Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 29
June 9, 2013
Sunday Snippet: Vampire Edition
In just a couple of weeks I’ll be taking part in the Summer Book Crush. Forty or Fifty authors have banded together for a blog hop and sale, and every one of us is offering a book for the screamin’ deal of $0.99. My novella A Vampire’s Deadly Delight will be available at the sale price, and so to whet your whistle, I thought I’d feature it in the next few Sunday Snippets. This week’s offering is the first chapter in the book, in which Kristen finds herself in a bit of a pickle…
Alternate cover art for A Vampire’s Deadly Delight, created by my sister, Liza Rancourt-Fenimore.
So when I came to, I was handcuffed to a bed. Someone had used old-fashioned metal cuffs—one on each limb—pinning me spread-eagle. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart pounding. The only illumination came from a single small candle. I rocked my head back to see what was behind me. The sickly light reflected off the twists and curves of an old brass headboard. Underneath me was what felt like a down comforter with a silky cover, and I was glad I’d worn a long dress to work, because even though the loose, orange cotton made my round body look a bit like a pumpkin, I couldn’t feel any inappropriately naked flesh. My feet were bare and I felt pretty green, but I had underpants on and whoever tied me up had left my bifocals, um, I mean, my progressive lenses in place. At least I’d be able to see whatever was coming to get me.
June 7, 2013
She’s Got A Way With Wordles…
Having some fun this morning…the #WANAFriday blog prompt for this week was to create a wordle, a fancy word cloud. You can create your own HERE. I used the synopsis from Hell…The Story, and had a ton of fun fixing the font, layout, and colors. Here it is…you can make it easier to see by clicking on it and making it larger. Didn’t have the mental energy to argue with WordPress this morning to make it bigger in my post. 
Have a fabulous weekend!
Liv
Oh, and as long as you’re here, make sure you check out my Crimson Romance Blog Hop post, A Year In Love. We’re giving away two $50 gift cards and lots of other fun stuff!
If you want to check out more of the #WANAFriday wordles, here are some links:
June 6, 2013
Flightless
This week’s Wednesday blog guest is the very patient Keri Neal. She’s very patient because, as you might notice, it’s Thursday.
Yesterday was a bit of a cluster here at Chez Rancourt.
Anywhoodle, Keri is not only patient, but she’s a wonderful writer and a terrific artist. She created the cover art for some of my short stories from the late and lamented Still Moments Publishing, and she’s here today to share her newest release, Flightless. It’s a young adult paranormal romance, and, well, keep reading to learn more…
Synopsis
Pen was a Guardian, but one violent night took his wings. Ten years later he is given the opportunity to earn them back.
Jade is spellbound by the new student. Pen is quiet, but she is determined to learn more about him. When her terrifying past comes back to haunt her, Pen reveals there is much more to him than she could have ever imagined.
With his soul on the line, Pen cannot protect Jade if his feelings keep getting in the way. But with Jade’s soul on the line, he must protect her from unearthly forces who want her blood. Will the truth redeem them, or tear them apart?
Bio
Keri Neal designs book covers. Flightless is her fourth published book. She lives near Austin, Texas with her husband, two children, two hamsters and a snake. She crochets, sews, reads, paints and loves all things artsy & craftsy.
Contact info
Blog: writingas.kerineal.com
Cover Artist: booklovers.kerineal.com
Twitter: @authorkerineal
Facebook: facebook.com/authorkerineal
Excerpt
Pen and I are lounging under a big white umbrella. I am curled up with my head on his chest. His heartbeat is steady and slow, his breathing shallow. He is asleep. I pinch his arm playfully. “You’re going to miss it.”
He takes a deep breath and chuckles. “I’m awake. And I’ve seen my share of sunsets.”
I turn my head and rest my chin on his chest. His eyes are still closed. “You’re a grouch, you know that?”
He opens one eye and stares at me. “You know I’m going to find you. You don’t need to do this.”
My throat burns with emotion. “Yes, I do. You might not make it in time.”
Both his eyes open and stare blankly up at the umbrella. He is angry. His jaw clenches and his nostrils flare.
“It’s almost time.” I crawl up and lie down, straddling him. My blonde hair makes a curtain around us. He looks sad as he reaches up and holds my face.
“I don’t know how to say goodbye to you.”
I smile. The sun is glowing in the horizon. Its resting place comes alive with color. I see it all happen in the reflection in his eyes.
“Yes, you do.” I press my lips against his, urgently stealing every taste of him. I pull his lip through my teeth, and he groans loudly. The sound is erotic. Suddenly his hand is on the back of my head, pulling me roughly against him. His lips are not gentle anymore. They are rough and scaly, like a snake. He is hurting me. I push hard against his chest, only to realize my hands are bound. I start to cry as the sun descends into its salty grave.
Flightless is available from Amazon for Kindle and in paperback.
June 5, 2013
Thanks For Visiting...
However, a while ago I changed formats, and my blog is now at: http://livrancourt.com/blog/
Please make the jump and join me there.
Thanks!
Liv
June 3, 2013
A Year In Love
Come join ‘we happy few, we band of sisters’ in celebrating our first year as published authors under the Crimson Romance banner. What sets us apart from other romance writers? The diversity of story, the quality of writing and the amazingly original concepts of our writers are unlike any found in usual formula romance. We are unique, as people, as storytellers, as women.
So Blog Hop with us, share a comment, sign up to win free book giveaways and prizes, follow the original round-robin story from chapter to chapter and read excerpts from books that capture the imagination, scratch your itch for a really good love story and take you on journeys of the heart and soul.
We’ll have a Blog Hopping Blast together!
We’ve got some big doings for this blog hop. We’ll be giving away two $50 Amazon/B&N gift cards, and many many e-books and other goodies. You can enter using the Raffllecopter widget here or on any of the blogs, and if you leave a comment here, you’ll get entered into a drawing for a free copy of my CR release, Forever & Ever, Amen. And, for those of you who’ve been reading the round robin story, you’ll find the final chapter below. Be prepared to leave a title suggestion in the comments, to qualify for an extra bit of CR goodness – an ebook from each of the 7 contributing authors!
Now, here are the links for the first six chapters of our round robin short story. It was a lot of fun to work on, and one of the definite perks of going last was I got to read all the awesome work done by my co-conspirators. Enjoy, and make sure you come back here for the finale!!
Read Chapter 1 ->
Pick a Chapter:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Good! You’re back. Here’s chapter seven…
Chapter 7
Buck-naked? How’d he get naked?
And telling her to ‘stay here’ was just so much talking bubbles. She jumped up, intending to follow him out into the yard, then dropped back down on the couch. She was naked too.
What the hell?
She had a fuzzy memory of him pulling off her shirt, then a stretch of warm, liquid, tummy-humming goodness as he’d wrapped himself around her. They’d had sex? Maybe not, but whatever they’d done, she felt fabulous, and Blake had run outside to fight the bad guys without her.
The intensity of the light increased; so she got up, ready to help him deal with whatever was out there. He’d left the door open. As she stepped out onto the porch, she forgot to be self-conscious.
Being naked was the least of her worries.
Blake stood with his back to her in the center of the yard, surrounded by a circle of lights. They were each the size of a basketball and floated just above his head.
“Blake?” Storm’s voice echoed in her own head, as if she spoke from somewhere outside herself.
He tipped his head up, an amber glow bathing his broad shoulders. If she hadn’t been so scared, she’d have paid more attention to the perfect curve of his butt. As it was, she had to swallow hard to keep her heart from flopping out of her chest when he reached back, inviting her to join him.
Grabbing onto courage she didn’t know she possessed, she stepped off the porch, clutching at his hand and folding herself against the length of his body.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, his lips brushing her hair. “Listen. They’re trying to help.”
Sounds resonated through her. Not words, exactly, but pictures. Impressions. The lights showed her a young girl, wrapped up in barbed wire, her skin torn and bleeding.
A young Storm, dazed and barely conscious, lying in near-total darkness except for the floating lights.
Then older images. A man so distorted by anger he barely registered as human, carrying a shotgun like a baby he loved. He faced a barn, the old barn on Blake’s property, but new and freshly painted. He leaned against the wall, so still Storm could count her heartbeats, then kicked open the door.
A couple jerked apart, bare as the day they were born, their clothes tossed wildly around, draped over the stacked bales of hay and hung up on the racks of tools. The angry man leveled that gun and shot.
Once.
Twice.
That’s all it took.
He tossed the gun aside and pushed the bodies together, pulling a pair of heavy gloves out of his back pocket and reaching for a three-foot spool of barbed wire. The wounded man moved, as if trying to fight. Still alive. It did him no good. In short order, the angry man bound the couple in barbed wire. Then he sat on a bale of hay and watched them bleed.
Storm bit down hard on her own knuckle to keep from screaming. Blake’s strong arm pulled her closer, till she pressed against him so hard they were almost one person. “Look,” he whispered. “There’s more.”
The lights circled the barn, a mournful procession, until two more lights rose up through the tar-shingled roof and joined them. One more muffled gunshot echoed off the sturdy wood walls, and the vision faded.
“The old man’s still in there,” Blake said.
Storm shifted to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her face against his chest. “That barn needs to be torn down or burned or something.”
“Yeah.” He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. “All this time the lights have been trying to protect people from him.”
“I thought they trapped me.” Her voice had that echoing quality again, as if she couldn’t quite force the words out.
“Storm.” He said her name like a balm and she stopped to take a deep breath, knowing she’d never have to tell anyone else.
“It took me days to get out of that barn.” She tipped her head up and met his gaze. “All I remember is pain and blood and darkness. Except for the lights.”
“Seems like they were trying to help.”
She huffed a laugh. “It’s kinda good to know I’m not bat-shit crazy.”
They stood together for a long while as Storm felt the burden of those memories lift, leaving her lighter than she’d felt in years. Then the energy shifted from the metaphysical to something a lot earthier. Blake responded first, his cock pushing up warm and hard against her thigh.
Storm gave him a saucy smile, just letting the tip of her tongue peak out. “So, um, we didn’t have sex before, right?”
Blake’s hands made lazy circles on her back, dipping low over her hips. “Don’t believe so, no.”
“And would you forgive me if I said I didn’t want to have sex with you for the first time in the yard where an evil old ghost might see us?”
His head tipped to the side and grinned down at her. “Are you propositioning me?”
It was all she could do to keep from kissing the dimple in his chin. “Oh yeah.”
From the front porch came a scramble of paws and a sharp bark.
“What do you think, Ari?” Blake laughed softly and pressed Storms butt tighter to his body. “One means yes, two means no.”
They heard another sharp bark.
“That dog knows what she’s about,” he said, moving in for a kiss.
“Wait.” She stopped his lips with her fingers. “How’d you know about the lights and heal my hands and everything?”
He shrugged. “My late wife always used to say I could hear things in the wind. Maybe the lights knew they could connect to you through me.”
He dragged her hand away and kissed her soundly. She opened up, letting his warmth heal the raw places inside, her lips and tongue telling him the things she couldn’t yet say.
After a long while they pulled apart. “Let’s get Ari and go to your house,” he said, leaning down to nip the end of her nose.
“How ‘bout we get dressed first?”
They laughed and headed into the house, still wrapped in a warm glow from the lights and from the deeper, stronger thing that was growing between them. Only after they drove off in her beat-up old truck did the Marfa lights drift away in the night sky.
Each book cover is a link to its author website and you’ll find either an excerpt or a chapter to the round-robin story. Make sure to click each and everyone for more chances to win.
Sharon Clare
Lola Karns
Leslie P. Garcia
Becky Lower
Amber T. Smith
Nancy Loyan
Carol Ritten Smith
Denyse Cohen
Becky Flade
Lynn Crandall
Lynn Cahoon
Juli Page Morgan
Morgan O’Neill
Katie Kenyhercz
Irene Preston
Pam B. Morris
Andrea R. Cooper
Peggy Bird
Nancy C. Weeks
Danica Winters
Liv Rancourt
Amanda L.V. Shalaby
Barbara Barrett
Melinda Dozier
What Doin’?
What doin’?
It’s a code phrase that, depending on the speaker and inflection, can mean anything from, “how are you occupying yourself on this fine and rainy Seattle day?” to “get off your butt and finish your homework.”
In this case, it means it’s going to be a busy week here at the blog. To start with, today kicks off my Bewitching Books Blog Tour, arranged by the wonderful Roxanne Rhoads. There’ll be interviews, excerpts and guest posts, all to spread the good word about my recent release, Forever And Ever, Amen.
Here’s a list of all the places I’ll be vising over the next week:
June 3 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com
June 3 review
Not Now…Mommy’s Reading
http://www.mommysreading.com
June 4 Guest blog
Preternatura
suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com
June 4 Spotlight
Mila Ramos
www.jademystique.blogspot.com
June 5 Interview
Books, Books the Magical Fruit
http://booksbooksthemagicalfruit.blogspot.com
June 5 Review
Vicky at Deal Sharing Aunt
www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
June 6 Interview
Love in a Book.
loveinabook.com
June 7 Guest blog
www.LunarHavenRD.com
June 7 Spotlight
Literal Hotties Book Reviews
http://literalhottiesnaughtybookreviews.blogspot.com/
June 10 Guest blog
Paranormal Romance Fans for Life
http://paranormalromancefanforlife.blogspot.com/
Feel free to hop in at any of my stops and say ‘hi’. Would love to see you! Make sure to leave a comment &/or enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. There’s a $20 Amazon gift card up for grabs, along with e-copies of Forever & Ever, Amen.
In addition to the Bewitching Books tour, tomorrow I’m kicking off A Year In Love, Crimson Romance’s first anniversary blog hop. You’ll be able to enter to win prizes, catch excerpts from some pretty amazing CR novels, follow an original round-robin novella that will appear chapter by chapter on several different blogs, and win prizes. Oh, I said that already. Anywhoodle, if you click on the button above, it’ll take you to a master list of all the CR authors who will be participating in the blog hop. What a fun group!
I’ve also got some very cool guests lined up for June. Keri Neal will be here in a couple days, and so will Robyn Neeley and Lori Otto. And then at the end of the month, I’ll be taking part in the Summer Book Crush, which will be a fantastic event. Sixty-some authors are gearing up for a fun party, and will be offering deep discounts on their books. My novella A Vampire’s Deadly Delight will be $0.99 from 6/26 – 6/28 for that event.
So, yeah, there’s lots going on. I look forward to seeing you at today’s stops on my blog tour!
What doin’ with you?
Peace,
Liv
June 1, 2013
Hex And The Single Witch G!veaway
This weekend, author Roxanne Rhoads is offering her paranormal funfest Hex And The Single Witch for FREE on Amazon this weekend. She’s also offering a giveaway: A signed copy of Paranormal Pleasures, a Hex and the Single Witch keychain, and a Bewitching Book Tours Witches Broom Ink pen.
Good stuff! Now go download a copy, and make sure you enter the giveaway
Blurb
Anwyn Rose is descended from a long line of powerful witches yet she can barely cast spells young witchlings have mastered. She has one functioning witch gift, the power of knowing, which she puts to good use as a Detective on Flint’s Preternatural Investigation Team.
It’s a new era in Vehicle City, supernaturals are running the town.
The P.I.T has their hands full with paranormal crimes. Top priority is a serial killer, who appears to be a vampire, draining young women in the city.
Anwyn is on the case with her sexy partner Detective Mike Malone. Complicating things is her relationship Galen, a vampire who looks more guilty than innocent, although Anwyn trusts her instincts even if her power is on the fritz.
Mysterious spells, compromising situations, and a possible demon on the loose make it hard to focus on the case, but Anwyn has to make things right before the human police execute the wrong vampire.
Hex and the Single Witch contains magick, a little bit of mystery, a lot of supernatural mayhem, and a sexy love triangle that will leave you wanting more.
Book Bonus material http://roxannesrealm.blogspot.com/p/hex-and-single-witch.html
Book Trailer http://youtu.be/TnlTlZ2VEMY
Open to US Shipping
About the Author:
Story strumpet, tome loving tart, eccentric night owl…these words describe book publicist and erotic romance author Roxanne Rhoads.
When not fulfilling one the many roles being a wife and mother of three require, Roxanne’s world revolves around words…reading them, writing them, editing them, and talking about them. In addition to writing her own stories she loves to read, promote and review what others write.
Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours and operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books.
When not reading, writing, or promoting Roxanne loves to hang out with her family, craft, garden and search for unique vintage finds.
Visit her online
Author blog www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
Book Blog www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Bewitching Book Tours www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/RoxanneRhoads
http://www.facebook.com/BewitchingBooktours
http://www.facebook.com/RoxanneRhoadsAuthor
http://www.facebook.com/FangtasticBooks
Twitter @RoxanneRhoads
Roxanne can also be found on Linked In, Goodreads and Google+
Excerpt
“You should have told me why you hate vampires so much. It was during the Hysteria wasn’t it?” The damn Hysteria ruined and destroyed so many lives all thanks to a bunch of power hungry vampires and Others who thought it was a good idea to let humans know they existed. Like the witch hunts, the burning times from before hadn’t proven that was a bad idea. But, no, they thought a new, modern generation of humans could handle it.
The Hysteria proved humans hadn’t evolved much. Of course, neither had the Others.
“Yeah,” he said into his hands.
“You know I lost my dad to vampires at the end. At the last battle. The rogues had the humans all riled up. No one knew what was going on, the riot started and there was this group of mercenaries, humans killing anything that moved. My dad’s team tried to get them out of there, but as soon as they realized vampires and Others were on the police squad the mercenaries decided to wipe everyone out. My dad was shot and while he was down rogue vampires finished him off.”
“Then how can you still be close to them?” Mike sneered.
“Humans played their part in his death too, Mike. Can I shut myself off from the world and hate everyone? It’s unrealistic. I understand your hate, but they are not all bad.”
“They all drink blood. They are monsters designed to kill humans.” His snarl looked ferocious.
I had not realized his hate ran so deep.
“And humans are designed to kill animals and each other. Doesn’t mean we all do.” Stubborn man.
“Anwyn, I’m sorry I can’t look at them the way you do.” He glanced at me then stared at the floor.
I touched his face gently and made him look at me. “Mike you can’t carry pain and anger around with you forever. Believe me, I know. I dragged it around with me for a long time. I lost both my dad and my mom that night. Even though my mom still lives and breathes, she’s not the same. But I can’t change it, and I can’t hate everyone for it. I just have to accept it. I took this job to try and prevent other kids from growing up with this pain and anger. Isn’t that why you took this job too? You know we have to fight the bad guys and take help from all the good guys we can, right?”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
I caressed his strong jaw. Goddess, he was a beautiful man. And more complex and tender than I had thought. I took off his top hat and laid it on the desk so I could run my fingers through his wild wavy hair. The move startled Mike and he looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face for a moment before heat flared in his eyes.
As soon as I saw the flames in his eyes my body responded. A burning need rose inside me, an ache suddenly needed to be filled.
Mike’s expression changed into one that promised deliciously wicked things. Hot damn.
May 31, 2013
If I Could Go Anywhere, Where Would I Go?
Today’s #WANAFriday blog prompt asks where I would go if I could go anywhere. Funny, but I didn’t even need to think hard to come up with the answer. I mean, I’d love to find a drafty old castle in England to hang out in for a month or so, or maybe a villa in the hills of Italy. It would be amazing to take a train across Europe, or go back to St. Petersburg in July for the White Nights. China? Maybe. Australia? Oh definitely. Somewhere Down Under there’s a vanilla slice with MY name on it.
But you know what? Life’s been just a little tricky lately, and while all of those places sound amazing, they’d make me think too hard. When the going gets tough, the tough want the travel equivalent of comfort food. For me, that means one thing.
Makapu Beach – Oahu – Hawaii
Yep, I’d go to the beach,in a big way. My dream vacation would take me and the rest of the family to the North Shore of Oahu. I’d rent a house near the beach for a month, maybe two.
Shave ice, baby!
I’d want to be near Hale’iwa and Sunset Beach. I don’t surf, but the energy there is amazing: calm, warm, and happy. And who doesn’t need more of those things, right?
The kids and I would climb up into the hills to find the Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau, an ancient temple near the town of Pupukea. Standing on that site and looking down over Waimea Bay, there’s a hushed feeling, as if the kahunas are still present even though it’s now a State monument.
The view from the Heiau down to Waimea Bay.
Yep, I’d go to the North Shore. I still have friends on Oahu, which helps sway my decision, and I do love Honolulu, which is an hour or so drive from Hale’iwa. The kids could learn to boogie board and surf and windsurf and maybe paddle an outrigger canoe, while the husband and I applaud from the beach.
Wow. I think I’m talking myself into this…
Aloha,
Liv
Sunset over Sharks Cove
And now, keep traveling with the other #WANAFriday posts…
Kim Griffin
Siri Paulson
Ellen Gregory
Cora Ramos
Janice Heck
May 29, 2013
The Right Combination
Today I’m pleased and excited to introduce Nancy Loyan. She’s celebrating her newest Crimson Romance release, The Right Combination. As you’ll see in the interview, Nancy gets the very most out of life, and that spirit translates to her writing. Thanks, Nancy, for being my guest today…
Thank you, Liv, for having me as a guest on your wonderful blog. I’m honored.
1. LR: In reading through the bio on your website, all I could think was, “Wow, when this woman says ‘Been there – done that”, she MEANS it. Which bullet point on your resume do you lean on most heavily for your fiction?
NS: Travel experiences tend to play an important role in my fiction. Exotic and unusual locations, people, and cultures tend to provide ideas for my novels. My travel resume and my novels tend to have a great deal in common.
My first published novel, Paradise Found was inspired by three weeks spent in the exotic Seychelles Islands, where William and Kate had their honeymoon.
My Crimson Romance debut Lab Test is set in Detroit and its suburbs because my oldest brother lived there and I summer camped in the area. Plus, my beloved Lab mix, Ebony, inspired the story about a woman turned into a black Lab.
The Right Combination, my May 27 release, is set on Maui, my favorite Hawaiian island. The safe industry is an integral part of the plot because I collect and have written about antique safes and vaults.
2. LR: The Right Combination looks like a great read! I’m a UH grad, so stories set in Hawaii are right up my alley. What do you think is the most compelling thing about it, the thing that kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?
NS: I would say that the lush setting, unique plot and hot hero kept me glued to my seat. The true joy was writing about safes and vaults, the industry and the people. Incorporating what I know and sharing an unusual occupation and product made it fun. Creating a plot about a serial killer stalking safe and vault technicians allowed my imagination to run wild. The theme is ‘no man or woman is an island’, since my hero is of Cuban descent and my heroine a native Hawaiian. Pulling all of the elements together into a novel was fun.
As for setting, I realize that I tend to write about tropical islands during the harsh Ohio winters.
3. LR: Given your varied experiences as a writer, do you ever teach writing classes? If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be?
NS: Funny that you would ask. I am instructing a course, “Beyond Fifty Shades: Writing the Romance Novel and Women’s Fiction” at the esteemed Chautauqua Institution in New York State for a week in August this year. This is the second time that I was selected to teach a writing course there. It will be my sixth year, however, instructing Middle Eastern belly dance for two weeks at the Institution. It’s an honor because one has to reapply every year and getting selected is like being accepted to Harvard.
The same writing course that I’m instructing at the Institution is being offered as an adult education class in conjunction with the local school system and the YMCA this fall.
My all time favorite writing books is Stephen King’s On Writing. He’s the best and most realistic.
LR LR: Clutter or quiet? Describe your perfect writing situation.
NS: (grin) When my husband is out of the house and I’m alone and it’s quiet. As for clutter, I’m surrounded by clutter. After all, “A clean house is the sign of a misspent life.” It’s the writer’s mantra!
5. LR: How to you juggle all your hats (fiction/nonfiction writer, actor, belly dance instructor)?
NS: I ask myself that question quite often. Somehow, I manage. I’m a master multi-tasker. By day, I wear out my mind by writing, blogging, and spending too much time on the computer. At night, I wear out my body as a Middle Eastern belly dance instructor for the YMCA and private students. I occasionally perform at family friendly private events and with a world music band, UZIZI. I also give dance lecture-performance workshops for women’s organizations and groups.
6. LR: Tell us about belly dancing. How did you get into it in the first place? Are you still performing and teaching?
NS: Ever since graduating from high school, I made a pact with myself to learn at least two new skills a year. I’ve kept it, too. One of those skills was signing up for a belly dance class through a local recreation department. A veteran cabaret dancer taught the class and belly dance was love at first sight. As a child I always wanted to study dance but finances and such wouldn’t allow it. Belly dance, unlike so many other dance forms, is for all ages. Discovering it opened up a whole new world. That was thirty years ago and I’m still dancing. I have attended dance workshops, seminars and have studied with many instructors. The highlight was a trip a few years ago to the famous Ahlan Wa Sahlan dance festival at the base of the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. Spending three weeks in Egypt, touring, learning about the cultural roots of the dance, studying with Egypt’s best, observing performances and shopping was the most memorable part of my dance journey … so far.
I currently instruct for the YMCA and have private students. I have been selected for the sixth “Season” to instruct belly dance for two weeks at The Chautauqua Institution. A couple of years ago I was the first non-ballet presenter/dancer before their prestigious Dance Circle and was featured in The Chautauquan newspaper. I’ve been interviewed by Jamestown radio and am in advertising videos for the Institution. It’s been an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a renowned educational program.
I perform occasionally at family friendly events and perform with a world music band, UZIZI. I also give lecture/performance programs with audience participation.
7. LR: Football, basketball, baseball or soccer? Which one gets your blood moving the fastest – or is there another sport you prefer?
NS: Actually, I’m neither a jock nor do I watch spectator sports or enjoy group sports. I enjoy participatory activities. When I had the time, I was a figure skater, cross-country and downhill skier. If I had the time, I’d hike and bike. Can’t you tell that I was the last one chosen for basketball in school gym class? My physical activity at the present is relegated to belly dance and lifting weights.
8. LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.
NS: Let’s just say that I have two WIP’s. Of course, each one takes place in my favorite locations. Not telling yet.
I do, however, have two future releases with Crimson Romance.
Special Angel , to be released in October. Is about the world’s most famous singer and the journalist assigned to uncover her mysterious past. He gets more than he bargained for.
Champagne for Breakfast, a future release, is more women’s mainstream fiction. An historical, it takes place during the 1970’s and 1980’s. It is about a famous architect with a mysterious past wand deep secrets and the naive fashion model who loves him. I call it my Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn inspired novel and it takes place in my favorite cities: Cleveland, New York City and Paris.
Thank you for having me as your guest.
And thank you, Nancy, for being my guest
Blurb for The Right Combination.
Raphael (Rafe) has prided himself in being in control of his life, but now he’s adrift. He’s a Hispanic man uncomfortable with his heritage, a playboy who knows he has to settle down, a man who pretends that family doesn’t matter when it does, and an FBI agent who thinks he’s at the top of his game only to be demoted by a serial killer.
Nalani Hana is far removed from the US Mainland and prefers it that way. Though a descendent of Hawaiian royalty, she prefers the simplicity of her secluded cottage on Maui. Born and raised into the safe business, she carries on her father’s legacy at N. Hana Safe & Lock Company.
Now someone is murdering the country’s legendary safe and vault technicians. Once a month, a safe man is found strangled and stuffed into a safe with three fingers severed. Raphael has to find the killer before he strikes again. The question is whether Nalani Hana is a suspect or the pawn of a demented killer.
The Right Combination is available from Crimson Romance, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ARe, and other fine ebook retailers.
Here Nancy demonstrates her safe-cracking skills
Biography
Purveyor of the written word, Nancy Loyan Schuemann has been writing ever since she began composing picture books for fellow students in elementary school.
After graduating with a BSBA degree in marketing from John Carroll University, she pursued a career in sales and marketing. During the past ten years she has incorporated those skills into a professional writing career. She is a freelance writer specializing in construction, design, architecture, histories, profiles, antique safes, dance, travel and special interest in local and national publications. She has taught writing at the prestigious Chautauqua Institution in New York State.
Nancy is a Cleveland, Ohio native who shares her knowledge of the city as author of “Cleveland, Ohio: A Photographic Portrait” and “On the Threshold of a New Century: The City of South Euclid, 1967-1999.” Her love, however, is writing women’s fiction. Her first novel, “Paradise Found,” a multicultural romance set in the exotic Seychelles Islands was published in 2011. She has since contracted with Crimson Romance (a division of Adam’s Media) for several novels, her first release being “Lab Test,” a humorous paranormal romance.
She incorporates her love of dogs and travel into her novels. Travel has taken her around the world, including trips to Europe, Great Britain, South America, Egypt and the exotic Seychelles Islands. When she’s not writing, Nancy teaches and performs, Middle Eastern dance as “Nailah.” She shares her life with her husband and her Pointer/Labs, Amber and Topaz. Her web site is www.NLSScribe.com
You can contact Nancy at…
Her Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nancy+loyan
On Facebook www.facebook.com/nancy.l.schuemann
On Twitter https://twitter.com/NLSScribe
On Pinterest https://pinterest.com/9nls
And on her website(s) www.NLSScribe.com
May 28, 2013
The Blue Wave
So to distract you from the fact that I haven’t been keeping up on the weeding, and even my nicer beds are looking a little shabby, I’m going to post a couple pix of one of my favorite garden features. Along the top of a stone wall, several wild lilacs (ceanothus) bloom in May. I keep thinking I should prune them back, but they’re such an impressive site, I always talk myself out of it.
Here’s the big show…
To get a sense of the scale, that’s my house in the upper right corner.
And here’s a close-up of the flower clusters. The whole thing just throbs with bees when it’s in bloom…
And here’s a gratuitous shot of a Mr. Lincoln rose. I sorta forgot about him, until he smacked me on the arm on the way up the front steps the other day. Isn’t the deep red color gorgeous?
Hopefully this week I’ll get out there and weed a little, and then next week I’ll show off all my good work.
Or something.
Liv
