Katheryn Lane's Blog, page 2

Love and War: Meet Romance Author and Poet, Dawn Torrens

Dawn,
it’s great to have you here! I love your romance novels. For people who haven’t had the chance to read them yet, could you tell us a bit about them?




I love romance combined with drama,
so my books often contain heart-wrenching scenes. I like my books to evoke all kinds of emotions in people and for them to feel the pain, the love and all the
emotions my characters are feeling. This is not easy to do and so I often find I have to get into character myself when writing certain scenes. Romance is a
common theme throughout all of my books and combined with the drama my readers have come to know me well for I think it's a great combination.





Your
books contain some beautiful poetry and I believe you have published several books of poems. Could you share one of them?




Soldier on Operations:




A soldier on operations clearing the route

Treading ground carefully with his military boot

An IED war that's hard to control

They do their best while on patrol.




Many bombs planted every day

Beneath the soil, refusing to decay

The slightest pressure; it will explode

Death is certain for all on the road.




Yet still our soldiers risk their lives

In armoured vehicles they do drive

Along dangerous roads, minefields they are

Searching the routes, long and far.







Some lives are lost and many wounded

Sadly, a few tragically executed

The war will continue, it never stops

It remains forever, a constant backdrop.






Wow!
What a moving poem. Thank you for sharing it. What are you working on at the moment?





I am currently working on "The Poppy Fields" trilogy. I have completed book one and I am half way through book two in the trilogy. I will be releasing all three books together in June. This is another military romance, a heart wrenching romantic drama. Once again it's filled with love, loss and undying hope. The sheer emotional strength of human will really shines through this
story. I am very excited about this trilogy...




Sounds
great! I can’t wait to read them. Several of your books have a military theme or element to them. Are you connected to the army?




Both of my Grandfather's fought in
World War 2 and my Great Grandfather fought in World War 1. My father was a flight engineer for the RAF and then went on to work as a flight engineer in
the private sector. Then tragically in 2008 I lost a dear friend to the war in Afghanistan. This really upset me beyond words.




My paternal Grandfather has shared so many of his stories with me and my Grandma told me her stories from the women's point of view during those times. From rationing food, to using gravy browning to smear on their legs because they could not afford stockings! It all fascinated me so much and there began my life long fascination with wars past and present.





What
are you reading at the moment?



I am currently re-reading "Great Expectations" by the fabulous Charles Dickens. I love this story and have read the book once before many years ago. I came across this book recently while clearing out my loft and decided to re-read it...




It’s
a great book. I might reread it myself this year. What do you like to do in
your free time when you’re not reading or writing?



My free time is so precious and I
spend every single moment I have with my beautiful daughter!




Is there anything else you would like to
add?




Writing
is something I am so very passionate about... It's a job I would gladly do for free and actually I did in the beginning... I am never deterred by negativity,
in fact it serves to make me stronger not weaker! I am a true believer that if you want something badly enough you CAN make it happen. Just have enough faith
in yourself and be patient.




Good advice. Where can readers buy your books?




Amazon UK author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/D.-G-Torrens/e/B0083UE6U4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1




Amazon USA author
page: http://www.amazon.com/D.G.-Torrens/e/B0083UE6U4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1






Where can readers find our more about
you?




Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/dgtorrrens

Twitter: @Torrenstp

Website: http://dawnsdaily.com




Thank you so much Katheryn for inviting
me here today it was a great pleasure...



Thank you Dawn. It's been great chatting with you!

Tripping Prince Charming, the tale of three romances by Ey Wade

To start off the new year with some great romance, it's great to welcome Ey Wade who's kindly agreed to give me a glimpse of her latest romance, Tripping Prince Charming, which was featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After column! Over to you, Ey.




I am really excited about sharing
Tripping Prince Charming. It is the first serious romance I've written and came
out better than I expected. It contains, humor, drama, and a bit of history.



Initially,
my intention was to publish a three book series for a religious publisher, but
their rules were so strict, I decided to add the books in one cover one after
another. This final version of Tripping Prince Charming is the tale of three
romances and is written in the format of acts and scenes. This excerpt is from
the Act titled - Matchmaker, Matchmaker. 



How do you handle it when your best friend thinks
she knows exactly what you need in life? Often, and without our knowledge,
friends see our love life and relationships as a playing field they control.
Ivy gets a kick out of pretending she's the world's best matchmaker as you will
see in this scene.



TRIPPING PRINCE CHARMING



Every
time she looked in Lillie-Rose's direction, Ivy smiled. She couldn't wait for
her cynical friend to meet Nathaniel. Within the few weeks she'd come to know
him, she knew he was the guy for Lillie-Rose. They had the same critical sense
of humor, but that was where the similarity disappeared, Where Lillie-Rose
pretended to be tough, Nathaniel was the epitome of the protective dependable
male. Just what Lillie-Rose needed, a prince who would stand by her side and be
the husband she'd always secretly wanted? Lillie-Rose walked around the flower
shop tinkering with the small items on the shelves. The frequent sideways
glance she was receiving from her friend was making her a little nervous.
"What are you smiling about Ivy? Each time I've looked up, you're looking
at me and smiling. Is it Bernard? Are you so in love you can't see anything but
rainbows and butterflies? The love bug has surely eaten a hunk out of you."



Ivy
laughed. "I guess you could say that. It's funny, but I see the potential
for love all around."



"I'm
sure you do. From the gushy phone calls I was getting from you and Carmella,
you both seem to have cornered the market while I was away these past three
weeks."



"If
you only knew the half of it, you would want to be a part of the love
fest." Lillie-Rose chuckled nervously. The gleam in her friend's eyes that
she had mistakenly labeled love, now shone for what it really was the freakin',
painfully conniving glare of the match maker. "I'll learn it from watching
the two of you. Not everyone in life needs to experience love, Ivy." 



"Ah,
but Lee you'll miss so much." Trying to ignore her friend's look of
enthusiasm, Lillie-Rose focused her vision on what was in her hand and almost
choked. She hurriedly replaced the small statue of a couple kissing, onto the
shelf before moving away to sit on the edge of the desk. "Looks like
you're up to something, Ivy and I don't like it." Pointing her finger in
her friend's direction, she squint her left eye. "If you're about to pull
one of your famous match-making fails, stop right now."



"Come-on
Lee, just think..."



Lillie-Rose immediately closed her mind to what
her friend was saying. The last thing she wanted to be was ‘fixed up' with
another one of Ivy's date rejects. Especially when her every free, thinking
space of her mind was filled with the image of a beautiful knight standing
under a tree.



For
three weeks she'd prepared files, succeeded in balancing accounts for clients,
all of the time chewing her nails in anticipation for her return home so she
could finally question Ivy about the beautiful man on the mountain. If anyone would
know anything it would be Ivy. Just the thought made her smile, her fantasy
interrupted by the sudden squealing peal of Ivy's voice. "What? What
happened?" 



"Oh
Lee, you don't know how happy this makes me. You won't regret it."



" I'm regretting it already and I don't even
know what I've done."



"You agreed to meet a friend of mine. He
should be…."



"No,
I didn't." Lillie-Rose's quick denial was brushed aside by Ivy's
infectious giggle.



Yes,
you did. I was telling you about him and you were smiling and nodding…"



"No,
stop. We're not going through that kind of thing again."



"Wait,
before we get into the conversation, I have to run to the back. It won't take
me a minute. You think you can watch the shop until I get back?"



"Not a problem."





Ey Wade is an author in various genres, a mother
of three adult daughters and the Lovey to her three year old grandson


















WEB: Wade-In Publishing http://wade-inpublishing.com

BLOG: http://trippingprincecharming.blogspot.com

(for
links to all online stores)

TWITTER:
@jumpouttheboat 

Grab
excerpts and pins http://bit.ly/TPCpins

TRAILER:
 http://bit.ly/vidtpc

Sheikhs and Cowboys - A Review of 2013

2013 was quite a year for me. It started off with the publication of my second sheikh romance, The Desert Sheikh , which became a huge hit! Seeing the book reach Number 1 on Amazon and then staying there for 3 months was amazing.







I then went on to write two more sheikh romances, The Sheikh's Beloved and A Bride For The Sheikh , with the Bride romance hitting Number 1 on Amazon yesterday. What a way to end the year!







In addition to writing sheikh stories, I also turned my hand to cowboy romance, inspired by several trips I've made to Dallas, Texas, and just a few weeks ago, I published The Texas Cowboy , which so far has had some great reviews. Look out for another cowboy romance in 2014.






I've also been busy interviewing other writers, including bestselling sheikh romance author, Alexandra Sellers, and bestselling cowboy romance author, KC Klein, as well as a host other brilliant, inspiring authors, such as JJ Ellis, Michelle Matkins and Jude Ouvrard. Take a look at their interviews if you haven't already.



Thank you everyone for wonderful 2013 and here's to a healthy and happy 2014!





 

Win a copy of THE TEXAS COWBOY at The Romance Reviews

With Christmas just around the corner I've paired up with The Romance Reviews to give away 2 copies of my latest romance, THE TEXAS COWBOY.



To enter, just go to their contest page, HERE, type in your email address and then click 'Enter the Contest'. How easy is that? The contest is open until December 25th, 11:59pm (EST) so hurry over and enter. Who knows, you might be a winner this Christmas!




The Texas Cowboy





Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the problems.




When Vicky flies into Texas, she immediately falls for the charms of local cowboy, Jack Cassidy. However, her wealthy Dallas cousin, Laura, has other ideas and will do everything she can to steer Vicky away from Jack and into the arms of a rich oilman.




Jack is resigned to living the life of a lonely cowboy whose only female company is his horses—that is, until he meets Vicky. However, Vicky isn’t the only person with a claim on his heart. Jack wasn’t always alone and his ex is about to make a dramatic comeback.




Every cowboy has a past and this cowboy’s past is about to destroy his future.

5 Great Country Music Love Songs

I mentioned in an earlier post how much I love country music and that one of my favorite songs was Smoke Rings In The Dark by Gary Allan, and today I thought I'd share some more great country love songs - perfect to listen to while reading my latest romance, The Texas Cowboy ! In reverse order:



5. You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This by Toby Keith



4. Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis



3. Let's Make Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill



2. Remember When by Alan Jackson



The Number 1, All Time Favorite....



Always On My Mind by the legendary country singer, Willie Nelson



Enjoy!

MARRIED TO MAGGIE - Great Romance by Jan Romes

Since I'm currently into bride covers (see A Bride For The Sheikh ) and Texas (see The Texas Cowboy ), I was immediately drawn to Jan Romes' latest romance, Married to Maggie . Here's what it's about:



Texas playboy, Ty Vincent, heir to the Vincent Oil fortune needs a short-term wife to convince his grandfather and the Board of Directors that he's changing his ways so they'll name him CEO. Ditching an environmental conference in Atlanta to play in Reno, Ty suffers razor-sharp chest pains at the airport. The pains were becoming a common occurrence that started showing up after he lost his father in a fiery crash a year earlier. The woman who comes to his aid not only helps him with what she can only assume is a heart attack but she also fibs to keep airport security and paparazzi from descending on him. She's brilliant, unemployed and not his type which makes her the perfect choice for a temporary spouse. If he can ignore her extraordinary blue eyes then everything will go according to plan. 






Six months. No Sex. No telling each other what to do. It should be a win-win for them both. Will the mayhem of wealth, media attention, meddlesome friends and chemistry so hot it could melt plastic ruin their lives? Or will it be the catalyst for happily-ever-after?



Having seen the book cover, read the blurb, and knowing what a great romance writer Jan is, I couldn't help but buy it! Here's what I thought:



Married to Maggie is a great romance story! When super rich Ty accidentally meets Maggie in an airport, he thinks he’s found the potential bride he needs to convince his grandfather that he’s responsible enough to take over the family’s oil business. However, the meeting isn’t an accident and Ty and Maggie find out that there is a lot more behind their meeting than they first thought.



This book is full of drama, passion and romance. Ty, despite his highly privileged upbringing, is a wonderful, sexy hero, while the heroine is smart and feisty enough to stand her ground in the cut-throat world of the Dallas mega wealthy. I loved the two main characters so much that I couldn’t stop reading to find out what would happen to them.



Married to Maggie is a great romance read that will have you turning the pages until the early hours of the morning! I can’t wait to read more in this series.



You can buy Married To Maggie from Amazon, including:



Amazon USA and Amazon UK

Talking About Cowboys

Today I'm very lucky to be chatting with bestselling romance author, Jan Romes, about cowboys, Texas and writing The Texas Cowboy. Please stop by and join us at Jan's Blog.



Hope to see you there!

Best of 2013: Broken Wings by DG Torrens and Trail of 32 by Paul Rega

I've read heaps of fantastic books this year, so it's extremely hard to chose one to give away as part the Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop. However, one of my favorite romances has to be Broken Wings by D. G. Torrens



This is what it's about:





Two people who have both suffered tragic losses in their young life; both of them avoiding love for completely different reasons. Joshua, a soldier in the British Army, a bomb disposal expert and the very best at what he does. Angelina, an editor for a local newspaper and writer in her spare time. Both of them focused on their careers. 



Brought together unexpectedly, they fall unconditionally and irrevocably in love with one another. All is perfect in their lives until Joshua is unexpectedly posted to Afghanistan for six months. Angelina's worst fears are finally realized. Joshua has to go, it's his duty as a soldier, but the pull in his heart is strong and he leaves her behind with a heavy heart. 



Angelina is devastated and prays for his safe return. Until one day, a few weeks into Joshua's deployment, there is a knock on her door that changes her life forever.



For non-fiction, my favourite book this year is  Trail of 32 by Paul Rega.

Here's what it's about:





The astonishing, true story of a group of thirty-two boys and leaders who accomplished an amazing feat in 1972, when they rode their bicycles from Wood Dale, Illinois to Jacksonville, Florida.



Baby boomers of all ages as well as Scouts, past and present will marvel over this amazing true story of courage, conquest, and adventure. Fans of Stand By Me will applaud this tale of heroism and childhood in a simpler time.



The 1960's and early 70's were a simpler time--a common sense two-pedal world with realistic adventures, and everyday heroes. In the summer of 1972, an innocence was lost when twenty-six young boys in a small rural town set out to accomplish something bigger than themselves. Their journey of nearly 1,400 miles would take them through eight states, crossing over the Great Smoky Mountains. It was a tremendous achievement--one that would be hailed as the longest organized bike hike in the history of Scouting. 



As it's the holiday season, I'm also giving away a copy of my latest romance, The Texas Cowboy.





Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the problems.





When Vicky flies into Texas, she immediately falls for the charms of local cowboy, Jack Cassidy. However, her wealthy Dallas cousin, Laura, has other ideas and will do everything she can to steer Vicky away from Jack and into the arms of a rich oilman.




Jack is resigned to living the life of a lonely
cowboy whose only female company is his horses—that is, until he meets Vicky. However, Vicky isn’t the only person with a claim on his heart. Jack wasn’t always alone and his ex is about to make a dramatic comeback.



Every cowboy has a past and this cowboy’s past is about to destroy his future.





To win ebook copies of all 3 books, just enter using the Rafflecopter below, then visit the other blogs on the hop to enter the other great giveaways!



Happy Hopping!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Listen and you can hear the smoke rings

I love country music and while I was writing The Texas Cowboy I listened to a lot of it!



An old, but favorite of mine is Smoke Rings In The Dark by Gary Allan. As well as being a beautiful song, it's also amazing because you can actually hear the smoke rings. Listen and you'll see what I mean.

5 Great Things About Texas

I love Texas and here are 5 great facts about the state:



1. The name Texas comes from the Native American, Caddo word Tejas, meaning 'friends' or 'allies'.



2. It's known as the


3. Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are 3 of the 10 biggest cities in America with a combined population of over 4,500,000! However, the capital of Texas isn't one of these, it's Austin.



3. The Dallas Cowboys is the wealthiest team in the NFL.



4. The Dallas-Fortworth area has more shopping malls per person than any other metropolitan area in the USA.



5. Texas was the largest state in the USA until Alaska joined in 1959.




Everything's bigger in Texas!