Karen Docter's Blog, page 261
August 31, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Ashli Rose
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with Ashli Rose
INTRODUCING…Ashli Rose!
Hi! My name is Ashli Rose and I am the author of Hearts on Fire. I am a Jersey Girl, born and raised. I live in Bergen County with my wonderful husband, Patrick, and our beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Laila Rose. I would love to say that I am a full-time writer, but I spend my days teaching 4 and 5-year-olds at a private Pre-K. When I am not writing I love reading, going shopping; I have a small addiction to shoes and handbags, taking my daughter for walks and going to the park. I also love watching reruns of The Office with my husband. 
I am so excited to finally be able to share my book with you. It has been a long journey.
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
I write Adult Romances. It was until I was pregnant with my daughter that I got into the Romance genre. I love that romance novels really allow the reader to escape and experience something they might not get to experience on a daily basis. I also enjoy the fact that I can bring a sexy new book boyfriend into the hearts of my readers.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
Hmmm, I think it would be mind reading. This way I would be able to know what my 2-year-old is thinking.
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
Oh, my gosh, yes! There were so many times during this writing process that Gavin and Ava really made me crazy. I wasn’t sure where to go and what to do. I guess the only way that I have gotten unstuck is to step away from it and talk to my friends about what I was writing. I found that many of them had great ideas and suggestions that I ended up using in my final draft.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing ?
The waiting. I wish I could just snap my fingers and have the whole book done. I am a control freak and the fact that my book was in someone else’s hands drove me nuts.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
Honestly, my husband is the hostess, not me. I am lucky enough to have married a man who was raised by a woman who loved being in the kitchen. My husband took after her and loves to cook. He would probably prepare a garlic shrimp and pasta dish. I love my pasta.
6. What is your typical day like?
I usually wake-up around 6:00 am and get ready for work. I wake my daughter, Laila, up and get her ready to go to Grammy or Nana’s house. I go to work from 7-2:30 and then I come home, do laundry, cook dinner, play with Laila, get her ready for bed, read Laila stories and it’s bedtime. At around 9:00 I finally get to sit down with my husband to check my email and write a little bit before it’s time for me to hit the hay.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
I find that it is most difficult for me to write the character conflicts. Many of my characters are based off of my family and friends so they are easy to write. I think the conflicts are hardest for me because I don’t want to write a conflict that already exists in other novels. I try to be original, but sometimes it’s hard and I just go with what I know and try to put my own twist on it.
8. A penguin walks into your office, right now, wearing a sombrero. What does he say to you and why is he here?
Oh boy, I was never good at humor. You’re putting me on the spot. I guess he walks in and asks, “Does this hat make my beak look big?” I don’t know, I’m terrible at this…lol.
9. If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?
Being able to take cancer away from anyone who is suffering. I have lost too many family members to cancer that I just wish I could make it all go away. Maybe one day that will be a possibility but until then, I’ll take that wand and try my hardest to take it all away.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
My next book is the second in the Hearts on Fire Series. It is about Ava’s younger sister, Bree, and her hunk in uniform, Louis. This story is a little more serious than Gavin and Ava’s. Bree and Louis have some serious issues to deal with. But, that is all I am saying for now. It is called the Law of Love and I am hoping it will be published early 2015.
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Links to Ashli’s website, blog, books, etc.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashliroseauthor
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/ashliroseauthor
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/ashlirose11
Twitter- @ashlirose11
Buy Links:
amazon- (kindle and paperback) http://amzn.to/1rzLI8u
BN(paperback only)- http://bit.ly/1oahK4J
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BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Ashli, her new release, and an excerpt from HEARTS ON FIRE, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Ashli is giving away a HEARTS ON FIRE SWAG pack, including a signed HEARTS ON FIRE paperback, bookmark, magnet, and button, to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Ashli, for sharing your new release with us!
Congratulations Weeks 07-28-14 through 08-18-14 Giveaway Winners!
CONGRATULATIONS
WEEKS 07-28-14 through 08-18-14
GIVEAWAY WINNERS!
Week 07-28-14
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with PAULA MARTIN!!
Giveaway: Paula is giving away a digital copy of IRISH INHERITANCE (PDF or Smashwords Voucher) to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Thanks, Paula, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! ANITA A!!
~~~
Week 08-04-14
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with MICHELLE MAJOR!!
Giveaway: Michelle is giving away a signed copy of A KISS ON CRIMSON RANCH to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Thanks, Michelle, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! JENNIE MARTS!!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with T.B. BOND!!
Giveaway: T.B. is giving away a signed copy of SHENANIGANS to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thanks, T.B., for sharing your story and recipe with us!
WINNER!! LYNN TOWNSEND!!
~~~
Week 08-18-14
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with PAULETTE HARPER!!
Giveaway: Paulette is giving away an ebook copy of LIVING SEPARATE LIVES to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Thanks, Paulette, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! bn100!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with WAYNE ZURL!!
Giveaway: Wayne is giving away ebook copies of PIGEON RIVER BLUES to three lucky readers who comment on his Killer Fixin’s blog. Thanks, Wayne, for sharing your story and recipe with us!
WINNERS!! JAN K & bn100!!
[All winners chosen by random.org. Thank you.]
August 29, 2014
Alphas Unleashed $.99 Labor Day Weekend Sale!!
Buy NOW!!
Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Google Play Apple Smashwords
5 Hot Heroes / 4 Authors / 4 Worlds Discover five sexy alpha heroes in four hot adventures. They were each taken, tortured and tormented. These powerful males were held against their will, prisoners of fate. What happens when they escape their captors…and fall in love? Vengeance. Desire. Destiny. Nothing can stop…Alphas Unleashed.
A Warrior’s Heart (Marastin Dow Book 1.1)
By USA Today Bestseller S.E. Smith
Ben and Aaron Cooper think their luck has ended when the freighter they are on is captured by the Marastin Dow, a terrifying alien species known for their savagery. Instead they discover love with two warriors who capture their hearts. Now, they are in a race to keep the fragile gift they find before it is ripped away from them forever.
Sealed With A Kiss, A Djinn Novella by Mina Khan
Rayez, a smoking hot chef and fire djinn in exile, lands himself in deep trouble (at the bottom of a beer bottle) when he tries to help a mysterious beautiful woman.
Selene is pursued and desperate. She’ll do anything to keep her brother safe—including capture a djinn.
While deception brings them together, dangerous enemies make them unlikely allies. Can one wrong lead to two rights and true love?
Dead Drop, A My Immortals Novella by Carolyn Jewel
Wallace Jackson has so little magic she expects to be kicked out of her group of street witches being trained to use their gifts and work with demons. No one is more shocked than she is when a powerful demon proves her wrong. And then asks a favor of her.
The demon Palla is a warlord’s enforcer, a stone cold killer. Wallace Jackson is a pacifist witch with a dangerous power. He wants nothing to do with humans until he needs Wallace to help him free his former lover from a living death and release her spirit from unimaginable suffering.
Chimera Born: The Beginning (Book 1 of the Chimera)
By Michele Callahan
Aron of Itara, Forbidden Son, has been a prisoner of fate since before he was born. Captured as a child by the evil Triscani, it’s been centuries since he’s felt the sun on his face or the tenderness of a woman’s touch. Determined to help humanity break the elusive but powerful Itaran Triads’ hold on Earth, Aron escapes with one goal, to find the one man who can help him save humans from an eternal prison. After that, he’ll fight to the death, but he’ll never go back in the cage.
Zoey Williams watched her sister die at the hands of monsters, and no one believed her. She’s spent the last five years using her journalism skills to track aliens, investigate paranormal activity, and hunt for answers. But she got too close to the truth, and now it’s not just monsters hunting her, but her own people. Zoey doesn’t believe she needs a guardian, but once Aron finds her he can’t leave her to the vicious hunters that would turn her to ash or to the power-hungry humans who seek to silence her. In fact, he discovers that he doesn’t want to leave her at all…
106,000 Words
Get all four fabulous stories NOW!!
August 28, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Serena Fairfax
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with SERENA FAIRFAX!
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, SERENA FAIRFAX, and her favorite recipe for CHICKEN with OLIVES & TOMATOES!
KISMET
By SERENA FAIRFAX
Book Synopsis
When a feisty 21st century girl shakes hands with 400 years of history, what happens next?
In London on a buying spree, Jo Farrer, who runs a fashion shop from her cottage, wanders into an ancient churchyard and is hooked by an epitaph on a gravestone immortalising a notorious seventeenth century French highwayman and womaniser, Claude Du Vall.
Pre-occupied by thoughts of him, her van skids in an unfamiliar residential area, demolishing the original cast iron railings of an upscale, Victorian town house. Dazed and shaken, she’s rescued from the wreckage by charismatic tycoon, Ed D. Amery who she recalls hounded Kim, her former fiancé, out of office. Further shock encounters with Ed occur at a seminar designed to provide advice to budding entrepreneurs and at the stables owned by her uncle Roger, where Ed’s filly is in training.
Subsequently, Ed reveals that Kim was a computer hacker who’d cheated Ed and transferred millions offshore where he’d bolted.
Keen to open a conventional retail outlet, Jo rents a boutique within a luxury country house hotel complex only to learn later, to her dismay, that Ed’s her landlord and he, reluctant to accept her as a tenant, challenges her skills. She’s also jealous of Ed’s apparent romantic involvement with Cait.
An unlucky gemstone, a fancy dress ball, a fashion shoot, unsavory disclosures, equestrian sketches, a bloodstock auction and the enduring, Casanova legend of the mesmerising highwayman, who plays an unexpected role in the story, mingle to intrigue the reader in the clashes between Ed and Jo. The setting is the idyllic English countryside of hawthorn hedges, bluebell woods and may blossom.
Heat Rating: Scorching
KISMET
By SERENA FAIRFAX
Excerpt
‘Here lies Du Vall, Reader, if male thou art,
Look to thy purse, if female, to thy heart.
Much havoc did he make of both, for all
Men he made stand and women fall.
The second Conqueror of the Norman race,
Knights to his arm did yield, and ladies to his face…’
Who were you? Jo nudged her white minivan through the press of traffic, her thoughts tantalized by the mildewed epitaph she’d glimpsed just an hour earlier on a ravaged headstone. The shade of the ancient London churchyard had been a welcome respite from the unseasonably hot May day and her haggling with veterans of the rag trade. She glanced in the rearview mirror, her cobalt-blue eyes dancing with pleasure at the pile behind her that semaphored contemporary and classic labels. And what would Du Vall have made of it, she mused. If she half – closed her eyes, she could see him now, a virile bandit, and her lips curved in a wry smile that this man, long dead, long forgotten, could stir her blood. I’ll Google strip-search you, she resolved, running a hand through her ribbons of golden hair, as she itched to unlock him from the dusty pages of history.
“Dammit—should’ve taken a left at the lights,” Jo muttered. Her ditzy preoccupation with lady-killer Du Vall had diverted her into unfamiliar territory, an upscale residential area where cream, stucco-fronted Victorian villas, edging a tree-filled garden square, soared behind gleaming black railings.
The dusty road suddenly glistened with a treacherous oiliness. The van began a wild tango. Jo’s hands tightened over the steering wheel. Her heart pounded as she closed her eyes in the grim realization she was skidding. In a space of seconds, there was a crunch of metal as the van surged through cast iron railings, the windscreen raced to meet her as she was flung forward, shards of glass raining down. She slammed the brakes and the vehicle shuddered to a stop, straddling a steep drop across a basement well. This isn’t meant to happen. But the seat belt had saved her from a gory end. Slowly she opened her eyes, nausea creeping over her as she started to shake.
“A woman driver—surprise, surprise.” It was a deep male voice tinged with sarcasm and, emerging from a kind of fog, it took Jo several moments to grasp what was happening. The nearside door was wrenched open—strong hands reached across, unbuckled the seatbelt, and slowly tugged her into the solid muscle of his chest. She could feel the heat of his body, smell his musky male scent mingled with the sharpness of aftershave. Desperately trying to keep a fragile hold on herself, Jo’s heartbeats almost sped off the radar as the Good Samaritan’s eyes, silver-gray in a lean, sun-bronzed face, collided with hers as he steadied her upright on the sidewalk. And although she was five foot seven, he was all height, broad shoulders, rock-hard body and sensual mouth. He hadn’t shaved and was simply gorgeous.
“This is an intriguing introduction. Scorsese couldn’t have engineered better.”
Heat Rating: Scorching
About the author…Serena Fairfax.
Serena Fairfax spent her childhood in India, qualified as a lawyer in England and joined a London law firm.
Romance is hardwired into her DNA so her novels include a strong romantic theme. However, she broke out of the romance bubble with IN THE PINK, a quirky departure in style and content, that you can download free from her website until 1 August 2014.
She’s also written several short stories that feature on her blog. http://www.serenafairfax.com/serena_fairfax_author_blog/
Fast forward to a sabbatical from the day job when Serena traded in bricks and mortar for a houseboat which, for a hardened land lubber like her, turned out to be a big adventure.
Apart from writing and reading (all kinds of books), a few of Serena’s favorite things are collecting old masks, singing (in the rain) and exploring off the beaten track.
She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, which is a very supportive organization. Serena and her golden retriever, Inspector Morse, who can’t wait to unleash his own Facebook page, divide their time between London and rural Kent. (Charles Dickens said: Kent, sir. Everybody knows Kent. Apples, cherries, hops and women)
~~~
Links to Serena’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://www.serenafairfax.com/
Purchase link: www.bookstrand.com/kismet-fairfax
Blog: http://www.serenafairfax.com/serena_fairfax_author_blog/
Blog topic Romanian Rhapsody http://www.serenafairfax.com/serena_fairfax_author_blog/2014/08/04/summer-in-romania/
Email: info@serenafairfax.com
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/serena-fairfax/4a/852/a67
Twitter: http://klout.com/user/Sefairfax?n=tw&v=connect_twitter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/serenafairfax
I hope you enjoy the recipe Serena is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 159 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.
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CHICKEN WITH OLIVES & TOMATOES
[Serves 4]
Ingredients:
4 chicken joints
salt and black pepper
4 large tomatoes or one 14oz can chopped tomatoes
15 stoned black olives
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons each fresh basil and thyme
1/4 pint white wine
2 teaspoons chopped parsley.
Heat the oil. Season the joints well and fry them for about 20-25 minutes, turning often. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, cover and continue cooking in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350F or gas mark 4.
Make the sauce by skinning the tomatoes and chopping them finely. Peel and crush garlic. Fry in remaining fat, adding wine, basil and thyme. Bring to boil and cook gently until soft. Add the olives and mix well. Arrange chicken on serving dish, pour the sauce over and sprinkle with parsley and serve with fresh salad and crusty bread. Dry white wine or dry rose wine is the perfect partner.
Don’t miss this chance to read this great story!
Thanks, Serena, for sharing your new release with us as well as the yummy chicken recipe!
August 27, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Once More, My Darling Rogue by Lorraine Heath
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!
~ August 26, 2014 Release~
ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE
The Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James #2
By Lorraine Heath
Book Blurb
From New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath, comes the second book in a brand new series, The Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James, featuring three eligible bachelors…and the scoundrels that reside within each.
Born to the street but raised within the aristocracy, Drake Darling can’t escape his sordid beginnings. Not when Lady Ophelia Lyttleton snubs him at every turn, a constant reminder he’s not truly one of them. But after rescuing her from a mysterious drowning, he realizes she doesn’t remember who she is. With plans to bring her to heel, he insists she’s his housekeeper—never expecting to fall for the charming beauty.
While Ophelia might not recall her life before Drake, she has little doubt she belongs with him. The desire she feels for her dark, brooding employer can’t be denied, regardless of consequences. So when Ophelia’s memory returns, she is devastated by the depth of his betrayal. Now Drake must risk everything to prove she can trust this rogue with her heart once more.
ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE
The Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James #2
By Lorraine Heath
Excerpt
Just that morning she had been the envy of every female in London because Darling had escorted her down the aisle of St. George’s following the ceremony that had united Grace and Lovingdon. She had served as Grace’s maid of honor while Darling had stood as Lovingdon’s best man. But on the long stroll from the altar to the vestry, she’d spoken not a word to him, and he’d barely acknowledged her. He hadn’t bestowed upon her his remarkable smile. His eyes hadn’t twinkled. She knew he wished to be with anyone other than her just as she wished to be with anyone other than him.
The ladies were dancing with the devil as he led them merrily into temptation. It was time someone put an end to the charade, that someone reminded them—and him—of his place within their ranks.
At that precise moment Drake Darling wished to be anywhere other than where he was, but he was well aware that in life one did not always get what he wished for. On occasion, he didn’t even get what he deserved.
So he relied upon what he’d learned during his formative years about deception and he pretended that he was positively delighted, beside himself with joy, to be the center of attention. He much preferred the shadows to glittering ballrooms. He was most comfortable when not noticed, but he was at best a chameleon. He knew how to blend in even when the blending in took place within a room with mirrored walls, gaslit chandeliers, and the finest personages the aristocracy had to offer.
The one thing he was not feigning was his happiness for Grace and Lovingdon. He considered Grace a sister, even though their blood could not have been more opposite. For many years now he had been close to Lovingdon, a confidante on occasion, but more often a hell-raiser of late. Until Grace had captured the duke’s heart.
Therefore, Drake couldn’t very well not attend the celebration of their marriage. Only minutes earlier he’d caught sight of the happy couple escaping the ballroom. Normally the bride and groom didn’t attend the ball held in their honor, but Grace was far from conventional. She’d wanted to dance with her father one last time. The Duke of Greystone’s eyesight was deteriorating, although only the family was aware of his affliction. Another reason Drake was here: to acknowledge his debt to the man and woman who had given him a home. His presence was expected, and so he gave no outward sign to the six young ladies surrounding him that he wished to be elsewhere. He always did whatever was required to ensure the duke and duchess had no regrets about taking him in.
About the author, Lorraine Heath…
LORRAINE HEATH always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals and computer code, but something was always missing. After reading a romance novel, she not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA’s RITA® and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times best-seller lists.
~~~
Links to Lorraine’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://www.lorraineheath.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LorraineHeathBooks
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Lorraine_Heath
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/104926.Lorraine_Heath
Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/once-more-my-darling-rogue-scandalous.html
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19099623-once-more-my-darling-rogue?from_search=true
Buy Links
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/once-more-my-darling-rogue
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/once-more-my-darling-rogue/id771705715?mt=11
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**
Avon is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway!
$25.00 eGift Card to Book Seller of Winner’s Choice!!
August 26, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Cover Reveal ~ Hot Pursuit 1 by Jennifer Zane
**Author Peek** Cover Reveal with Jennifer Zane
(Includes excerpt of Chapter 1)
HOT PURSUIT 1
By Jennifer Zane
Blurb
A fun weekend at a friend’s wedding in Denver takes a bizarre twist for Anna Scott when her rental car is pulled over due to an “anonymous tip”. In her trunk…one dead body linked to warring crime families in Denver and New York. It should be easy for an innocent woman to be cleared for an innocent mix-up. But was it a mistake? The police aren’t so sure, and neither is the crime boss who wants vengeance for his son-in-law’s death. You see, Anna Scott didn’t exist a couple of years ago, she knows way too much about criminal procedures and about talking to cops. Anna Scott has a secret, and this twist of fate could not only expose her, but place her and anyone close to her in danger.
Jake Griffin is playing a dangerous game. He’s spent the last few months undercover in the Moretti crime family. Anna Scott is a big problem. Moretti assigns him to find out who she is, what she wants, and to kill her if she’s a threat. Jake needs to keep his nose clean and focus on taking down Moretti, not a sexy woman who is a complete mystery. He can’t stop thinking about her; her knowledge, her name, her dangerous associates, her fear, or the bone deep desire every time he sees her. Nick’s at war with the whole world over one alluring, yet vulnerable woman, and he can’t seem to stop taking dangerous chances where she’s concerned. The most dangerous of all might be trusting her with the truth.
HOT PURSUIT
© 2014 Jennifer Zane
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
Anna
If I had known how much fun it was to drive, how exhilarating it would feel, I would have done it sooner. Living in New York City didn’t require a car, but life required a government ID, so years ago I’d finagled a friend into loaning me his Prius long enough to take the driving test and obtain a license. I hadn’t been behind the wheel since.
Until now. My dark sunglasses shielded against the bright Denver sun, the lowered window caused my long hair to whip around my face, forcing me to tuck it behind my ear to keep it out of the way. The air was hot, but the unaccustomed lack of humidity made it easily tolerable in comparison to the mugginess of Manhattan. The radio pumped out some local rock station and the highway was wide open; everyone was at work at eleven in the morning. Everyone but me, and surprisingly, it felt good to take a break. It was Friday and, for once, I wasn’t sheltered in my little home office designing away. Safe.
It had taken my friend, Zach, weeks of cajoling to talk me into being his date for his sister’s wedding. He needed a date—a female one—to keep his family in the dark about his not-out-of-the-closet status. Cruising down the highway with the Rocky Mountains, snow-capped even in July, as a backdrop, I was glad he’d been persistent. Tentative when we’d first arrived late last night, afraid I’d made a mistake about going away, I told myself over and over this was Denver. Like New York, it was safe. No one would know me.
I tapped my just dry nails on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. The subdued French manicure I’d gotten—at the small shop suggested by the hotel concierge—would be perfect for the rehearsal dinner later and the wedding reception tomorrow. With most of the day until I had to be dressed and ready to meet Zach in the hotel lobby before me, I felt carefree. I had no doubt he felt the same way, spending the day with other men in the wedding party playing golf. Glancing at the speedometer, I gave my rental a little more gas and laughed to myself as I maneuvered around a slow-moving semi.
The sound of a siren startled me out of my carefree moment and I darted a glance in the rearview mirror. Glaring red and blue lights, almost throbbing in their intensity, confirmed the police were directly behind my car. What had I done? Checking my speed, I wasn’t going much over the speed limit to warrant a ticket. Was I? Panic instantly set in, adrenaline shot through me, making my palms slippery on the wheel. My heart hammered against my ribs as if trying to escape.
It wasn’t twelve years ago. I wasn’t eighteen anymore. I wasn’t even in the same state. But what, then? What could they want with me? My foot tapped the brake and I jerked against the seat belt, unfamiliar with the sensitive car. Trying to find the blinker, I accidentally turned on the wipers. The back and forth rub of blade against dry glass was loud once they turned off the siren. Flustered, I fumbled then switched the wipers off and maneuvered over toward the shoulder.
Coming to a stop, I put the car in park. The radio’s once fun tunes were now jarring and annoying. I jammed the button with my palm and the car went silent, leaving only the sound of passing cars and trucks. I watched as the cruiser slid in behind me, angled toward my far bumper, with the strobe lights continuing to pulse. I watched in the mirror for the police officer to get out as I focused on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Now was not the time to panic. To let them see I was scared. What was he doing back there? Why was he making me wait? My fingers were in a death grip around the steering wheel and I tried to relax them, to relax my shoulders that had crept up toward my ears. The overwhelming need to put the car back in Drive and make my escape was all-consuming. I didn’t trust the police, didn’t like them, but knew not to make the situation—whatever it was—worse by making them angry.
After long minutes, the man got out of his car. His uniform was dark and crisp, all sharp creases and starched collar. Walkie-talkie, pager and mace circled the utility belt. And then there was the very large gun in its holster. The man’s hand was positioned just above it as he approached, as if ready to shoot with the least provocation. His hair was cut high and tight, his eyes obscured by reflective sunglasses. . I could see through the side mirror he wore a bulletproof vest beneath his shirt, giving him an appearance of a veteran linebacker. Positioning himself by the rear door behind me, he leaned in so his body was shielded by the car. He hadn’t moved his hand away from his gun.
“Ma’am, license and registration please.” His voice was deep and his tone serious. I didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t one of them. He couldn’t be. I was being silly. A tail light was out or something. No one had found me.
“It’s……it’s in my purse.” I licked my lips as I fumbled in my small bag on the passenger seat, only large enough for my wallet, my cell and a few other essentials. “Here.”
He took it from me, looked at it. Looked at me. “Registration.”
“Oh.” Right, registration. I shook my head to clear it as I reached over to open the glove box, pulled out a packet of papers, then handed them to the man. I pushed my hair back behind my ear with my fingers. Knowing they shook, I put them in my lap and clasped my palms together. Breathe.
“This is a rental car,” he stated.
“Yes.” I didn’t know why I was pulled over, but I knew to answer their questions succinctly and only provide the information they requested. I had firsthand knowledge of how they could use it against me.
While he was looking at the documents, a second police cruiser pulled up and parked in front of my car. Oh God. Why would two police cars be needed for a broken tail light? This time a female officer emerged, similarly garbed and talking into the receiver of a walkie-talkie strapped to her collar.
I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat. It was hard to be calm when my heart beat so fast, as if I were given a shot of epinephrine. The sun blazed through the window and my shirt was damp against the seat back. “Turn off the ignition and step out of the car, please, ma’am,” the policeman said.
The female officer watched me from her position by the hood of my car, her hand poised on her service weapon.
With fumbling fingers, I did as requested, disconnected my seat belt and opened the door. The man moved back to make room, but once I stepped from the car, he loomed over me, blocking the sun, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.
“Please follow me around to the other side of the car.”
I had no choice but to follow, thankful to be away from traffic. I took a peek at the tail lights. Not broken.
The female officer joined us, looked me over in my sleeveless white blouse, floral skirt and strappy sandals. “Please take off your sunglasses.”
Their words may have been polite, but they were all business.
I complied, squinted in the sunlight.
“Do you have any weapons on you, any knives or drug paraphernalia?” she asked.
I shook my head as I looked her in the eye. “No.”
“I’m going to frisk you. Please put your arms up and out.”
“Am I……am I under arrest?” I asked, my fingers fiddling with my sunglasses. I knew they had to have reason and I had to know what it was.
“No, ma’am,” she replied.
The other officer watched passively as I lifted my arms to stand in the shape of a T. When the woman efficiently confirmed I wasn’t concealing anything dangerous, he said, “We have reason to believe you have a dead body in the trunk of your car.”
My arms fell back to my sides.
“A……a dead body?” I had imagined many things he might say, but that was not one of them. Sweat dotted my brow, my upper lip. I used the back of my hand to wipe at it. I knew they were both gauging my reaction to their words, assessing my threat of being dangerous and even guilty in my every move and body gesture. “My car?”
“Yes, ma’am. The description matches the vehicle we’re looking for. We are going to need to search the car.”
I glanced over my shoulder and stared at the bland, maroon four-door sedan. As with most rentals, it was American-made, newer model and boring. It didn’t look like a car that would have a dead body in it, but then again, what one did?
I recognized my coping mechanism: humor. I needed to squelch that down so they didn’t think I was being blasé about something so serious. They had no idea how serious this was to me. I couldn’t panic, couldn’t get upset. I’d learned to hide my emotions, shield them so they couldn’t be used against me.
When I was seven, I’d learned quickly that it would bring me nothing but trouble. When I was eighteen, I’d refined the skill even more. Now, I had to override the panic, focus on something else besides what was happening to me. That’s when I noticed little yellow wildflowers in the dirt shoulder. I stared at them as they shifted in the soft breeze.
It was happening again. It was like twelve years ago. Someone was up to something. Out to hurt me. This couldn’t be a joke. Nothing was ever a joke.
I stared at the yellow flowers as I replied, “Search warrant?”
“Don’t need one. Probable cause,” the police officer shouted above the roar of a passing eighteen wheeler. He didn’t offer explanation. I didn’t need one.
They must have a credible enough source to eliminate the need for a search warrant. Time was obviously of the essence. No doubt they couldn’t wait all weekend for a judge to sign one with the vehicle in question being a rental. Obviously the owner—me—would be considered a flight risk.
It was time to switch my mind off. I needed to put the mental walls up, to remember how it felt to shelter my mind behind them, protecting myself from whatever was happening to me. I could only nod and watch the stupid flower.
The woman remained by my side while the man went around the car to the driver’s door, leaned in and popped the trunk. At the sound, I turned around. Watched him walk to the back, lift the lid and stood. Staring.
Giving a little shift of his head, the woman joined him. So did I.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my throat closing up at the sight. There, in the trunk of my full-sized rental, was a dead man. Forty-something, receding hairline, overweight, suit and tie. Glazed eyes stared up at me. There was a bullet hole in his forehead. And he was starting to smell. God, the horrific scent lifted up in the breeze. It wasn’t powerful, yet. I assumed the only way I didn’t notice it was that the windows had been open.
I felt the blood rush out of my head. Little black dots danced in front of eyes, making it look like flies were crawling on the body. I pivoted on my heel as I felt my stomach revolt, vomiting all over the concrete. Once the dry heaves subsided, I stayed bent over, one hand on my knee, trying to catch my breath. I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth, wishing I had some water to wash away the acidic taste in my mouth. All this time neither officer hadn’t moved, the woman’s black work shoes and creased pants in my periphery.
The police probably thought I’d thrown up because of seeing the dead body. I hadn’t. I’d thrown up because I knew I was in big trouble. It was happening again. All my fears, all my worries over the past twelve years had come to life. Or death, like the body in the trunk. God, I knew I shouldn’t have left New York, shouldn’t have left the safe structure I’d made of my life for a little fun. I didn’t do fun. I wasn’t allowed. Because the moment I had some fun, just a tiny lit bit, this was what happened.
Keep up-to-date on the Hot Pursuit Series!
Join Jennifer Zane’s mailing list:
http://www.jenniferzane.com
Meet author…Jennifer Zane.
Jennifer Zane has lived all over the country–from Georgia to Maryland, New York to Colorado. including an exciting five years in Montana. Her time in Big Sky country was the basis for this book. When she’s not writing, she savors the insanity of raising two boys, is figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure cooker, and teaches a pretty mean karate class. She currently lives with her family in Colorado.
~~~
Links to Jennifer’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://www.jenniferzane.com
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Pursuit-1-Romantic-Suspense-ebook/dp/B00MVK5VTM
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465595
Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/hot-pursuit-1-1
Also available for pre-order on Apple.
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Jennifer is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card so be sure to enter her Rafflecopter giveaway below! Don’t miss this chance to read this great story. Thanks, Jennifer, for sharing your book cover reveal with us!
August 24, 2014
**Author Peek** Cover Reveal with Jennifer Zane
**Author Peek** Cover Reveal with Jennifer Zane
HOT PURSUIT 1
Blurb
A fun weekend at a friend’s wedding in Denver takes a bizarre twist for Anna Scott when her rental car is pulled over due to an “anonymous tip”. In her trunk…one dead body linked to warring crime families in Denver and New York. It should be easy for an innocent woman to be cleared for an innocent mix-up. But was it a mistake? The police aren’t so sure, and neither is the crime boss who wants vengeance for his son-in-law’s death. You see, Anna Scott didn’t exist a couple of years ago, she knows way too much about criminal procedures and about talking to cops. Anna Scott has a secret, and this twist of fate could not only expose her, but place her and anyone close to her in danger.
Jake Griffin is playing a dangerous game. He’s spent the last few months undercover in the Moretti crime family. Anna Scott is a big problem. Moretti assigns him to find out who she is, what she wants, and to kill her if she’s a threat. Jake needs to keep his nose clean and focus on taking down Moretti, not a sexy woman who is a complete mystery. He can’t stop thinking about her; her knowledge, her name, her dangerous associates, her fear, or the bone deep desire every time he sees her. Nick’s at war with the whole world over one alluring, yet vulnerable woman, and he can’t seem to stop taking dangerous chances where she’s concerned. The most dangerous of all might be trusting her with the truth.
Jennifer Zane
Author Bio…
Jennifer Zane has lived all over the country–from Georgia to Maryland, New York to Colorado. including an exciting five years in Montana. Her time in Big Sky country was the basis for this book. When she’s not writing, she savors the insanity of raising two boys, is figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure cooker, and teaches a pretty mean karate class. She currently lives with her family in Colorado.
~~~
Links to Jennifer’s website, blog, books, etc.
Keep up-to-date on the Hot Pursuit Series!
Join Jennifer Zane’s mailing list:
http://www.jenniferzane.com
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Pursuit-1-Romantic-Suspense-ebook/dp/B00MVK5VTM
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465595
Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/hot-pursuit-1-1
Also available for pre-order on Apple.
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Jennifer and her upcoming release, HOT PURSUIT 1 — including excerpt — on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Jennifer is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card so be sure to enter her Rafflecopter giveaway below! Don’t miss this chance to read this great story. Thanks, Jennifer, for sharing your book cover reveal with us!
August 21, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Wayne Zurl
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with WAYNE ZURL!
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, WAYNE ZURL, and his favorite recipe for SEAFOOD MORNAY!
PIGEON RIVER BLUES
A Sam Jenkins Mystery
By Wayne Zurl
Book Blurb
Winter in the Smokies can be a tranquil time of year—unless Sam Jenkins sticks his thumb into the sweet potato pie.
The retired New York detective turned Tennessee police chief is minding his own business when Mayor Ronnie Shields asks him to act as a bodyguard for a famous country and western star.
C.J. Profitt’s return to her hometown of Prospect receives lots of publicity . . . and threats from a rightwing group calling themselves The Coalition for American Family Values.
The beautiful Ms. Proffit is known to flaunt her abrasive personality and lifestyle—a way of living the Coalition hates.
Reluctantly, Jenkins accepts the assignment of keeping C.J. safe while she performs at a charity benefit. But Sam’s job becomes difficult when the object of his protection refuses to cooperate.
During this misadventure, Sam hires a down-on-his-luck, former New York detective and finds himself thrown back in time, meeting old Army acquaintances who factor into his plan to foil a complicated plot of attempted murder, the destruction of a Dollywood music hall, and other general insurrection on the “peaceful side of the Smokies.”
PIGEON RIVER BLUES
A Sam Jenkins Mystery
By Wayne Zurl
Excerpt
Prologue
An oddball named Mack Collinson sat in his mother’s office discussing the upcoming auction of farmland straddling the border of Prospect and neighboring Seymour, Tennessee.
Jeremy Goins, part-time real estate salesman at the Collinson agency, defrocked federal park ranger, and now full-time maintenance man in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, walked into the room and tossed a newspaper on Mack’s lap.
Collinson, a short, dark man in his late-forties, had close-cropped, almost black hair, a single bushy eyebrow spanning his forehead, and a thick beard that covered his face from just below his eyes and disappeared into the collar of his sport shirt.
“You seen this article in the Blount County Voice?” Goins asked.
Mack shrugged. His mother neither commented nor gestured.
Goins sighed and continued, seemingly unimpressed with his male colleague. “’Bout how Dolly’s havin’ a benefit show and that lezzy bitch—‘cuse me, Ma—C.J. Profitt’s comin’ back home fer a week a’forehand.”
People showing deference to her age referred to Collinson’s mother as Miss Elnora. Those who knew her more intimately, called her Ma.
“Lemme see that,” Elnora snarled, screwing up her wide face, one surrounded by layers of gray, arranged in a style the locals called big hair.
“Yes, ma’am.” Anxious to please his employer, Jeremy snatched the newspaper from Mack and handed it to Mrs. Collinson.
The Collinson Realty and Auction Company occupied an old and not very well maintained building on McTeer’s Station Pike just below the center of Prospect. Sixty-five-year-old Elnora Collinson had been a realtor for more than forty years, first with her late husband and now with her son. In either case, Ma represented the brains of the operation.
After allowing the woman a few moments to read the article, Jeremy Goins continued the conversation.
“I hated that bitch back in hi-skoo,” he said. “And I hate her even more now that I know what she is and what her kind means ta the rest o’ us.”
Goins was a stocky, rugged-looking man, approaching fifty, with a liberal mix of gray in his dark brown hair. The gray hair was the only liberal thing about Jeremy Goins.
“I s’pose she’s fixin’ to stay around here and mebbe bring some o’ her pur-verted women friends with her,” Mack said. “This world’s goin’ ta hell when ya got ta be subjectedta the likes o’ her on the same streets good Christian folk walk on.”
“Amen ta that,” Jeremy said.
When Ma finished reading she snorted something unintelligible, rolled up the paper, and threw it at a wastepaper basket, missing by a foot.
“Boys, this is shameful.” She took a long moment to shake her head in disgust. “Downright shameful.”
Both men nodded in agreement.
“When that girl went ta Nashville an’ become a singer, I thought Prospect was rid o’ her and her kind once’t and fer all. Lord have mercy, but we’re doomed ta see her painted face on our streets ag’in.”
“Momma,” Mack said, “we ain’t gotta take this.”
He spent a moment shaking his head, too. Then he decided to speak for the rest of the population.
“Don’t nobody here want her back. Mebbe we should send’er a message if the elected leaders o’ this city won’t. We kin let her know.”
“You’re rot, son. Ain’t no reason why that foul-mouthed, lesbian should feel welcome here.” Ma Collinson, who resembled a grumpy female gnome, sat forward in her swivel chair and with some difficulty, pulled herself closer to the desk. “Jeremy, git me that li’l typewriter from the closet. I’ll write her a note sayin’ as much.”
Goins nodded and moved quickly.
“And Jeremy, afore yew git ta work at park headquarters, mail this in Gatlinburg so as ta not have a Prospect postmark on it.”
Goins stepped to a spot where he could read over her shoulder and said, “Yes, ma’am, I’ll do it.”
After inserting a sheet of white bond paper under the roller, Elnora Collinson began to type:
Colleen Profitt we know you. We know what you are. All the money you made don’t make no difference about what you have became. You are a shame to your family and the city of Prospect . Do not come back here. We do not want you. God does not want you.
SIGNED
The Coalition for American Family Values
That was the first of six messages sent to country and western star C.J. Profitt. The last letter, typed almost two weeks later, said:
CJ Profitt you have not called off your visit to our city. We repeat. You and your lesbian friends are violating God’s Law. You must not come here. If you do you will regret it. The people of this city will not suffer because of you. Your ways are the ways of Sin. Your life is a life of SIN. If you come here YOU WILL suffer and then burn in Hell. Do not show your painted face here again. If you do you better make your peace with GOD. You will face HIM soon enough. Sooner than you think.
The Coalition for American Family Values
<><><>
On Friday morning, February 2nd, Mack Collinson slammed the front door to the real estate agency, shrugged off his brown canvas Carhartt jacket, and tossed it on an old swivel chair. He spent a moment blowing his nose in a week-old handkerchief and stormed into his mother’s office.
“Well she’s here,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “She never done took your warnin’s serious-like.”
Ma Collinson looked at her son over the tops of reading glasses she recently purchased at the Wal-Mart Vision Center.
“This mornin’ Luretta and the kids was watchin’ that Knoxville mornin’ show,” he said. “And there she was—film o’ her at the airport ‘long with some others goin’ ta perform at Dolly’s benefit thing. She never listened ta ya, Ma. Now she’s here.”
At five after nine, a coo coo clock in Elnora’s office struck eight.
Mrs. Collinson pulled off her glasses and tossed them onto the desk. She wrinkled her brow and puckered her mouth in disgust. Elnora did not look happy.
“She’ll be talkin’ ‘bout her ideas and her ways like she always does,” Mack said. “It’s un-natural is what it is. Against God’s way. Why does God let people like her live, Ma? Makes me jest so gat-dag mad. Makes me think we ought ta kill her. Kill her our own selves.”
About the author…Wayne Zurl.
Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen of those years he served as a section commander supervising investigators. He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College and served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves. Zurl left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara.
Twenty (20) of his Sam Jenkins mysteries have been published as eBooks and many produced as audio books. Ten (10) of these novelettes are available in print under the titles: A MURDER IN KNOXVILLE and Other Smoky Mountain Mysteries and REENACTING A MURDER and Other Smoky Mountain Mysteries. Zurl has won Eric Hoffer and Indie Book Awards, and was named a finalist for a Montaigne Medal and First Horizon Book Award. His full-length novels are: A NEW PROSPECT, A L EPRE CHAUN’S L AMEN T, HEROES & LOVERS, and PIGEON RIVER BLUES. They are available in print and various eBook formats.
For more information on Wayne ’s Sam Jenkins mystery series see www.waynezurlbooks.net. You may read excerpts, reviews and endorsements, interviews, coming events, and see photos of the area where the stories take place.
~~~
Links to Wayne’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://www.waynezurlbooks.net
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!/waynezurl
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/waynezurl
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4158372.Wayne_Zurl
Google &: https://plus.google.com/109594006376039428353#109594006376039428353/posts
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/waynezurl
B&N author page: http://barnesandnoble.com/s/wayne-zurl
Mind Wings Audio author page: http://mindwingsaudio.com/?s=wayne zurl
~ PIGEON RIVER BLUES ~
B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pigeon-river-blues-wayne-zurl/1119700073?ean=9781938844027
BAM
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Pigeon-River-Blues/Wayne-Zurl/9781938844027?id=6031339465263
I hope you enjoy the recipe Wayne is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 158 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SEAFOOD MORNAY
[Serves 2]
Use this sauce over shrimp or scallops
Basic recipe for 2 persons
1/3 cup minced onions
1 cup of milk
2 large cloves of minced garlic
2 or 3 minced shallots
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
2 tablespoons of sifted flour
Salt & black pepper to taste
A splash of sherry (about a tablespoon or thereabouts)
Sauté onions in butter until translucent but not browned. Add shallots and garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Mix in sifted flour and stir over medium heat. Slowly stir in milk, eliminating the lumps in the flour/onion mix. Raise heat and whisk until sauce begins to boil and thickens. Remove from the high heat. Add the S&P and then the sherry.
20 to 24 medium/large shrimp, shelled and deveined…or…
¾ pound scallops, drained…or…a combination of both (if you’re hungrier than me, use more)
Sauté the seafood in olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper & powdered garlic.
Serve the seafood topped with the Mornay sauce over rice or another grain of your choice (millet, bulgar, etc.) along with a side dish of fresh vegetables.
A word about cooking shrimp and scallops from an old Long Island Bay man: Most people sauté these too long and end up with rubbery results. Shrimp need only 2 or 3 minutes in a hot pan, turning them once until they turn white and pink. Small bay scallops perhaps even less. Sea scallops, depending on the thickness, will require more time.
Advice about buying scallops. Not everyone is fortunate enough to harvest their own scallops from the waterways. If you see scallops for sale and they are all the same size and shape, you’re probably getting “cookie cutter” scallops stamped from the wings of a skate and not the natural product taken individually from the shells. That doesn’t mean they won’t taste good, but don’t pay $14.99 a pound for them. One third the price is more appropriate.
If you are so inclined, this pairs well with a California sauvignon blanc.
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Wayne is giving away ebook copies of PIGEON RIVER BLUES to three lucky readers who comment on his Killer Fixin’s blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Wayne, for sharing your new release with us!
August 19, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Living Separate Lives by Paulette Harper
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!
LIVING SEPARATE LIVES
By Paulette Harper
Genre: Christian Fiction, Novella
ASIN: B00GLF5BW0
ISBN: 978-0989969109
Publisher: Thy Word Publishing (November 10, 2013)
Book Blurb
Four Friends, One Secret and The Weekend That Changed Their Destiny
Candace Walker, Kaylan Smith, Jordan Tate, and Tiffany Thomas have their share of sorrows, but neither of them realizes how deep the sorrow goes. What happens when they agree to meet for a weekend of relaxation in beautiful Napa County? Which one will leave the same or worse?
For Candace Walker, life has left her battered and bruised. Kaylan Smith has struggled with prejudice from her in-laws. After fifteen years of marriage, bitterness is trying to raise its ugly head for Jordan Tate, whose husband wants to call it quits. And for Tiffany Thomas, dealing with rejection has never been one of her greatest feats.
Although they have been friends for years, they thought they knew each other well. But will a secret destroy their relationship and bring the sisterhood to a complete halt? Will they be able to forgive and allow God to mend that which might be torn?
LIVING SEPARATE LIVES
By Paulette Harper
Excerpt
“Who cares anyway if I die? I hate my life; I curse the day I was born,” said Candace as she rolled out of her twin bed to face yet another day of sheer disappointments. Her feet landed on the beige, shaggy, dirty carpet that had seen better days. As she sat on the edge of her bed, she looked around the small apartment as though she was expecting to see something different, but nothing had changed.
“Lord, can I get a break? Can something good happen in my life?” she cried as her head collapsed in her hands. She knew within herself that today would be like all the rest: gloomy, sad, and most of all, lonely. After all she had experienced in life, how could she think today would be any different?
Candace lived in a small studio apartment off of School Street in the city of Pittsburg, California, a city surrounded by the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. Her apartment had enough room for only one dresser and a nightstand, which she got at the neighborhood Goodwill store.
The walls of her apartment were dirty from years of cigarette smoke that didn’t escape out of the window. Her kitchen table was made of plywood, which she covered with a red tablecloth. The table was encompassed by two chairs, one for her and the other one she had hoped would be occupied by someone who genuinely wanted to be with her. The blue and cream décor in her kitchen came from visiting the neighborhood garage sales. Her neighbors knew her so well because of the frequent visits she made to their sales. Although Candace always had a roof over her head, she did not like the environment in which she lived. After looking intently at her dwelling place, she lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts shifted from her disappointing apartment to her anger about the issues she had to deal with, problems that had been with her for years, issues with her family.
Since high school, life was hard for Candace. Almost every decision she made never retuned a good dividend. The men in her life came and went, except for Derrick. He stayed the longest, but his bout with kidney failure ended whatever dreams she had of getting out of what she called the “ghetto.” Derrick was her sure ticket to a better life, she’d hoped. The only consolation to his memory was the pictures on the stained walls and a locket she wore around her neck.
Candace grew up with both parents and two siblings. Her sister, Monique, was three years younger than her; her brother, Zach, was two years younger. Candace always felt that she got the worse end of the stick when it came to Monique. Monique was light-skinned with long, black, wavy hair, which belonged to her, by the way. Candace’s skin tone was a few shades darker than Monique’s. She was short in stature, five feet, three inches tall, to be exact. She wore her hair down and straight, although it mostly contained black hair extensions, which she bought from the neighborhood beauty supply store.
Monique was the image of her mother, minus a few inches of hair. She stood five feet, eleven inches with a small frame; she could have been chosen as America’s Next Top Model. But Monique decided to study law, passing the bar on her first attempt; she then started her own practice and moved it to Los Angeles. Monique and her parents could not figure out why Candace didn’t make more of herself. To them, Candace was merely existing and taking up space. They wrote Candace off years ago.
About the author, Paulette Harper…
Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole and The Sanctuary. Her articles have appeared on-line and in print.
~~~~~~~
Links to Paulette’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.pauletteharper.com
Amazon e-book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GLF5BW0
Amazon paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Separate-Lives-Paulette-Harper/dp/098996910X/ref=sr_1_4_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384373404&sr=1-4&keywords=paulette+harper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pauletteharper
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pauletteharper/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PauletteHarp...
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paulette-harper-johnson/7/a29/8a7
Trailer: http://youtu.be/Y2YWSYkfxAM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18524878-living-separate-lives
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Paulette is giving away an ebook copy of LIVING SEPARATE LIVES to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Paulette, for sharing your new release with us!
August 17, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Paulette Harper
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview
INTRODUCING…Paulette Harper!
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
As an inspirational and fiction writer, I write to inspire and empower readers. I write because I feel I have message to share with readers not only to entertain readers but to help them grow spiritually. I love to mix real life stories into my fiction. Although each story is unique, we experience some of the same feelings, situations and challenges in life in which the reader can identity. With the ability to craft fiction books, it gives me the opportunity to live through each character.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
If I were to choose one superpower it would be the ability to see into the future. I’d sure would like to know how I would be rewarded for all the pain and trials I’ve had to endure.
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
Yes. Many times I sit at my computer, staring at the blank screen, waiting for words to start flowing. Sometimes they do, sometimes I need a push. Here are a few ways I get unstuck: I read. I use this method a lot. Reading what other people have written. I listen to music and sometimes I go out and walk.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing ?
The least part of writing would be editing. Although I don’t edit my own book, getting it back from the editor with corrections can be tedious.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
Well, I’d hope you’d like my Lasagna, green salad and garlic bread. And for dessert, I’d display a variety of choices from cookies, cakes and ice cream.Yummy!!All low calorie of course.
6. What is your typical day like?
A typical day in my household would be having a cup of coffee, prayer, enjoying a morning walk and working from home (not all in that order)
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
I believe developing characters. I haven’t been writing fiction long so this is something that I must learn to develop.
8. How likely are the people you meet going to end up in your next book?
LOL! Very likely.
9. Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.
My hero is strong physically, spiritually and emotionally. He is a person who can finish my thoughts and is in harmony with my heart beat. While he has these great strengths, at times he fails to let others see when he is in pain.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
My next book is a children’s book entitled Princess Nevaeh. Inspired by my first grandbaby, whose name is Nevaeh, she asked me to write a book with her name in it. Princess Nevaeh, Lessons on Self Discovery will be released on Sept 2, 2014. This is my first children’s book.
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Links to Paulette’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.pauletteharper.com
Amazon e-book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GLF5BW0
Amazon paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Separate-Lives-Paulette-Harper/dp/098996910X/ref=sr_1_4_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384373404&sr=1-4&keywords=paulette+harper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pauletteharper
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pauletteharper/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PauletteHarp...
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paulette-harper-johnson/7/a29/8a7
Trailer: http://youtu.be/Y2YWSYkfxAM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18524878-living-separate-lives
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BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Paulette and her latest release, LIVING SEPARATE LIVES, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
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**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Paulette is giving away an ebook copy of LIVING SEPARATE LIVES to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Paulette, for sharing your new release with us!
