the death of her ex husband be part of the reason? Can Brit and Sam navigate a relationship despite both of their headstrong natures?


You can find Protective Instincts on Amazon.


Bio

Mary lives north of Atlanta, Georgia where she tutors, edits freelance and for a small publisher, and writes the stories her characters make her write. She doesn’t have a muse, she has pushy characters. Mary writes southern fiction. Love, Lust, Southern Comfort and Sweet Tea!


Contact links

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1cEyZFn

Website: www.MaryMarvella.com



Pink Fuzzy Slippers: www.PinkFuzzySlipperWriters.blogspot.com

Twitter: Mary Marvella@mmarvellab

Facebook Author Page: http://on.fb.me/1anqdxk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmbarfield


Thanks for joining me, Mary. Best of luck with Protective Instincts.



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Published on January 22, 2014 03:10

January 18, 2014

Spotlight Saturday: Cattitude by Edie Ramer

Welcome to another Spotlight Saturday. This week, I’m reading Cattitude by Edie Ramer. Very cute premise!


Cattitude

 


 

Title:      Cattitude

Author:   Edie Ramer

Genre:    Fantasy/paranormal/romantic comedy


 


 


 

 


Description:


It’s all in the Cattitude . . .



After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.


Buy links:     Amazon        Barnes&Noble       iTunes      Kobo


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Published on January 18, 2014 04:02

January 15, 2014

Lana Williams is Unraveling Secrets

Lana WilliamsPlease help me welcome historical romance author Lana Williams to my blog today. Lana is one of the members of Love Historicals, a fabulous new group of fourteen historical romance authors I’m proud to be part of.


Thanks for joining me, Lana. I’m always interested in motivation. The blog is yours. Take it away.


What Motivates You?


Thank you so much for having me, Margery! I’m excited to be part of Love Historicals with you! Today, I’d like to share my latest release, Unraveling Secrets. This historical romance is set in Victorian London (1880’s).


After writing three books set in medieval England, readers have asked what drew me to Victorian times. First of all, I love reading historical romances set in any time period, but for some reason, the Victorian period is especially appealing to me. I suppose it’s because of the changes people were experiencing in their daily life. There were so many new inventions, from transportation to the sewing machine, the typewriter, and the flushable toilet. What interesting times that must’ve been. But with these changes came some growing pains, especially in London and other large cities. All that provides so many ideas for stories!


To be a good writer, I think you have to become part psychologist.  To create believable characters, it helps to have a basic understanding of people, from their motivations, to their flaws, to their strengths. The better you understand people, the better your story. In studying characters, you get the chance to learn a little more about yourself!


One of the most helpful things I learned as I’ve studied people was the different things that motivate us. Discovering this can give you a lift no matter what you’re trying to accomplish, whether it’s getting healthier or writing a book. Some people are motivated by competition, some by being told they can’t do it, others by breaking things down into small tasks, or by promising themselves a reward when they reach their goal.


A great book on this topic that I highly recommend is Life the Life You Love by Barbara Sher. It has a great way to help you figure out what motivates you and how to use that to accomplish your goals.


For me, my motivator is definitely breaking things down into small tasks. Writing a 400 page novel sounds incredibly intimidating, but I know that I can write one page. By focusing on just that small step, I am in the process of writing my fifth book! So what about you? What motivates you?


I’ll check that book out since I’m not really sure what motivates me. It seems to change from day to day.


Now, can you tell my readers a little about yourself?


Books have always held a magical appeal for me. They transport you to places you’ve never been to, introduce you to fascinating characters, and I’m a sucker for happy endings. Reading books, especially romance, has always been a family event for me, something I share with my mom and my sisters.


The process of writing has a magic all its own. After several years of studying the hero’s journey story arc, I’ve realized that while the first kiss between the hero and heroine is important, it’s the moment before the kiss that can create the biggest emotional punch.


My first book is A Vow To Keep, followed by Trust In Me, then Believe In Me, all part of a trilogy set in medieval England.


My fourth book is Unraveling Secrets and is set in Victorian London.


I live in the Rocky Mountains with my husband, our two boys, and two labs.


LanaWilliams_UnravelingSecrets_200


Here’s a little more about my latest release, Unraveling Secrets:


When her father’s murderer returns from the dead to threaten her family, Abigail Bradford attempts to warn him off, but soon learns chasing a ghost is no easy task.


Stephen Nolton, Viscount Ashbury, stumbles upon Abigail in the dirty streets of London’s East End. Able to read auras of good and evil after an electromagnetic experiment went terribly wrong, Stephen hovers on society’s edge, keeping secret his unique skill and personal mission. Despite his fascination with the lady and her unique golden aura, he intends to keep his distance.


Desperate to protect her family, Abigail turns to the one man she believes can aid her. In Stephen’s arms, she finds so much more than she hoped. Stephen tries to resist his desire for the independent beauty, afraid she’ll unravel his secrets. But when he discovers the murderer is linked to his own past, he must decide how much he’s willing to risk for love.


Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of Unraveling Secrets:


London, May 1882


Abigail Bradford followed her quarry through the unfamiliar cobbled streets of the East End, her heart pounding with fear, wondering if she trailed a ghost.


“You’re certain that’s Simmons, miss?” asked Thomas, the brawny footman who also served as protector for her family.


“No. How could it be? Vincent Simmons was hung for murdering my father ten years ago.”


Yet his tattered bowler hat bobbed above the crowd just ahead in the evening twilight, the man blissfully unaware of his pursuers.


Thomas had spotted a man loitering outside their Mayfair home last week and chased him off. The same man had returned two days later, allowing Abigail to catch a glimpse of him—and she’d nearly dropped to her knees. His was a face she’d never forget, one that still haunted her nights.


Thomas had followed him to a tavern then to his lodgings in Alsatia. Tonight, they’d caught sight of him making his way home from The Ox and Crown Tavern where he seemed to be a regular, according to what little Thomas had discovered.


Abigail stumbled on the uneven cobbles, her gait awkward in the oversized boots she wore.


“Miss, no offense, but you walk like a girl,” Thomas grumbled. “Can you lengthen your stride?”


Abigail tried to do as he suggested, but the brown trousers she wore were a bit snug. The coarse shirt and wool jacket felt bulky on her slim figure. “Is that better?” she asked.


Thomas merely sighed. He’d been appalled when she’d insisted on coming along on this venture, advising her that a lady could not roam these rough streets. When she’d refused to stay behind, he’d procured a mismatched set of boy’s clothes to disguise her.


I love connecting with readers! Visit me at:

Website: www.lanawilliams.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LanaWilliamsBooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LanaWilliams28


Unraveling Secrets, a Victorian Romance, is available at:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/18wWuV3

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1cyNx9I

Kobo: http://bit.ly/IVk4zl

Paperback: http://bit.ly/1ji9DpW



Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Lana. Wishing you much success with Unraveling Secrets and your other books.


The post Lana Williams is Unraveling Secrets appeared first on Margery Scott.

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Published on January 15, 2014 02:51

January 13, 2014

Off we go …

There’s not much I dislike more than allowing myself to be locked inside a metal cylinder for hours, with no control. But that’s what I’m doing today. I’m getting on a plane!!


800px-Plane_landing

JR and I are taking a spur-of-the-moment trip with our neighbors to the sunny South. I like to be spontaneous, but this time, I think I let my impulsive nature overcome my common sense and my survival instinct.


Yes, I know air travel is safer than being on the ground. Yes, I know it’s much quicker to fly than to drive. And I also know it’s much easier to sit back and let someone else do the driving.


Still, I’d rather do almost anything else than fly. I’m sure I’ll have a great time once I’m there, until the day before we’re due to come home, when the stress-meter will go berserk again.


How about you? Do you like to fly? White knuckler like me?



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The post Off we go … appeared first on Margery Scott.

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Published on January 13, 2014 05:00