K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 82

December 18, 2018

One More Christmas




Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, our story being featured is One More Christmas.
The winter holidays are a time of joy and happiness. For Dawn, it’s a time of sorrow, of hoping to hide her mom’s impending death from her younger siblings, so they can have a happy holiday rather than remembering the sad times.

Blurb
One more Christmas is all Dawn wants. Is that too much to ask?
With a little more than a week before the holiday, fifteen-year old Dawn and her dad share a heart-wrenching secret about her mom. She’s dying of leukemia, but no one suspected a thing; they all just thought she was tired. All Dawn has to lean on is a prayer—that her mom won’t die before or on this special day, so her five younger siblings don’t have to remember that during the holidays in the future. Will she receive her wish?


Amazon eBook


Excerpt

“Dad is taking us up to Mount Baldy the day after Christmas.” Robby leaned close and lowered his voice. “Why don’t you ask your parents if you can come? We can take a hike on our own, get away from all the boring stuff.”
“Sure.”
My smile wasn’t as big as I wanted to make it, but maybe I could pull this off. My parents liked Mr. and Mrs. Ryan.
As Robby and I walked along, our hands would touch. Each time they did, a thrill ran through me. I was connecting with the guy of my dreams. Even better, he wanted me to go on what could potentially be my first date—if my parents didn’t drop the “you’re too young” excuse when I asked them tonight about the trip.
“So, when are your relatives showing up?” Robby asked.
His question totally blew me away. For a few blissful minutes, I’d forgotten all about my mom’s parents and sister showing up for Christmas at our house this year.
“Next week,” I said. “They’re staying until New Year’s Day.”
Gloom settled around me. There was no way now that I could go up to Mount Baldy the day after Christmas. Not unless Mom had some kind of miraculous recovery. There would be tons of cleaning all next week. Lots of pre-holiday preparation to get through. Gift wrapping to accomplish when the other kids were outside cleaning the yard—if Mom didn’t boot me out the door and swear that she was up to handling the house. Oh, and putting up the decorations.
Still... I was in this place where I wanted a life and to be treated like I wasn’t a little kid. Yet, I also had this whole family comes first thing going on. My dad and mom were super private people, so that meant I had no real idea how we were going to handle the whole get ready for Christmas thing and our relatives, plus maybe Mom might get better, if we all crossed our fingers and prayed real hard.
“When are you guys doing the outside of your house?” Robby stopped a few steps from the corner where we’d both have to turn.
Good thing he did stop. With my luck, at least one of my younger siblings would be outside and they would see us. Then I’d have to explain to Mom that walking home from the bus stop with my best friend wasn’t a date, not that I was thinking like that.
I mean, it was kind of an unofficial date. Right?
“Well?” He stared at me with concern written all over his face. “Isn’t your dad going to do up your yard for the competition on Monday?”
What could I say? My dad had won the city’s competition for the best holiday decorated yard for ten years running. We always started doing that around Thanksgiving and didn’t stop until the judges showed up.
How was I supposed to explain that this year things were really weird, without exposing what was going on inside our house and letting the world know that my mom was just too tired to do anything but sleep or stumble around the house?










About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:


Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page

Google+ Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb

Authorgraph Email




















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Published on December 18, 2018 00:00

December 17, 2018

The Phone Call





Good morning. Welcome to Monday Blogs. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with Anna Belle Rose today about her book The Phone Call.
The Phone Call
Blurb
Kat meets Alex during Christmas break, her senior year of college. After a romantic night at the opera, the attraction between them is palpable, but both know that the timing is not right. They exchange numbers and promise to stay in touch, but events out of their control leave them both waiting on a call that will never come. When fate seems to deal them a second chance, they must trust in each other to make their relationship work. A secret from Kat’s past threatens to destroy their newfound love. Is she strong enough to tell Alex the truth? Will he understand and accept it if she does?





Amazon eBook
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About Anna Belle Rose
Anna Belle is a graduate of Middlebury College, Castleton University and Union Institute. She lives on their small family farm in Central Vermont with her husband and youngest son. When not writing, she enjoys time with her husband, children and grandchildren, traveling, gardening, cheering for the Red Sox, and taking care of her alpacas, bees and chickens. Anna Belle is also an avid knitter and spinner, and often her best ideas for novels come when at the spinning wheel or in the garden.


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Published on December 17, 2018 00:00

December 16, 2018

A Long Way From Home







Good morning and welcome to Sunday Blog Share. Today, our story being featured is A Long War From Home.
Military members, especially the single ones, oftentimes spend the winter holidays far from home. Their celebrations are lonely, with dreams of being with their families.

Blurb
Lynn and Deke participate in the local St. Nicholas Day celebration in the German village outside their Air Force Base. Each finds a new reason to enjoy the winter holidays.






Amazon eBook




Excerpt

Lynn Michaels sat at the window of her dormitory at Hahn AB in Germany. Her gaze focused on everything and nothing—the fat snowflakes so foreign to her, a young woman born and raised in Southern California, the distant memory of what would be happening in her home right at this minute, how she was a long way from home and would never return there.  If she could help it.
She never believed that she would feel so lonely and lost when she left for her first overseas assignment. 1983 had been a whirlwind year. She’d completed basic training late in 1982 and been granted leave to spend the Christmas season at home, but this year, after she finished her advanced training, she had received orders to report to this base.
Arriving in mid-July, she’d had a lot of fun. Weekends were devoted to Volksmarching, an activity that meant walking through the many small towns less than three hours from the base. She’d even joined the Volksmarching club, becoming part of the planning of the annual organized walk held around the base. In the fall, she had even more fun with this activity when she moved from the ten kilometer event to twenty. She was well on her way to earning her first 500 “klick” and 100 Volksmarch badge.
Only one problem existed with Volksmarching. She didn’t have a car and had to depend on others to take her to the walks. The base did provide a bus, but she was more of a loner. Now that winter had set in, along with the snow, ice, and bitterly cold nights, she had no way of expending the restless energy causing her to tap a foot relentlessly against the floor, or learn more about the countryside by exploring it.









About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook  Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

























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Published on December 16, 2018 00:00

December 15, 2018

Gifts of the Fallen




Good morning. Welcome to Sharing Saturday. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with Rebecca L. Frencl today about her book Gifts of the Fallen.
Gifts of the Fallen
Blurb
Another Christmas. Another reminder of everything he’s lost. As Thorne tries to bury his despair yet again, the Archangel Michael shows up with some much needed distraction. Muriel, the elderly Lorekeeper of the Ascended has seen her own assassination in her visions and Michael sends Thorne to keep her and her precious books safe. Can Muriel, a survivor with her own ghosts and regrets keep Thorne sane…or possibly even heal the holes in his heart?


Amazon eBook
About Rebecca L. Frencl
I write, I teach, I'm a union rabble rouser . . . I get work with kids on a daily basis which makes me feel simultaneously very young and extremely old. I grew up on choose your own adventure books, the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, and polyhedral dice. So, I write fantasy and paranormal romance. It's an eclectic mix, but that's what I love to read. I'm a very firm believer that there is no such thing as someone who doesn't like to read. They just haven't found the right book yet!

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Published on December 15, 2018 00:00

December 14, 2018

Grace at Christmas




Good morning. Welcome to Friday Feelings. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with M.A. Cortez today about her book Grace At Christmas.
Grace at Christmas
Blurb
Being a teen mom is hard enough, but feeling like you are alone in your struggles is awful especially around the holidays. Mari is determined to prove that she can make a life for herself and her daughter without anyone’s help. She works hard, saves money and plans the perfect Christmas. But just two days before the biggest holiday of the year Mari experiences a setback that she never planned on.








Amazon eBook


About M.A. Cortez
M.A. Cortez lives with her family in Colorado. She spends the winter holiday season eating way too many cookies, watching nonstop Christmas movies and wishing for a white Christmas.


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Published on December 14, 2018 00:00

December 13, 2018

Say Hi for Me




Good morning. Welcome to Thursday Thoughts. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with Jacqueline T. Moore today about her book Say Hi For Me.
Say Hi For Me
Blurb
You never know when Christmas dreams can turn into terrifying nightmares. Marilee and Jonathan Grant, stranded in a car on the curve of an icy super highway, knew there was no hope in the deep freezing storm. Then there was a knock on the window.



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About Jacqueline T. Moore
Jacqueline T. Moore works and plays in Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina. She says, “Living in the south makes me a sunflower…and a beach bum!” As a writer and educator, Jacqueline surrounds herself with words. She savors the sounds and sense of letters put together to create a lasting memory. The true short story, SAY HI FOR ME tells about one of the most harrowing days of her life. Her debut novel, THE CANARY and its sequel THE CHECKERBOARD, are inspired by a most beautiful yellow diamond that rests on her finger and the whispered family secrets about how it got there. THE CORNERPOST is our final visit with Myra, CB and all the children, but if you are hungry for more, take a look at THE CANARY COMPANION COOKBOOK. Visit her at  www.jacqueline-t-moore.com and on Facebook @ Jacqueline T. Moore, and at Instagram @jacqueline.t.moore for conversations and updates.


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Published on December 13, 2018 00:00

December 12, 2018

The Major's Decision





Good morning. Welcome to wwwblogs. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with Eden S. Clark today about her book The Major’s Decision.
The Major’s Decision
Blurb
For Mary MacCloud the prospect of Christmas brings only reminders of lost family rather than hope and joy. For John Stanford, a Major in the US Army, he has to make a choice, Mary or his career in the military. He knows he can't have both. As they work together to try and provide for the poor of the community, they discover love and a new hope in this first Christmas after the devastation of war.





Amazon eBook


About Eden S. Clark
I started out writing historical fiction, but am now pursuing science fiction, both my own universe and Star Wars. I’m a lifelong---literally---Star Wars fan, I also enjoy Stargate, Battlestar Galactic (the original), and some Star Trek as well as other authors and works of fantasy and science fiction.

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Published on December 12, 2018 00:00

December 11, 2018

Lost Soul Barren Holiday 1



Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, our story being featured is Barren Holiday 1 Lost Soul.
Shuffled from his dad to the mom he’s never known, Cody doesn’t know how to avoid the vicious woman’s rages. Until the day she turns on his stepbrothers and Cody does the unforgivable in order to survive.

Blurb
The neighborhood knew what Cody Allen Luther endured on a daily basis for five long years. Everyone except Brandy Mason turned their heads. After all, it was a parent’s right to discipline their child. On Christmas Eve, 1969, Cody finally can’t take the brutal abuse any longer, but not for himself—his mother turns her unreasonable anger on his younger stepsiblings and he makes a life changing decision, killing her instead of allowing her to keep hurting his family.
Only one person has ever understood the why Cody reacted as he did that Christmas Eve of 1969. Brandy Mason will do anything to protect Cody, even stand up against classmates willing to petition the governor to have Cody tried as an adult for murder once he is released from juvenile detention.



Amazon eBook
Amazon print book

Excerpt

Ten year old Cody Luther walked alongside his dad. They had a very important job to do today, finding the perfect Christmas tree. Cody didn’t really understand what was going on, just that his daddy had been real sick lately. It had something to do with his service in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.
“It’s going to be tough on you, son.” Dad stopped near a Douglas fir and examined the branches. “I know this isn’t what you want, but the courts said you had to do this if I… I…” He wiped away a tear from beneath an eye. “If I’m not alive anymore.”
“You’ll get better, Dad,” Cody said. “I know you will. Those doctors will make you better.”
Dad shook his head and waved at the tree lot’s owner. “We’ll take this one. Where do you want it loaded?”
“Pull up by the entrance,” the man said. “Pay the lady there and I’ll tie the tree down for you.”
Cody was still confused. They never bought their tree until Christmas, but that was fourteen days away. Surely, this tree would not look as pretty when it was time for Santa Claus to visit them.
Several hours later, they dragged the tree into the house. Dad was panting and had to rest a lot. This was part of his medical problem, a part Cody hated but accepted because he had his daddy.
“Will I live with Grandma and Grandpa after you go to the hospital?” Cody asked, hoping for a different answer this time.
“No, Son,” Dad said. “When I divorced your mom, the judge said your grandparents were too old to have custody of you. You have to go to your mom.”
No matter how hard he tried, Cody couldn’t ever meet his mom. She never called and he’d never gotten a letter from her.
“I don’t know her,” he said. “Will she like me?”
“She’s your mom.” Dad wiped sweat from his forehead. “Go let your grandpa know I’ll need his help after all.”
Moving to obey, Cody heard a thump and turned around to see his dad lying on the floor. He ran out of the room, crying.
“Grandpa, Dad fell down again. Help!”
“Hang on, Cody,” Grandpa called. “Grandma and I are on our way.”
It took a long time, but they got Dad off the floor and onto the sofa. Cody couldn’t stop crying. He didn’t want to leave the only family he knew, but his daddy was too sick to do anything anymore.
Please, Lord, help my daddy feel better.








About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:


Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Google+ Pinterest Manic Readers AuthorsDB
Authorgraph Email




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Published on December 11, 2018 00:00

December 10, 2018

Auld Acquaintances



Good morning. Welcome to Monday Blogs. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we are talking with Adam Zorzi today about his book Auld Acquaintances.
Auld Acquaintances
Blurb
Poet Ella Martine resists her fiancé's impulse to marry along Italy's Amalfi Coast overlooking the sea at the end of the summer. Snow. Ella wants a snowy wedding...
Growing up in Miami, Ella and her sister Edy never experienced holiday snow. Now living in the historic town of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, Ella's dream is to marry legal scholar Jay Saarinen in an intimate ceremony on New Year's Eve. Their friends and family are delighted except Edy who insists if Ella is to have a destination wedding it should be in an exotic locale. Edy arrives for the bridal week only to leave within hours, finding both the town and Ella too quaint for her sophisticated tastes. She promises to return in time for the rehearsal dinner.
Three centuries earlier, Lady Ann Harrington discovers her husband's betrayal at a New Year's Eve at a party attended by Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison... 
Heartbroken, she doesn't wait for her carriage and races home in a snowstorm, leaving one French satin shoe behind. She vows never to let other women suffer her fate and jumps from her bedroom window and dies. Lady Ann or someone using her story is determined to stop Ella and Jay's wedding by frightening the wedding party, slashing evening clothes, and stealing sentimental jewelry. She taunts Ella into believing her Jay and Edy are having an affair.
Ella and Jay are determined to marry despite Lady Ann's threat...
Jay insists he fell in love with Ella the first time he saw her on campus and would never betray her. He suspects someone is trying to stop the wedding by impersonating Lady Ann, but is puzzled by the motive. Jay and Edy have never met. After consulting a physician specializing in the paranormal, Ella becomes convinced Lady Ann's ghost will kill them under her cloak of invisibility. Neither she nor Jay is safe. Panicked, Ella runs out into a snowstorm, losing a designer shoe, but Jay convinces their love will keep them safe. 
Yet someone with a cruel secret falls deathly ill on the eve of the wedding. 



Amazon eBook
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About Adam Zorzi
Born in Venice, Italy, Adam Zorzi is the author of the Blind Justice trilogy (Blind Spot, Blind Trust, and Blind Rage) set in Richmond, Virginia and the holiday romance Auld Acquaintances set in Colonial Williamsburg. His short story Low Country Boil was released in the anthology Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Vol. 6 and is available as an e-book. His short story An Unexpected Gift was published in Cupid's Arrow, Vol. 2 anthology. He lives in New York City.


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Published on December 10, 2018 00:00

December 9, 2018

An Angel Sang Tonight




Good morning and welcome to Sunday Blog Share. Today, our story being featured is An Angel Sang Tonight.
Holidays are generally happy, except for one couple. Caryn and Johnson are both facing troubles as Christmas approaches. Though they are close friends, neither seems able to express their unhappiness.

Blurb
Christmas was almost here.
Caryn O’Brien and Johnson Angel lost the music in their lives when circumstances tore them away from each other. Together, they were a talented team, but separate, all they had were empty spaces in their souls. It didn’t help that the gulf between them was being forced open even wider by the bigotry and anger that surrounded them.
They had no way of knowing that those very things, which drove them apart, would also bring them together.





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Excerpt

Caryn O’Brien stood in front of the choir, at the front of her church. On Christmas Eve she would celebrate her twenty-third birthday the same way she had done it since she was seven—by singing a solo of the one holiday song that meant so much to her.
She bowed her head forward, letting her copper colored hair conceal her face. It was better this way, so no one could see her excruciating pain. The source of said pain wasn’t visible. How does one show that their heart has shattered? How does a person get over the worst betrayal of their life? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring her voice to the level of intensity required to make this song memorable.
I’ve loved Silent Night since the first time I heard it. Why can’t I sing it right now?
The organ player wasn’t getting the beat right. Her pathetic attempt to put everything in her heart into the music was failing miserably. All the classes she’d taken since fourth grade to improve her voice and make her into a singer had been nothing but a waste of time and money.
I’m lost without Johnson. He’s the reason I have always sounded so good.
She hit the next series of notes wrong, forgot half the words. What made the whole thing worse was how she’d actually been practicing the song in German, but she refused to sing it that way until her partner was around to play the music.
Is that what’s bothering Johnson? Did he really think I spent all that time with Heinrich meant that our partnership was over? Never! It was to surprise everyone.
It appeared her plan to sing this song in German at the Midnight Mass wasn’t going to happen. Determined to do her best, she threw her head back and tried to imagine her partner was close by, playing a soulful rendition of the carol but that failed, just as every other attempt to put her heart into the practice had flopped.
I suck. That’s the absolute truth. 










About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
 


Facebook  Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AuthorsDB 
Authorgraph Email









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Published on December 09, 2018 00:00