Karen Docter's Blog, page 254
December 15, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Game On ~ New York Kings #3 by Collette West
~~
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
GAME ON
New York Kings #3
By COLLETTE WEST
Book Blurb
Pitching phenom Bruce “Jilly” Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he’s painfully shy, uncomfortable in his own skin.
Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.
Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly’s life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he’s about to become her new leading man.
GAME ON
New York Kings #3
By COLLETTE WEST
Excerpt
Editorial Note: Language edited to maintain PG-13 rating.
I never thought that Hailey Halpert would be at one of my games, cheering for me. Sure, she watched me play plenty of times in high school, but never as a King. It’s something I’ve often fantasized about, and now, it’s actually happening.
I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. I don’t get nervous no matter how pressure-packed the situation. I’m known for having ice water running through my veins. When I pitch, nothing can get to me, but tonight, I want to show Hailey what I can do. I want to impress her. Let her see that she’s dating the number-one closer in all of baseball. I want to prove that I’m good enough for her, that I’m worth taking a chance on.
I shake off my catcher, Pedro Gonzalez. He wants me to throw a breaking ball. Yeah, right. I don’t think so. I intend to bring the heat.
Pedro finally gives in, realizing how determined I am to deliver a fastball. Burke Balfour, the Detroit player at the plate, is currently leading the league in homers. This should be a fun— muscle against muscle, chest-thumping battle for supremacy. But you know what? Screw Balfour. I’m all about blowing Hailey Halpert away.
I rear back, slightly changing my delivery in order to give it everything I’ve got. The ball flies out of my hand, Balfour swings and misses, and the crowd goes wild. I take a look over my shoulder to check out the scoreboard for the radar gun reading. A hundred miles per hour. I smile to myself. I want Hailey to see me at my absolute best, and that’s what she’s going to get.
I sneak a quick glance at Hailey. She’s watching me attentively, her eyes trained on no one but me. Even in front of all of these people, my crotch tightens. F*(k.
About the author, Collette West…
Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball’s biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette’s impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she’s not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com
She is the author of NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER and GAME ON.
~~~
Links to Collette’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/game-on-new-york-kings-3-by-collette.html
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22883350-game-on?from_search=true
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Collette-West-ebook/dp/B00OHQ8ZLE
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/collette-west/id830692301?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/search?Query=%22collette+west%22+&fcmedia=Book
~~~
Rafflecopter Giveaway
($10 Amazon eGift Card and, signed paperback of GAME ON)
December 14, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with J. Morgan
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with J. MORGAN
INTRODUCING… J. Morgan.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
What would I like to share? Hmmmmmmm……. I’m a space cowboy! Okay, I’m not but I really want to be. Does that count? Didn’t think so. Well, I guess I’ll have to settle for being a writer. Still pretty cool.
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
If this had been a year ago, I could say I wrote paranormal comedies of a romantic nature. That isn’t just the case anymore. As I’ve continued to evolve as an author, I’ve branched out you might say. It’s a short step to go from Paranormal to Urban Fantasy. I didn’t stop there. I’ve authored two Young Adult novels featuring superheroes. Going outside my comfort zone, I am currently working on a horror novel that spans the time from ancient Egypt to the modern day. Basically, I’m having fun doing what I love.
2.What’s your favorite beverage?
Depends on the time of day. Right now I’d say it’s a toss up between Sweet Tea and Coffee.
3. If you had to listen to one song over and over again for a whole day, what would it be?
Hard one, because depending on what mood I’m in it could be anything. My Ipod has over 6,000 songs on it, so I’ve got plenty to choose from. If I had to pick one, which apparently I do, I think it would be Keep Making Me by Sidewalk Prophets.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
The struggle to overcome the book hump writer’s block.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why ?
My daughter’s spare room, so I could spoil my grandson twenty four hours a day.
6. Are you an avid reader? When you do read someone else’s writing, what is your favorite genre?
I love to read! Again, my favorite is subject to change depending on my mood. I have never limited myself to loving one genre over another. Right now, my favorite is Science Fiction. I’m rereading one of my all time favorites, The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
I steal them from Paisley Kirkpatrick. Honestly, I do and crazily enough she lets me.
8. Tell me about your ideal reader .
Anyone who enjoys a good read and having an adventure they won’t soon forget.
9. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
It’s all about the flying.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
My next book will be coming out in February and is the second installment in my Scrolls of Eternity series, Storms of Chaos. I will throw everything but the kitchen sink at my young superhero, Patrick Hughes. In book one he battled the ancient Egyptian god of evil, Sutehk. This time around the Norse gods are taking their turn at making his life miserable. Surviving is the easy part. Surviving without his family discovering his secret identity might just be the impossible part.
~~~~~~~
Links to J.’s website, blog, books, etc.
My Yahoo Newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmorganslair/
My Website
http://www.freewebs.com/jmorganslair/
Facebook
jmorganauthor@facebook.com
My Blog away from home
http://jennmorgan69.wordpress.com/
To sample some of my books, you can find me at either of these fine places on the internet.
Desert Breeze Publishing
http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/brands/J.-Morgan.html
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/J.-Morgan/e/B0032R8BFE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1366412334&sr=8-1
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about J, his new release, and an excerpt from REBIRTH, Scrolls of Eternity Book One, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: J. is giving away an ecopy of REBIRTH, Scrolls of Eternity ~ Book One, to one lucky reader who comments on his **Author Peek** Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Don’t miss the chance to read this story!
December 13, 2014
A Christmas Poem ~ ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas by Karen Docter
Dear Readers,
Today, I’m sharing a poem I wrote in 2007, inspired by ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, and a frustrating bout of writer’s block. Somehow, creating something fresh and new, using my blockage to create my own hopeful, holiday story, I was able to break through my wall. I had more fun telling this story my way. I hope you enjoy it, too.
I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Merry Christmas!
‘Twas the Week Before Christmas
By Karen Docter
‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the land
My dust bunnies had grown bold, joined the Editorial Band;
Revisions were hung by the critique rank and file,
In hopes that my manuscript would soon top the pile;
Characters were canoodling in their own special way,
While villains of danger snuck into the fray;
And my hero in his splendor, and heroine bathed in moon’s light,
Had just dissed their love for the fourth time this night;
When out of my brain there arose what I’d been missing,
Had to rush to the office to tweak a bout of kissing;
Away to my chair, I stumbled and swore,
Ripped open a Window and widened my eyes more;
The cursor, blinking cheerily on the computer screen, teased,
Tormenting my poor muse, more than it appeased;
When, what to my beleaguered senses should un-wend,
But my muse on a lotus blossom, and a close writer friend;
With a great mighty shove, so swift the prevention,
I knew in a thrice, this was editorial intervention;
So swift the editor kicked off her perch, ideas they came,
And my muse danced and sang, I knew this was the game.
“Now, Narrative! Now, Point of View! Now, Adjective and Verb!
On, Sentence! On Paragraph! On, Synopsis and Blurb!”
“To the top of the list! To the top of the pile!
Now print away! Print away! Print away, smile!”
As manuscript pages that before crazed muse envision,
When they hide behind walls, come out with permission;
So rise to the occasion the plot points they grow,
With a screen full of characterization, my muse did yet glow;
And then, in that moment, I heard my hero speak,
Those sensuous words and statement of love’s peak;
As I reached for the words, and was putting them down,
My heroine laughed and tried on her wedding gown;
From her fingers danced stars, my muse had donned glitters,
Her crown was tipped over from too many gin-and-bitters;
But she sat on my poor editor, not allowing her vent,
My muse looked like an angel, or maybe an agent;
Her face – how it glowed! Her dimples how naughty!
Her eyes full of mischief, her nose not one bit haughty!
Her gleeful expression was fixed on the page,
And the stubborn tilt of her chin was as firm as a sage;
An eraser-less pencil she clenched tight in her hand,
And an aura of contentment encircled the land;
She had purpose to her step, was lithe enough to bend,
To the winds of creativity, she was surely there to wend;
She was the vision of my heroine, an odd little perk,
And I laughed when I saw her, my psyche at work;
With a gracious smile and a nod in my direction,
She gave me the notion I could bow to her perfection;
She spoke not at all, but took over my work,
And filled all the holes; then turned with a smirk.
And saving her words, I would tomorrow sigh,
And giving me a look, out of the office she did fly.
She freed my sorry editor, dusted her off with a smile,
And away she tottered without the least bit of guile.
But I heard her exclaim, as she packed up her bikini,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good ‘Finis’!”
[‘Twas the Week Before Christmas, Karen Docter © 2007]
[[Inspired by ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, attributed to Clement Clarke Moore.]]
**SPECIAL Christmas GIVEAWAY**: I am giving away Kindle or PDF (reader’s choice) copies of my contemporary romance novelette, CATCH THAT SANTA, to five (5) lucky winners who comment on this Christmas Poem blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this cute Christmas story!
December 12, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: An Oath Taken by Diana Cosby
~~
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
AN OATH TAKEN
The Oath Trilogy
By DIANA COSBY
Book Blurb
As the new castellan, Sir Nicholas Beringar has the daunting task of rebuilding Ravenmoor Castle on the Scottish borderlands and gaining the trust of the locals—one of whom wastes no time in trying to rob him. But instead of punishing the boy, Nicholas decides to make him his squire.
Little does he know the thieving young lad is really…a lady.
AN OATH TAKEN
The Oath Trilogy
By DIANA COSBY
Excerpt
A lonely wind howled through the trees, bantering the newborn leaves with a careless hand. The scent of peat, tinged with fresh, mountain-fed water, sifting on the breeze. She took in the darkening sky, wishing she was home, safe in her chamber. Again she cursed herself for nae returning to Wolfhaven Castle when she’d had the chance.
“Lad. I will not harm you.”
Though several feet separated them, she sensed his frustration. And resolve. “’Tis a trick. I know the penalty for thievery.”
The castellan kicked his mount forward.
She held her breath as he halted beneath the branch she stood on, his gaze straight at her. If he’d stared at her in anger, that she could ignore. But the intensity of his grey eyes probed her as if seeing straight to her soul. Shaken, she pressed farther into the leaves.
“I would offer you a job as my squire.”
She stilled. A trick! “I am nae a lackwit. If I climbed down you would cut off my hand.” And God help her if he discovered she was a woman.
A frown creased his brow. He lowered his broadsword and laid the flat of his blade across the withers of his mount. “You have my word as a knight that my offer is sincere.”
Hope ignited. What if he spoke the truth? Elizabet ached at the thought of her family and people trapped within Ravenmoor Castle. Were they wounded? Suffering? She hated nae knowing. Worse, with each passing day her belief that they lived dwindled. The coin she’d stolen these past few days was far from enough to bribe a castle guard at Ravenmoor to set her family and people free. If she agreed, could she successfully play the role of a lad?
‘Twas unthinkable.
A fool’s lot to consider his offer. As if she could ever trust a Sassenach? The slang name for the English suited their lie-infested truths.
But even as she pondered the reasons why such a decision would be dangerous, if the castellan’s offer was sincere, she must use this opportunity to gain entrance to Ravenmoor Castle. Her family’s future depended on it.
“Lad?”
Fighting her nerves, she nodded. “I will be your squire.”
Satisfaction shone on the castellan’s face. “Come down. You will ride with me to the castle.”
“Nay. I will make my way on the morrow, at first light.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “I have given my word that you will not be harmed.”
She tightened her grip on the nearby branch. “And I have given mine. I will arrive at Ravenmoor Castle at first light.”
“I could come up there after you,” he said with challenge.
She darted a glance to the nearby tree then back to him. His well-honed muscles left no doubt of his prowess. In which case, she would jump. Then, if she didn’t break her neck, slowed by the weight of his armor, she could outrun him.
Leather creaked as he shifted in the saddle.
Instinct assured her he knew exactly of her thoughts to escape. Irritated, she tilted her chin in defiance.
Mirth flickered in his eyes. “At first light then.”
She released a slow breath.
“I would have your name.”
A name? Of course he would expect a name. “Thomas,” she replied before she could change her mind.
“Thomas,” he said without preamble, “If you have not reported to me by Terce, I will track you down.” His brow furrowed. “’Twould serve you well to heed me. I do not make false claims.”
Of that she had little doubt. “I will be there.”
With a nod he turned his destrier, kicked him forward, and cantered toward Ravenmoor Castle.
Elizabet swallowed hard as her enemy’s daunting outline melded into the trees. She’d made the right choice. To doubt herself now could only lead to disaster.
About the author, Diana Cosby…
A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Her award-winning MacGruder Brother books are available in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.
After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. With the release of her 6th book in the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series, she’s now preparing for the release of the 1st book in her new Scottish medieval The Oath trilogy, “An Oath Taken,” which will be available on December 8th, 2014. In addition, she’s excited about the upcoming release of The MacGruder Brothers e-Boxed Set on February 24, 2015!
Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.
~~~
Links to Diana’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.dianacosby.com
Website Links:
The Oath Trilogy: http://www.dianacosby.com/books.html#AnOath
An Oath Taken: http://www.dianacosby.com/anoathtaken.html
An Oath Broken: http://www.dianacosby.com/anoathbroken.html
Purchase links:
An Oath Taken purchase link: http://www.dianacosby.com/anoathtaken.html#buy
An Oath Broken purchase link: http://www.dianacosby.com/anoathbroken.html#buy
~~~
Thanks for stopping by to share your new book with us, Diana!
December 11, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Crystal Miles Gauthier
~~
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with CRYSTAL MILES GAUTHIER!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, Crystal Miles Gauthier, and her favorite recipe for HURON SIMPLE PLUM DRESSING!
TROIANNE
Time Travel Society Series ~ Book One
BY CRYSTAL MILES GAUTHIER
Book Blurb
HE WAS A BRIEF ENCOUNTER
Troianne Shelden is a high school student with a bright future. She’s smart, shapely and a catch for any guy. But after a night of passion with a handsome stranger, everything changes. Her future is in doubt when she finds herself pregnant.
THEN LEFT HER ALONE
When her grandmother passes away, and with her parents long dead, Troianne suddenly finds herself with a large inheritance, but absolutely no one she can trust to turn to for help.
Fate takes a hand when she goes into labor. Blinded by pain, she passes out in the back of an ambulance – and wakes up somewhere very different.
She opens her eyes to find herself not in a modern ambulance, but in the back of a horse-drawn carriage. When the door opens she’s greeted by a handsome man dressed like he stepped out of the past. In shock, Troianne realizes that she’s somehow traveled back in time.
And she has no idea how to return home…
DIANA’S MAGIC
Time Travel Society Series ~ Book Two
BY CRYSTAL MILES GAUTHIER
Book Blurb
Finding Her True Potential.
“Diana Elizabeth, you are a very powerful sorceress, it is true. And you may not ever need to know these things. However, there may come a time in your life when knowledge of this backwards way of doing things could come in handy, when your powers are diminished and you cannot perform to your full ability.”
“Aunt, when would that possibly ever happen to me?”
“Diana it could happen anytime a demon is near or a follower has attached itself to you.”
Being one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world is a challenge for sixteen year old Diana. Still haunted by the evil forces who kidnapped her in infancy, she is taught to fight those who want to steal from her everything she loves.
One night during what was supposed to be a teenagers rebellious night out, she encounters a sight that rocks her to her knees. Diana runs away angry, veering off the normal path, a small accident leaves her unconscious.
When she wakes she finds herself in a strange new place. Everyone seems to be joyful and content in this place called Shae’lan. What awaits Diana in this happy place will not only leave her wanting more, it will also have her questioning her life’s decisions.
Two men will determine Diana’s fate. One is Evil, One is Good. Both will be a factor in determining the rest of her life.
TROIANNE
Time Travel Society Series ~ Book One
BY CRYSTAL MILES GAUTHIER
Excerpt
Lexington, Kentucky 2013
Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Troianne! Why have you locked this bathroom door? I need to go now! You know this old woman can’t hold it very long. Come on outta there ‘fore I pee my pants!”
“Just a minute, Meemaw, I’m busy.”
One minute more was all she needed in order to see if the test would tell her if she really was pregnant or not. She was two months late and terrified to think that one night of passion could alter her life forever.
When she thought about it, being twenty-one and in her third year at the University of Kentucky wasn’t the most terrible time to be pregnant, although it sure did dampen her plans to major in World History and become a teacher. Troianne excelled at anything she put her heart into. Her dream would just take a bit longer.
Ellie and William were loving and very attentive parents to their only child. Their tragic end had rocked Troianne’s young eighteen years to its very core.
Broken hearted and left alone with no siblings or any other family in Pleasure Ridge Park—a small community south west of Louisville, Kentucky—Troianne decided to pack up all of her belongings and her seven-toes-on-each-paw tiger-striped cat named Diesel, and move to Lexington, Kentucky to live with her ailing grandmother, Louanne Waires. Her grandmother lived in an old farmhouse. Troianne used her inheritance money to go to the University of Kentucky to follow her dream of becoming a teacher. Now, however, she would have to rethink everything. Her life was changing quickly, too quickly.
Now looking down at the pregnancy test stick in her long slender fingers, a low groan escaped her full pink lips. Right there, glaring at her big as a neon sign was a plus sign on the stick she had recently urinated on, indicating that yes she was definitely pregnant!
“Oh, Lord! Now what do I do?” she asked herself.
Looking into the mirror above the sink, she saw her deep sea-green eyes filling with tears. Grabbing fistfuls of her long black hair, she screamed as the reality of it hit her. “I am pregnant! Really pregnant, shit!”
Bam! Her Grandmother hit the door with her tiny fist one last time. “Troianne Lee, you better open this door right this minute or I’m gonna whoop your hide! I’m serious, girl, I gotta go!”
“Meeeeeooooooowww!” Diesel the cat decided to put his two cents worth in too. He liked going into the bathroom so he could jump on the sink and have you turn the water on so he could get himself a drink.
“Okay, Meemaw, hang on to your panties,” she yelled, as she walked to the door, quickly unlocking the knob and yanking it open. In slipped Diesel, and up on the counter he jumped.
“Girl, I almost peed right there on the floor. What the heck are you a doin’ in here anyway? Move,” she spat out as she pushed her granddaughter out of her way, knocking the cat gently off the sink.
“I don’t need your ole’ cat’s eyes watchin’ me neither. So, git. I gotta get on that pot!”
Troianne moved out of the old lady’s way and walked out, shutting the door. As she headed to her bedroom, she realized she left the pregnancy test lying on the bathroom sink.
No! No! No! Oh, crap.
She ran back down the hallway to the bathroom. Meemaw is gonna see it and…just in that precise moment the bathroom door opened and Meemaw stood there with her face white as a sheet blowing in the wind, the positive pregnancy test in her shaking, old gnarled hand.
“Is there something ya wanna tell me, girl?”
With a huge lump in her throat and tears threatening to spill out of her sparkling sea-green eyes, Troianne replied, “Um…yes, ma’am, I guess there is.”
About the author…Crystal Miles Gauthier
I am a Retired paralegal, housewife, mother of five, grandmother of 13. I have two cats. I have lived all over the northeast and south. Have traveled the USA. In 2001 I married my husband Joe, a retired Army Military Policeman, who is now a Regional Marketing VP for a local consulting firm.
My First Novel TROIANNE released on August 4, 2014. Published by Beau Coup Publishing, LLC. I am working on book 2 in the series, Diana’s Magic and have Rheanon’s Heart, Athena’s Warrior and Camberleigh’s Castle in the works. I do have two psychological thrillers and a screenplay I am contemplating.
~~
Links to Crystal’s website, blog, books, etc.
Blog: http://crystalmilesgauthier.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crystalmilesgauthierauthor,
Twitter:@cubbymom0403
Site: http://booktropoloussocial.com/profile-5013
Email: authormom4033@gmail.com
Pinterest: Crysmisty9133
Instagram: Crysmisty9133
Amazon link to TROIANNE:
http://www.amazon.com/Troianne-Time-Travel-Society-Book-ebook/dp/B00ME04M4E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407122268&sr=1-1&keywords=Crystal+Gauthier
Amazon link to DIANA’S MAGIC:
http://www.amazon.com/Dianas-Magic-Time-Travel-Society-ebook/dp/B00QEPJBIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417532512&sr=1-1&keywords=Diana%27s+Magic+by+Crystal+Miles+Gauthier
I hope you enjoy the recipe Crystal is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 174 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HURON SIMPLE PLUM DRESSING
[Makes 10 Servings]
1 Extra large Ball jar or 2 medium size Ball jars with rings and lids. (sanitize or clean in dishwasher)
6 good size purple plums, cut into slices. Throw pit away.
4 cups of water
3 cups of sugar/sweetener if you are diabetic
½ cup white or cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable, olive or canola oil
1 Tablespoon of Nature Seasoning or Regular seasonings of your choice.
In a medium sauce pan put slices in with water, add sugar. Boil plums, water and sugar until plums have broken down to mush consistency. Turn off burner and let plum mixture cool. Once it is cool, pour plum mixture into jars, add vinegar and seasoning. Close jars tightly and shake.
Store in refrigerator. When ready to use make sure to shake dressing well before opening.
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Crystal is giving away an ebook copy of TROIANNE to one lucky winner who comments on her Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** blog. Don’t miss this chance to read her debut story. Thanks, Crystal, for sharing your release and favorite recipe with us!
December 10, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Paul M. Feeney
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with PAUL M. FEENEY
INTRODUCING… Paul M. Feeney.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
Hi, well…obviously my name is Paul M. Feeney (the M. stands for Michael, my middle name and a possible attempt at sounding distinguished…) and I live in the UK; specifically, in the north east of England, although I’m Scottish by birth. I live by myself and I have no children, so I pretty much suit myself as far as spare time goes.
Sadly, I’m not a full-time writer (barely even a part-time writer) and I have to hold down a full-time job. Without saying too much about it (I wouldn’t be allowed to anyway), I’m an Armed Police Officer for a very specific force, which sounds a lot more interesting than it really is. When I’m not there, I generally lead a relatively quiet life. Reading, writing (of course), going to the cinema, music – aside from books, music is a huge passion of mine and if I’m not off to live gigs, I’m always looking into expanding my musical library, or just strumming away on my own modest guitar collection.
I also like to draw and sketch, although I’ve only recently got back into it after years of neglecting that side of my…creativity, shall we say. I’ve found a modest talent for creating my interpretation of iconic ‘horror heads’ and I’m currently planning a whole series of them.
Other than that, there’s very little else to me.
1. How did you get started writing?
Well, I’ve harboured the notion of writing for many, many years. I’ve always been an avid reader and I think this eventually and almost inevitably turned to a mild ambition to write. But I was too self-conscious of pieces I’d written in the past and would never show them to anyone, never mind submit anywhere. Then, about three or four years ago, as I got back into horror in a big way (after not reading very much of it at all), I suddenly got the bug, threw down an idea that had been knocking around in my head and sent it off to an open submission. It didn’t get accepted, but I think that was the starting point, and it also showed that I could go through the process of conceiving the idea and following through on it. Thereafter, the ideas came thick and fast, though many just sat in my head. I wrote a short piece, The Weight Of The Ocean, partially to get over a bad break-up and that became my first accepted story, published through Phrenic Press as a kindle only release. Since then, I feel my writing has grown stronger and I’ve sent a few more stories off with more hope than when I started submitting.
2. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I tend to be drawn to horror, the supernatural and dark fiction (a label that some who write horror prefer), although I have had ideas in such disparate areas as crime, YA and even romance/love stories! To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of labels, either in writing or reading. I simply like what I like and tend not to compartmentalise. But, more often than not, my mind will turn seemingly ‘normal’ ideas and push them into darker realms. I guess it’s just how I’m wired… I’d love to be able to write science fiction, but I don’t think I have it in me. If I did though, it would probably have a weird, dark spin on it…
3. What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
Writing. Ideas. I actually find driving is a great way for me to…meditate…and many of my ideas come to me on long drives. I’ve also ‘written’ scenes and resolved story points in my head whilst driving.
4. What is your favorite part of writing?
Getting the initial idea, coming up with scenes, dialogue, characters…getting stuck into the first few thousand words. Also editing, as odd as that sounds. I know many writers who absolutely despise editing, but I quite enjoy it. I’m not precious or protective about my stuff at all and will quite happily wade in there with a chainsaw (metaphorically speaking), shredding and changing as needed. To me, it’s the core story that’s important and the words are simply a way of showing that story…thus, there are a number of different ‘combinations’ that can tell the same story.
5. What is your least favorite part of writing ?
Losing that momentum which tends to come after the first burst or two of writing. I am plagued with self-doubt and I always have a small voice in my head telling me ‘You’re rubbish, this is crap…no one wants to read this. It’s all pointless…’ I think a lot of writers have doubts, but it can be crippling for me. All I can do is try to push on with the words and hope that in a second read-through (and third, and fourth) the words actually look okay; sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
6. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?
Jings! (Scottish word of exclamation.) That’s a bit left-field… Um…I’m going to say…Stephen King and J. K. Rowling. Pretty much because, well…what a great life I’d have! No money worries for a start, plus, all that writing and publishing experience! If writing is genetic (I know it’s not…not really), think of the child those two would have…
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Funnily enough, I was talking about a similar question to this the other day with a friend. He was saying it’s his favourite question to ask writers whereas a lot of writers tend to go ‘huh, that old chestnut again…’ and roll their eyes…
Ideas are funny things, I guess. Who knows where they really come from, beyond the fact that our brains seem wired up to interpret the world in the form of stories. It’s how we learn best, how we experience things that aren’t happening to us directly…it even helps us to understand each other and relate to people from different cultures, backgrounds. I think my propensity for ideas comes from the exercising of my imagination (I’ve had a pretty vivid one since I was very young)… Often, when watching a film or reading a story and it’s going in a direction I don’t particularly want it to, my brain will conjure up alternative paths and scenes. I’ve done this so much, I think it’s become almost automatic, subconscious. Also, the most innocuous of conversations can create an idea, or a word or an image can spark off a chain reaction in the mind…anything, really. And I truly believe that the more you exercise the imagination, the ‘creation’ of ideas, the more you get. They multiply, like gremlins in water…
8. Tell me about your ideal reader.
Now this is an interesting one. I think my ideal reader ties in with why I think we write, or why many of us do. It’s all about communicating something to someone, whether that’s an experience, an emotion or simply an idea or concept. I think, ultimately, I’m looking for that ‘holy grail’ with writing, a communion between reader and writer, where they ‘get it’, completely and fully. I’m looking for that because that’s what I’ve experienced with the best stories I have read – complete immersion where you can almost second guess what’s about to happen. Not that the story is predictable, but that you are so in tune with the writer that, either just for a moment or the total length of the story, you utterly believe in its reality and nothing can distract you from it.
9. What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.
I’m not sure I actually have one. I was getting into the habit of only writing in coffee shops for a while, but I’m slowly weaning myself away from that, both because of the potential for caffeine addiction and for the sake of my bank balance. I just tend to sit down and smash away at the keyboard, no rituals involved, no ‘perfect environment’. Although, I don’t like it if it’s too quiet…
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
At the moment, it’s mostly short stories. I have one coming out in 2015, in an anthology called Out Of Phase from Sirens Call Publications, which is a post-apocalyptic zombie/alien invasion tale with a bit of humour involved. I’m also waiting to hear back from a few places about other short stories I’ve submitted (all horror in one way or another) and I’m reasonably hopeful for some of these.
Then, once I get a few current things out of the way (a short story I’m in the first draft of, some sketches, and so on), I have an ongoing novella to finish (I’m about halfway through this) and then I’ll finally be tackling my first novel. It’s going to be a time travelling love story with a bit of a dark overtone. I’m quietly hopeful that this particular work will get picked up.
Beyond that, I have a huge amount of ideas I really need to get out on ‘paper’ – some short stories, another novel or two and an inordinate number of novella-length ideas that I’m really excited about. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a good year for me, writing-wise at least! 
THE WEIGHT OF THE OCEAN
BY PAUL M. FEENEY
Blurb
Casual conversations, playful moments, two friends bonding over things that mean nothing, until one day they mean everything…
Paul has a love for the ocean, but has never had the will to learn to swim. Jess draws him to the water, helping him overcome his fear. In the rocky brine, Paul finds more than courage; he finds love in its truest form: Jess. But the scars she carries hidden deep within won’t allow her to love. After a beautiful but short lived courtship, she ends their relationship.
The Weight of the Ocean, much like the pain she hides, is simply too much to bear.
THE WEIGHT OF THE OCEAN
BY PAUL M. FEENEY
Excerpt
I’ll ride the wave,
Where it takes me,
I’ll hold the pain,
Release me
– Pearl Jam
“Okay, so, if you could be any kind of animal, what animal would you be?”
I was sitting at an outdoor café with my friend Jess. We’d been having one of those daft conversations about nothing.
She squinted at me. “Any sort of animal?”
“Yes, any animal at all.”
“Easy,” she said, “a mermaid!”
I stared at her over my coffee. “A mermaid does not count.”
“Of course it does. That’s the animal I would most want to be.” She sat back smiling, very pleased with herself.
I sighed. “Mermaids are not real, they’re mythological. I meant an actual, existing animal.”
She pouted her lips at me. “Not fair, I want to be one.”
“Well, tough,” I said, “you’ve got to pick a real animal, that’s the rule of the game.”
She looked up to the left and put a finger to her lips in a parody of deep thought, although I knew the gesture was partly genuine.
“Got it!” she said brightly. “The animal I would most want to be, which is real and alive now, is a dolphin.”
“Okay…” I started to say, but she interrupted straight away.
“A dolphin…with a human head.”
I nearly sprayed my mouthful of coffee all over the table and her. I managed to swallow and then burst out laughing. The image of a dolphin happily swimming about with the head of Jess was quite possibly one of the strangest and silliest I’d ever had, and I have had a few. I was laughing so much but trying to keep it quiet, I was going purple with the effort. The people at the next couple of tables were looking at me in a funny way.
Jess was giving me a reproachful look. “What’s so bloody funny, you?”
I couldn’t reply for laughing. The more I tried to stop thinking about it, the more this image swam through my mind. I was crying now from laughter.
Although she was affecting an air of disapproval at my hysterics, I knew Jess found this just as funny as I did. She was just better at controlling her reactions to things. She had probably said what she had said with the maximum amount of calculation designed to make me piss myself (not literally, of course). Although we hadn’t known each other very long, mere months in fact, we were very much attuned to each other’s wavelengths. We had the same slightly skewed sense of humour, liked things no one else had even heard of. I could guess where she would go next with her dolphin/human hybrid notion.
“Also, I’d still want to have my mind and intelligence. In fact, I’d want not just my head but also my arms. Ideally I’d have my upper body and the lower half of the dolphin.”
So predictable. “So, in effect, you’d be a dolphin version of a mermaid.” I’d managed to get my laughing under control, with the occasional rogue giggle rising to the surface. Jess nodded, and gave me a little sideways smile.
She had told me once that she used to be a really good swimmer, so good in fact that there had been overtures of training to be professional, or at least of competitive standard. Why this had never happened, she hadn’t said, or I didn’t remember, just something knocking about on the outskirts of my recollections about life getting in the way of ambition. Whatever the outcome, I knew she was most at home in the water. It was a compulsion I could relate to. Ever since I could remember, the sea had called to me. Even though I had never learned to swim, and had a vague, low grade fear of drowning, I loved the sea. It made me both calm and sad simultaneously. I could spend ages staring out at that vast body of water, imagining that there was something undefined there, waiting patiently for me to return to it.
My attention returned, as Jess gathered up her bag and drained the last of her coffee.
“Are you off then?” I asked, a little rhetorically.
“Yeah, got somewhere I need to be, love.”
That was another thing about Jess. She was a tiny mystery to me, always texting various unknown people, or rushing off to undisclosed rendezvous. No matter how close we had become, how well I knew her, or thought I did, she was still, in many respects, a closed book to me. A better metaphor was that she had a wall that she put up for people, to hide whatever insecurities or vulnerabilities lay beneath. I didn’t particularly mind, because I knew it was an automatic response for the most part, but there would come a point where, if she kept doing it with me, it might be a problem.
~~~~~~~
Links to Paul’s website, blog, books, etc.
Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/PaulMFeeney
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncleFeeney
Blogger: http://paul-feeney.blogspot.co.uk/
Amazon Author Page US:
http://www.amazon.com/Paul-M.-Feeney/e/B00MFVICNY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417651853&sr=1-1
Amazon Author Page UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-M.-Feeney/e/B00MFVICNY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417651901&sr=1-1
~~~~
Thanks for sharing your work with us, Paul!
December 9, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Harland County Christmas by Donna Michaels
~~
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS
Harland County Series
Prequel Novella ~ Jen & Brock
By DONNA MICHAELS
Book Blurb
Accounting major Jen Dalton has one more year to earn her Masters before she graduates and moves out of Harland County to find a corporate job and maybe a good-looking businessman to boot. Cowboys were handsome and fun, but they didn’t stick. Neither did ranch hands. Experience has taught her they come and go, and some took a piece of her heart with them. Well, no more handsome, sexy, cowboys. She wanted a stay around, stable, lifetime type of guy.
Then she returns to the family ranch after a ‘hurrah to summer’ weekend with friends to discover Brock, the hot, one-night stand she’d given herself permission to enjoy, is the new ranch hand. And dang it, she’s just as drawn to his sexy grin, gorgeous green eyes and quiet strength. As the summer ends, classes resume, and the holidays near, the handsome, alpha cowboy has her rethinking her future. So does the unborn baby she’s carrying. Maybe sticking around Harland County isn’t so bad—if she could get Brock to stay, and break out of the ‘leave Jen and move on to another ranch’ mold.
HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS
Harland County Series
Prequel Novella ~ Jen & Brock
By DONNA MICHAELS
Excerpt
“Ready?”
No. “Yep,” she lied, but didn’t care. There were more pressing issues to worry about, like the fact she was walking across the ranch with the man who’d seen her naked and panting…and begging.
She swallowed an unladylike word and motored on, trying to find the words to start a conversation. Any conversation. It didn’t have to be about last weekend. In fact, it was better if wasn’t about last weekend. Not here. Not out in the open, in the field between the two stables. Better to wait until they were inside the empty barn before they opened that topic.
She switched gears. “Okay, so, this stable, as Lenny probably told you, is strictly for abuse cases. Kade built a corral on the other side where it’s private and closed off from the everyday ruckus of the ranch.”
“Seriously?” Brock glanced sideways at her and a deep frown grooved his forehead under the brim of his cap.
“Yes, he felt it was—”
“I’m not talking about the barn. I’m talking about you,” he said, cutting her off, stopping outside the building.
Jen glanced up at him. “W-what about me?”
“We’re alone and you’re still pretending you don’t know me?” Confusion and anger mixed to turn his gorgeous eyes a green as vibrant as the leaves on the nearby oak. He stepped closer and loomed over her. “But you do, you know me very well, just as I know the little sounds you make wh—”
“Shh…” She grabbed his arm and yanked him inside the barn hard enough to shut him up. A quick glance up and down the deserted walkway confirmed they were alone. She turned back to the quiet man and released him. “Of course I know you. I was only pretending not to because I thought you’d rather the others didn’t know. Was I wrong?”
His chin lifted slightly. “No.”
“Okay.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Last weekend was a—”
She slapped a hand over his mouth and glared up at him. “Don’t you dare say it was a mistake, because it wasn’t. It wasn’t planned, it was a new experience, one I won’t repeat, but it was incredible.”
He relaxed, and she could feel his lips curve into a smile behind her hand before he grabbed her wrist and gently removed her touch. “It was?”
“Yes, of course. Why?” She blinked as her heart dropped to her stomach. “Wasn’t it for you?”
“Hell yeah, honey, but the way you seemed to forget it made me think I hadn’t taken good enough care of you.”
She reeled back and snickered. “Oh, trust me, cowboy, you took care of me real good.”
About the author, Donna Michaels…
Donna Michaels is a multi-published author with The Wild Rose Press, Whimsical Publications, as well as self published. She recently finalled in the BTS eMagazine Red Carpet Book Awards in Best Romance and Best Book categories. Was a finalist in the InD’Tale Magazine RONE Awards. And won Best Cowboy in a Book-Reader’s Choice-LRC. She lives in northeastern Pennsylvania with her full time military husband, four school-aged children and many rescued cats. There’s never a dull moment.
~~~
Links to Donna’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website and Newsletter sign up: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMichaelsAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Donna_Michaels
Blog: http://donnamichaelsauthor.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/donnamichaels/
~~
HARLAND COUNTY SERIES:
Prequel Novella: Brock: HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O3PON5G
Book One/Cole: HER FATED COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWAD5KE
Book Two/Connor: HER UNBRIDLED COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4846AK
Book Three/Kade: HER UNIFORM COWBOY (winner Best Cowboy in a Book/Reader’s Choice-LRC; Awarded Crown Heart of Excellence by InD’tale Magazine)(Finalist for Best Romance and Best Book in the BTS eMagazine Red Carpet Awards)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBWQCAC
Book Four/Kevin: HER FOREVER COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFRWNWQ
~~
CITIZEN SOLDIER SERIES:
Book 1/Ben: WYNE AND DINE
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NRCE2E8
Book 2/Mason: WYNE AND CHOCOLATE
Pre-order:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PULHSAO
~~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Donna is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner who comments on her **Author Peek** Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Don’t miss this chance to read Donna’s Christmas story. Thanks, Donna, for sharing your newest release with us!
December 8, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Cocktail Cruises, The Collection by Allie Boniface
Cocktail Cruises – Box Set
by Allie Boniface
Enjoy all three of the Cocktail Cruise stories in one volume, along with cocktail recipes and excerpts from some of your favorite USA Today and Amazon best-selling authors – available only in this collection!
~~~
INTRODUCING…ALLIE BONIFACE
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
Hi and thanks for having me here today! I’m a full-time high school English teacher by day and a contemporary romance writer by night (and weekend, and summer vacation, and whenever I can find the time…). I grew up in central NY state, have lived in Cleveland, OH, and Providence, RI, and found my way back to downstate NY about 18 years ago. I currently live in the Hudson Valley with my husband and our 2 furry felines. Favorite hobbies (besides writing!) include traveling, reading, music, Zumba, and community activism.
1. How did you get started writing?
I’ve always loved to write, but I started pursuing publication seriously after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. When I lost friends and neighbors that day, I began to realize that putting off dreams “for another day” is the worst thing you can do.
2. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write contemporary romance for two reasons: I am continually inspired by people, places, ideas, and happenings in the world around me (mostly small towns; I’m fascinated by the Peyton Place syndrome). And I love happy endings.
3. What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
Usually, what I have to do to get ready for school – lesson planning, upcoming school events, grading, etc. It’s very unglamorous and usually has very little to do with writing!
4. What is your favorite part of writing?
The creative process, certainly. Spending time at the keyboard and one day realizing you have created an entire world populated by very real characters is hugely satisfying.
5. What is your least favorite part of writing ?
Probably the editing. Sometimes it’s torturous.
6. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?
Bill Clinton and Audrey Hepburn. Both strong, passionate, sensitive to human and civil rights, and both charismatic!
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
From people I know, from stories in the newspaper, from songs, from dreams, from random thoughts in the shower…everywhere!
8. Tell me about your ideal reader.
Someone who enjoys my books, without a doubt!
9. What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.
That’s a tough one. A lot of times I am inspired by the writing of others. If I’ve just finished a beautifully written book, my creative juices are flowing. But because I can’t always be in “the mood” to write, I’ve learned to just plop myself down in front of my keyboard and start typing. If I’m really not feeling it, I’ll tell myself to write a short scene or two – often that’s enough to get me writing more.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
Ooh, I’m thrilled that the prequel to this Cocktail Cruise Collection will be coming out as a special part of the Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set on February 17, 2015. Setting Sail takes place three years before the first book in the Cocktail Cruise series, and readers will meet familiar characters before they become heroes in their own books. Readers will ONLY get to read this prequel as part of the boxed set, so preorder yours today! http://amzn.com/B00QL8OHEK
Links to Allie’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.allieboniface.com
Blog: www.allieboniface.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAllieBoniface
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AllieBoniface1
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Allie-Boniface/e/B002BM9F2Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Newsletter Sign-up: http://allieboniface.com/contact.html
Quick Facts
Release Date: December 1st, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Formats to buy: Paperbacks and all ebook formats
Heat Level: R-rated for sexual content; 3 Flames (Contains occasional sensual, explicit love scenes, and the language used to describe them may be graphic and direct)
Tequila Sunrise (Cocktail Cruises #1):
Louise wants to find love on board a romantic singles’ cruise – and it looks like her prayers are answered at a speed dating event.
Toby is too busy for a serious relationship; he only goes on the cruise because his best friend’s family owns the line and his sister works on it. But when he meets the luscious Louise at speed dating, his heart’s a goner.
When Lou discovers the dating service uses unethical business practices, though, she’s determined to reveal them, and the resulting publicity hurts Toby’s friends and family.
Can he convince her that true love exists beyond numbers?
Sex on the Beach (Cocktail cruises #2)
Cassidy is an elementary school teacher with a secret: a sexually adventurous online life led under a foolproof alias. Her motto? Enjoy sex and the single life as much as possible.
Bryce works for a major cruise line, which gets him all the sun, sand, and women he could want. But he meets his match in Cass, who’s even less interested in commitment than he is.
When her school’s financial crisis places Cass at the center of a firestorm, she must decide whether she’ll let Bryce become the first man she’ll trust with both her secrets and her heart.
.jpg)
Between the Sheets (Cocktail Cruise #3)
Andrea is determined to merge a cruise ship career and single motherhood. But that leaves zero time for sex or love, so when she has a chance for a fling with a sexy cruise ship dancer, she goes for it.
Sebastian enjoys a low-key life as the ship’s dance instructor, a welcome change from his previous life in Argentina as the star of a hugely popular dance show. But when Andrea sweeps into his life, everything changes.
Will new love help him come to terms with his past, and convince her to find room in her life for another man?
Here is an excerpt of Sex on the Beach:
Bryce ran the back of one hand down her bare arm as he leaned over to flag the bartender. Electricity shot all the way up to Cass’s shoulder, and something deliciously warm and familiar tingled between her legs. She brushed his shoulder as she reached for her drink, telegraphing a message that registered in the light of his eyes. He took a long swallow of his beer, then rested one elbow on the bar and turned toward her. Two inches, maybe one, separated them. She could smell him. If she leaned forward, she could probably taste him. And damn, but that mouth looked like it would know what to do on a woman’s body.
“That pick-up line, by the way?” she said. “The good-luck charm? Weak.”
He clutched his chest as if she’d shot him. “Was it that bad?” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I thought it had flair.” He touched the neck of his beer bottle to her glass. “Women like flair.”
Cass crossed one leg over the other and let her dress ride up. “Flair is over-rated.” She ran her fingers through her hair, loose and falling past her shoulders. “It takes more than that to win a girl over.” A nice ass will do, though, she thought. Good smile and wit helped too, and so far Bryce was three for three, though she wouldn’t tell him that.
“Decided to take the free cruise?”
“I did.”
“How’s your friend Louise?”
“She’s fine. Spends a lot of time with Toby, but I’m guessing you already know that.” She sipped her martini. “What about your buddy? The one from the bachelor party? He get married yet?”
“Yep. Valentine’s Day.” He cocked his head when she didn’t answer. “I take it you’re not a fan?”
“Of marriage? Or Valentine’s Day?” Not either one, she wanted to say. She set her glass down after another sip. “Thanks for the drink. But I think I’ll be going.” First conversations never needed to last longer than a few minutes. She’d leave him wanting more.
The Author
Allie was born and raised in a tiny community in upstate New York, which probably explains her fascination with the magic of small town life. She holds a B.A and M.A. in English Literature and is a full-time high school English teacher in the northern NYC suburbs, where she currently resides. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she and her husband love to travel both in the United States and abroad. She is the author of seven novels and three novellas and writes sensual contemporary romance because she loves exploring the emotions that connect us all!Giveaways
U.S and International:
$10 Amazon gift card, E-copy of Tequila Sunrise
a Rafflecopter giveaway
U.S only:
Signed paperback of The Promise of Paradise (also by Allie Boniface)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Author Peek** Interview with Donna Michaels
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with DONNA MICHAELS
INTRODUCING…Donna Michaels.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
Hello everyone, I’m Donna Michaels, author of romaginative fiction. I’m a full-time self published and small press published author/screenwriter. I write from short to epic, sweet to hot and across several romance genres, Contemporary, Time Travel, Suspense, Sci-fi, Paranormal and action, but they all have humor sprinkled throughout. I’m probably best known for my contemporary Amazon Best Selling Harland County Series—unruly cowboys and the women who tame them. All of my full length novels are romance through the H’s—Hot, Humorous & Heartwarming.
My husband is full-time National Guard, so you’ll find most of my books have a military protagonist. They are my heroes. God Bless our troops, male, female, past present and future, any branch, as well as their support system. They all sacrifice, and my family and I thank you. I fashioned my Citizen Soldier series off these brave men and women.
Books, television and movies are my hobbies. Like my writing, my reading and viewing pleasure is of mixed genre, but humor is a must. I adore Jill Shalvis! I want to be her when I grow up! I buy all of her books, and I love Karen Kelley and Kristen Higgins. I have one cowboy going global and another receiving an award. Cowboy-Sexy is currently being translated into Japanese, and Her Uniform Cowboy just recently finalled in two categories of the BTS eMagazine Red Carpet Awards. Now I have to come up with a killer old Hollywood style gown before July. No matter where I place, I will be receiving an award, so I guess I can start to get used to saying I’m an award winning author. 
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
I can’t choose just one genre. My imagination is all over the place, although, I am enjoying contemporary at the moment. I do have a few paranormals, suspense, two sci-fis on my hard drive, and more cowboys and military heroes. They all do have humor, though.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
To heal people. From returning vets, to sick children, to neglected animals, it would really be wonderful to have the gift to heal them all.
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
Yes, I do get stuck at times. I find if I just concentrate on getting the dialogue down, that unblocks my muse and I can then go back and layer in the rest. If that doesn’t work, I play the ‘what if’ game, and ask my characters that question sometimes pertaining to a crazy scenario. I do love to think out of the box.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
Marketing. I enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but man, does it cut into my writing time!
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
Lasagne. I have absolutely no Italian blood in me what-so-ever, but I sure do love the cuisine! I’d also include the wine, bread, and salad!
6. What is your typical day like?
I get up at 5:45 am to take my thyroid pill (you have to be consistent, daily). Most mornings I stay up, although sometimes I will allow myself the option to lay back down for another hour or three. I go through my emails and Facebook, then it gets a little tricky. I have a son in college, so he needs rides to and from (he doesn’t have a license yet, I know…weird, he has no desire to get one, but it’s on my todo list for next summer) and I also run my inlaws around when they call. Somehow, I manage to get a little writing done before supper, then before bed. If I’m on a deadline, then my parents, bless them, they do the running for me and I hole up in my room for a few days. There have been times when I’ve pulled an all-nighter. You do what you must.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
The most difficult for me to write is what I call the ‘fluff’. The stuff that goes in between descriptions, action and dialogue. It’s not emotions or sex. I can nail them, no pun intended. But the ‘fillers’? I struggle with them. They are the parts I skip when I read, too. I just like to get down to the story and don’t care about the ‘this or that’. See? If I read it more, then maybe I wouldn’t have such a hard time writing it.
8. A penguin walks into your office, right now, wearing a sombrero. What does he say to you and why is he here?
I hear you’ve been saying you’re not a penguin; you’re a flamingo and need the hot weather. Too bad. You are one of us. Here’s a hat, go cry in it, then suck it up and deal with winter like the rest of the locals. (He was a mean penguin.)
9. If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?
So very many to choose from, but I’ve got to say cancer. I’ve lost a lot of relatives to the disease, and my father-in-law is battling two types right now.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
I just had a cowboy release last week, so my next book is from the spinoff series about the National Guardsmen up in Northeastern PA. WYNE AND CHOCOLATE releases February 19th, but it’s currently up for pre-order. This story is about Mason, who was introduced in Her Uniform Cowboy and Wyne and Dine. Mason is one of the Wyne brother’s who co-owns a resort up in the Poconos, and he’s also a part time National Guardsman. Of the four brothers, he’s the sourpuss, but he’s also the one who was left at the altar. His outlook on love and women isn’t that great. My heroine, Jill (yeah, she may be named after my favorite author…shhh) owns a confection shop, is a genius with chocolate, and has weakness for helping lost souls.
Thanks for having me today, Karen! I hope everyone had as much fun reading my answers as I did writing them! Have a very Merry Christmas!
Thanks for reading,
~Donna
~~~~~~~
Links to Donna’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website and Newsletter sign up: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMichaelsAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Donna_Michaels
Blog: http://donnamichaelsauthor.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/donnamichaels/
~~
HARLAND COUNTY SERIES:
Prequel Novella: Brock: HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O3PON5G
Book One/Cole: HER FATED COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWAD5KE
Book Two/Connor: HER UNBRIDLED COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4846AK
Book Three/Kade: HER UNIFORM COWBOY (winner Best Cowboy in a Book/Reader’s Choice-LRC; Awarded Crown Heart of Excellence by InD’tale Magazine)(Finalist for Best Romance and Best Book in the BTS eMagazine Red Carpet Awards)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBWQCAC
Book Four/Kevin: HER FOREVER COWBOY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFRWNWQ
~~
CITIZEN SOLDIER SERIES:
Book 1/Ben: WYNE AND DINE
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NRCE2E8
Book 2/Mason: WYNE AND CHOCOLATE
Pre-order:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PULHSAO
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Donna, her new release, and an excerpt from HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS, Harland County Series Prequel Novella ~ Jen and Brock, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Donna is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner who comments on her **Author Peek** Interview or Killer Book Bench blogs. Don’t miss this chance to read Donna’s Christmas story. Thanks, Donna, for sharing your newest release with us!
December 4, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with L.A. Sartor
~~
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with L.A. SARTOR!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, L.A. SARTOR, and her favorite recipe for WILDA MacLAUCHAN’S PECAN PIE!
I’m so happy to be here today. Thank you, Karen, for hosting me on your amazing blog. I don’t know how you do it all, really, I’m jealous.
I’ve just released Forever Yours This New Year’s Night, Book Two of the Star Light ~ Star Bright series. Book One, Be Mine This Christmas Night ended up as a Bestseller on Amazon and won the 2014 International Digital Award for Short Contemporary. I’m offering up an excerpt of Forever Yours This New Year’s Night, so please sit back and enjoy then drool over the Pecan Pie Recipe I’m also including. It’s a Blue Ribbon Winner.
FOREVER YOURS THIS NEW YEAR’S NIGHT
Star Light ~ Star Bright Series, Book Two
By L.A. SARTOR
Book Blurb
Jennifer Malone Can’t Believe What’s Happening To Her
How dare he? Granted she’s far from home, dining alone on Christmas Eve. But that doesn’t give Major Brice Young—the cocky man who’d out-experted her on a big cyber forensics case months ago—the right to invite himself to her table and then do what he did.
Brice Young Can’t Believe He Did What He Just Did
Stupid move. Brice needs Jennifer Malone to be the beta tester of his new cyber defense program and he bet he’d just ruined his chances. Why on earth did he come here at all, let alone do what he just did? Would Jen still show up at tomorrow’s meeting and agree to work with him on testing his new system?
Can Two Prior Adversaries Work Together?
Getting Jen to test his new system is Brice’s priority until he discovers she is so much more than the icy cyber geek she portrays to the world. Jen fights to keep her distance, despite Brice’s undeniable charm. There is no way she ever mixes business with pleasure, especially with a recently divorced man…or can magic happen on this New Year’s Night?
FOREVER YOURS THIS NEW YEAR’S NIGHT
Star Light ~ Star Bright Series, Book Two
By L.A. SARTOR
Excerpt
Stepping into her kitchen gave her a moment alone, a second to catch her breath and steady herself. She and Brice hadn’t been apart since this morning unless you counted using the jet’s facilities, and she was surrounded by his presence. Then there was the subtle connection she’d felt since they’d left the Pentagon.
A sense of fitting with someone.
A feeling she didn’t want or trust. Liar, you’d love to have a relationship that was equal, witty, fun.
Pushing that fruitless thought aside, she turned to the fridge and pulled out bacon, eggs, veggies, cheese and bread.
Jen hadn’t been kidding when she said she liked to cook. It was something she learned from Annie, who was by far the better cook. But Jen knew if she did it more often, they would be neck and neck in any cooking competition.
She stopped turning the bacon as she realized she used the word competition. Why did she think everything had to be a test of who was better?
“I hope you’re letting that cool enough for me to nibble on?”
She blinked at Brice’s pleading voice and realized she still held the bacon midair in her tongs. “Sorry, it’s not quite done. Another few minutes. Did you want to get your bag unpacked?”
“Sure, show me the room.”
Jen pointed to the small building at the edge of her yard.
“Ah, your lab.
“Yep.”
“You’re really going to make me sleep in your lab?”
“Sure. You’ll feel right at home.”
Turning the heat down so the bacon wouldn’t burn, Jen moved to the back door and turned on the yard lights, illuminating the pathway, covered by a good foot of snow.
“You’ll have to walk through the white stuff, but you’ll be okay once you get a path going.”
“I need boots.”
She looked down to see his shoes. “Seriously, you wore loafers to Colorado in winter?” Jen almost caved and told him about the guest suite in the house, but decided at least for tonight to give tit for tat. No reservations, then deal with it.
And she had this sneaking sense that Brice thought if he smiled hard enough, she’d cave. No way, this was business. She knew too much about him already. He was gorgeous, but he was divorced.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with loafers, you guys plow sidewalks in Colorado right?”
“Right. Public sidewalks.”
And he was funny.
Keeping her face straight was an effort, but she won the battle as Brice’s shoulders slumped. He trudged out of the kitchen as she bit down her smile. Returning moments later, suitcase and laptop in hand.
“Bacon will be ready by the time you unpack.”
Stepping out into the snowy night, he looked back at her with big, sad, puppy-dog eyes.
Oh, mean trick.
Instead of giving in, she waved cheerfully, and Brice turned back to carving a path through the snow to the lab.
Guilt bit her and she turned on the walkway heating system. The bluestone-paved path, which ran from her house to the lab, had tubing beneath it that pumped heated antifreeze through the lines. A neat solution she’d had installed when years ago at 2 a.m. in the morning—after tossing, turning and punching her pillow—Jen finally figured out the solution to a complex problem that had plagued her for a week.
Not wanting to risk waiting until the morning to try out her idea, she ran across the snowy yard, slipped, and fell on her bum. It didn’t hurt, but snow filled her sweatpants and fell down her shirt.
The next day she made a call to her landscapers and had the heating system on order.
Annie hadn’t understood why Jen didn’t want the lab in her house. After all, Annie often burned the midnight oil, and her office was right across the hall from her bedroom. But after Jen had explained that either Todd or Susan-her two employees, might need to come to her private lab to work on a problem or check a solution, Annie got it.
So she’d built the lab in what was originally going to be the pool house. She sure as hell didn’t have time to care for or even use a pool. At least not at this point in her life.
The back door opened, letting in a blast of frigid air as Brice walked in. Perfect. The last of the bacon was just finished cooking.
He took off his shoes, and she laughed when she realized he’d put plastic bags over them for protection. “Did you find everything?”
“Yeah, cozy set up, even a couch, which I can barely fit on.”
She smiled at his beseeching expression and sized up his six-foot-plus frame. “Nice try. It pulls out into a bed. Why buy a simple couch when you can get a bed as well?”
“If it’s anything like the bed in the apartment I’m renting, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“It’s very comfortable, so no worries.” She put the bacon onto a paper-towel-lined platter and held it out to Brice. “Careful, it’s hot.”
He ate one piece quickly and reached for another. “This is really good, where’d you buy it?”
“Maine.”
His eyebrows rose. “No, really.”
“Yes, really. It’s one of my splurges and reminds me of home. I order a few pounds every couple of months from a small farm outside the town I grew up in. I keep some in the freezer.”
“And your eggs, where do they come from?”
Again, unbidden laughter rolled up from her belly. She had to be careful—this man had made her laugh more in a few hours than several of her more recent dates did during their entire time together. “There’s this awesome place called a market, King Soopers, to be exact.”
“Hmmm, I’ve heard of those kinds of stores, but they scare me.”
“You’re what, at least thirty-eight, and a grocery store scares you?”
“Forty, and yes, they do.”
“How are you at chopping up peppers?”
“Which end of the knife do I use?” he said with a grin. “But I can learn, if you’ll teach me.”
Teach him? Standing body next to body while she showed him how to curl his fingers under on top of the food and make the proper undulating movement with the knife?
“Maybe later.”
“Shucks.”
“Seriously?” She looked at him, mouth open. “Shucks?”
“Sure, it’s a perfectly good word.”
“For a boy from Kansas,” Jen said in a lighthearted tone.
“Found me out.”
“Seriously?”
“There are other words in the dictionary. Yes, I grew up on a farm in Kansas. And I only use shucks when I’m trying to get into a lady’s good graces.”
“Huh, that’s an interesting technique. Okay, no knives for you. How are you with a bottle opener?”
“Expert, gold medaled in the sport. Point out the bottle”
“It’s in the fridge, the pinot grigio, if that’s okay with you.” She handed him the opener.
He nodded and looked around, then headed in the right direction toward the refrigerator, covered in wood that matched her cabinets.
About the author…L.A. Sartor.
Leslie Ann Sartor (aka L.A. Sartor) began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at Leslie’s insistence, wrote them down and Leslie illustrated them. As an adult she writes suspense and action adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays—she’s had a contracted adaptation! She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date. Leslie loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey. She has a blog and a mailing list.
~~
Links to L.A.’s website, blog, books, etc.
Find L.A.:
Website
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
I hope you enjoy the recipe L.A. is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 173 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WILDA MacLAUCHAN’S PECAN PIE
A Note from L.A.: Wilda won a blue ribbon at the New Mexico State Fair with this recipe. I’ve made it a dozen times and my English mother-in-law swore by it.
3 eggs, lightly beaten with fork or whisk
¾ c. dark corn syrup
¾ c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 c. pecan halves
3 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
Combine eggs and corn syrup. Mix well (I use a whisk.) Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in salt and vanilla.
Let stand about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread pecans evenly on bottom of pie shell. Stir melted butter into syrup mixture and pour over pecans. Be sure all pecans rise to top.
Bake at 375˚for 40 – 45 minutes or until center is firm. To keep crust from browning too much, put foil strips or pie crust shield around the edge of the crust.
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: L.A. is giving away a Kindle copy of FOREVER YOURS THIS NEW YEAR’S NIGHT to one lucky winner who comments on her Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** blog. Don’t miss this chance to read L. A.’s holiday story. Thanks, L.A., for sharing your release and favorite recipe with us!
