Sharon Ledwith's Blog, page 74

Let's get the Party started with Wenches of Words' Guests Holley Trent and Sam Cheever...

Holley Trent is a team player. Her meatloaf spin-off even has ground up tortilla chips - a fan favorite at any party. Its airier texture is due to rolling the meat rather than patting it into shape. This dish is a perfect substitution for pickier eaters, and the cheese in the middle adds a little something for the kiddos.

Holley’s Tex-Mex Meatroll
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. mustard powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (can substitute Pepper Jack) 3 cups crushed corn tortilla chips
¼ cup mild salsa

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix meat, egg, and seasoning in a bowl.

On waxed or parchment paper, pat the meat mixture into a rectangle as wide as your loaf pan or slightly less wide than the width of your paper if you're baking on a cookie sheet.

Cover the surface of the beef with the tortilla chips. Just eyeball it. You don't need to use the full three cups - just make sure you have good coverage. 

Spread the cheese over the top. Pretend you're building a pizza.

Take one end of the paper and roll the meat as if it were sushi, but don’t catch the paper in the roll. Gently tease the roll to the end and carefully transfer to a greased pan.

Pat the ends so they're rounded and the ingredients inside don’t fall out.

Brush the top of the loaf with salsa. Water it down a bit if doing so makes it easier to spread.

Cover with foil. Mold it against the roll a bit to provide structure to the meat holds its shape as it cooks. 

About 45 minutes in—when the roll has firmed but not completely cooked—remove foil. Apply another brushing of salsa.

Bake until a thermometer reads 160°F. Let the meatroll rest for at least ten minutes before cutting.

Holley Trent is the author of Executive Decision, Mrs. Roth’s Merry Christmas, and Her Resident Jester – all available now from Musa Publishing's Calliope Romance Line.

To see all of Holley Musa Publishing books, please click HERE . Learn more about Holley Trent on her blog and follow her on Twitter .

Sam Cheever has the perfect starter for your team on Super Bowl Sunday or any get-together. Get your game plan set and score big with the fans.

COCONUT CHICKEN
1 to 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 large eggs
¼ cup coconut milk-any milk will do
½ cup flour
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
½ tsp. salt
½ cup vegetable or coconut oil
Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the chicken diagonally into strips.

Prepare three separate bowls for breading your chicken: Bowl 1, combine flour and salt. Bowl 2, whisk eggs and milk together. Bowl 3, mix breadcrumbs and coconut together.

Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. To test, drop a little flour into the oil. When it sizzles the oil is ready.

Then dip the chicken in the bowls, starting with bowl 1 and on through 3. Lay the coated strips on a plate until you have coated them all. Don’t stack the strips.

Place some of your chicken strips in the hot oil. Be sure to leaved space between each strip. Fry them until golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel. Move to an ovenproof dish.

When all of the chicken is browned, bake for 10 minutes (or until done). Remember, chicken like all meat continues to cook a short while longer after it is removed from the heat.

Serve this tasty chicken with the chili sauce for dipping!

To purchase Sam's latest romantic romp Cupid Only Rings Twice please click the vendor's name:
  Musa Publishing | Nook | Kobo | Sony | ARe | Kindle | Amazon.uk | Amazon.ca

Sam Cheever writes mainstream romantic suspense and fantasy, all heat levels; and Declan Sands for M/M romantic suspense and fantasy. Her books are fast paced and fun loving. Not one of them will solve a single world problem, but you definitely won’t be bored while reading them!

Sam’s published work includes 40+ works of young adult, romantic suspense, and fantasy/paranormal. Her books have won the Dream Realm Award for fantasy, been nominated and/or won several CAPAs, were nominated for Best of 2010 with LRC and The Romance Reviews, and won eCataromance’s Reviewer’s Choice award. She is published with Ellora’s Cave, both Romantica and Blush; Changeling Press; Electric Prose Publications (her own imprint), Musa Publishing, and Red Rose Publishing.

She lives on a hobby farm in Indiana with 11 dogs, 2 horses, and one husband.

Learn more about Sam Cheever on her blog Eclectic Insights . Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find Sam on Goodreads.

An Honorable Mention…

I’m still in shock. First to be named an nominee by the Love Romances Café’s Best of 2013 Book awards for the Young Adult/New Adult category, and… wait for it…winningHonorable Mention. So what does this award mean for me? I had to think about it, as technically I won ‘third’ place. Then it hit me: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.  I finally received acknowledgement from my peers and readers for a job well done. This warmed me to my core, and believe me with the cold weather we’ve been having it was quite a bonus! I feel very grateful for this honor, and I could not have received this accomplishment without the support, kindness, and skills of the following people:
First, to Dawn Roberts of Love Romances Cafe who put together these awards, I thank you for all your hard work and effort you are truly a supporter of the Arts!
Second, thank you to the staff at Musa Publishing, especially to my rock-star editor Tricia Schwaab who pushed my creative buttons so far I thought I was going through the change of life all over again. Seriously, Tricia, you made me a better writer. Hugs to my head editor, Jeanne DeVita who pushed me extra hard to get this manuscript presentable. Also, high fives go to my line editors, Helen Hardt and Ralph Gallagher, both of you made my book clearer and cleaner. Cheers to my book designer Cera Smith—I don’t have a clue how you do what you do, but you do an awesome job! And finally, huge hugs to my book cover artist Kelly Shorten, who knew exactly what I wanted on her very first attempt at designing my beautiful cover—you are truly gifted.
Third, a special shout out goes to my Wenches of Words family, especially to my cohort, Sloane Taylor—a first place winner for her Contemporary Romance, Photo-Op. You Wenches have made this past year a special one with your show of kindness, support, caring, solidarity, and teamwork. Love you gals! May your lives be blessed with many bestsellers!
And last, but never least, to all my wonderful and supportive readers. Thank you for investing in me and my books.

Introducing MG Author Michelle Isenhoff's Taylor Davis Series...

Taylor Davis would get stuck with an archenemy that won't stay dead. Taylor Davis is back, and he just can’t catch a break. Most of his friends only concern themselves with girls and grades, but he has to worry about retaliation from hellish warlords. When three of his classmates succumb to a strange malady, Taylor becomes the target of irrational violence. Is it a coincidence, as Elena so firmly believes? Or could there be a more dangerous explanation? The epidemic soon spreads to national leaders. Taylor and his team are called on to uncover the root of the problem before violence breaks out on a worldwide stage. Their quest leads them to the heart of Africa, to the underworld, and to a second encounter with an enemy who just won’t stay dead.

Book two of the Taylor Davis series is now available for Kindle, Nook, and paperback formats.


And book one is now FREE! Sometimes life gooses you when you’re not looking. You might be happily coasting through days in a little New Jersey suburb, dreaming about Jennifer Williams and making plans to see the new movie showing uptown when—bam!—everything changes in an instant. Your family moves overseas and suddenly you’re hacking at water demons with a four-foot blade.

Taylor Davis didn't want to move to the Caribbean, and he certainly doesn't want save the world. But when he's sucked into a supernatural world of angels and their adversaries, that's exactly what he must do. The Flame of Findul--the sword that guards the Tree of Life--has been allowed to burn out. Taylor and his new teammates must relight it in the forge of Findul the firesmith before the tree falls into the wrong hands. But Findul hasn't been seen for several centuries. And a formidable enemy, one who has eaten of the tree, stands in their way.

Free on Amazon and Smashwords!

Michelle Isenhoff writes adventures for kids up to age 79 (so far). When she’s not writing imaginary adventures, she’s probably off on one. She loves roller coasters and swimming in big waves. She’s an avid runner. She likes large dogs, high school football games, old graveyards, and wearing flip-flops all winter. Once an elementary teacher, Michelle now homeschools two of her three kids and looks forward to summer break as much as they do.

And the Nominees are...

With all the excitement of the Award show season, a person can get caught up in all the hype, glamour, and glitter. I was never one for all that craziness and elation. Until now. This week, the unexpected happened. My book, Legend of the Timekeepers was nominated for BEST YA BOOK of 2013 by the Love Romances Café Yahoo Group! Say what? BEST? MOI? I’m still pinching myself.Now the Love Romances Café group is a fair size with over 4000 members, and most of the membership I don’t know on a personal basis, which added to the shock factor. Below is a list of authors and their nominated books. I thought I’d post them because you may find a gem of a book from a genre you enjoy reading. BTW—two fabulous authors in my Wenches of Words group have also been nominated: Sloane Taylor and Sam Cheever. I'm so very proud of their accomplishments and wish them all the success in the world. I also share the spotlight with friend and fellow YA author Jane Dougherty, so I'm in great company. I’ve highlighted their names, along with mine, as well as the publishing company I’m signed with since they got the nod too! Congrats, Musa Publishing! Now, without further ado… here are the nominees for 2013:
The Main Categories Nominees.....
Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy book Nominees:
Louisa Kelly’s Nareen of the Draco (Loose Id)Sally Max’s The Medusa’s Gargoyle (Breathless Press)Susan Laine’s Hunter’s Moon (Dreamspinner Press)Andrea Speed’s Infected: Undertow (Dreamspinner Press)Jenika Snow and Sam Crescent’s Taken by Her Mate (Evernight Publishing)Marteeka Karland & Shelby Morgan’s Memphis Heat: Streetwise (Changeling Press)Cynthia Sax’s Dragon Lord’s Destiny (Changeling Press)Desiree Holt’s Branded by Lust (Ellora’s Cave)Marie Harte’s Prey & Prejudice (Samhain Publishing)Sarah Gilman’s Ashes (Entangled Publishing)Karenna Colcraft’s Try the Tofu (MLR Press)LE Franks & Sara York’s Prodigal Wolf (MLR Press)
Best Science Fiction/Futuristic book Nominees:Jessica E. Subject’s Never Gonna Say Goodbye (Decadent Publishing)Vivi Anna’s The League of Illusion: Legacy (Carina Press)Anne Kane’s Stargazers (Changeling Press)Mychael Black’s Coriolis: Kill Fee (Changeling Press)Sally Max’s Island Urges (Breathless Press)Shannon West’s Konnor and his Omega Mate (Secret Cravings Publishing)
Best Historical/Regency book Nominees:
Raven McAllan’s Miss Simpkin’s School: Flora (Breathless Press)Heather King’s A Sense of Ridiculas (Musa Publishing)Charlie Cochrane’s Promises Made Under Fire (Carina Press)Marilyn Kelly’s Sounds of Love (Ellora’s Cave)Kirsten S. Blacketer’s An Irresistible Shadow (Breathless Press)Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee’s The Gentleman’s Madness (Samhain Publishing)Jianne Carlo’s Vengeance Hammer (Etopia Press)Norse Jewel by Gina Conkle
Best Young Adult/New Adult book Nominees:
K.D. Rose’s Erasing Shadows (Breathless Press)Jane Doughtry’s The Dark Citadel (Musa Publishing)Sharon Ledwith’s Legend of the Time Keepers (Musa Publishing)EM Lynley’s Snow Job (Loose Id)Lisa Burstein’s The Next Forever (Entangled Publishing)Jus Accardo’s Ruined (Entangled Publishing)Molly Daniels’ Endless Love (Secret Cravings Publishing)
Best Thriller/Suspense/Mystery Book Nominees:
Terri Rigg’s Resolutions (Decadent Publishing)Wendy Robert’s Grounds to Kill (Carina Press)Daryl Anderson’s Murder in Mystic Cove (Carina Press)Ditter Kellen’s The Seeker: Ember Burns (Loose Id)Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of Shadowlands 8: If Only (Loose Id)Desiree Holt’s Lock and Load (Totally Bound)JD Robb’s Thankless In Death (Putnam)Laura Harner’s Moving Mountains (Hot Corner Press)Angel Martinez’s Rarely Pure and Never Simple (MLR Press)
Best Series Nominees:
Decadent Publishing’s 1NS Multi-Author SeriesSJD Peterson’s Guards of Folsom Series (Dreamspinner Press)Kim Knox’s Agamemnon Frost Series (Carina Press)Karina Cooper’s St. Croix Chronicles (Carina Press)Cindy Spencer Pape’s Gaslight Chronicles (Carina Press)Declan Sands’ Blood-Hound Series (Changeling Press) – Sam CheeverLA Witt, Marie Sexton & Heidi Cullinan’s Tucker Springs Series (Riptide Publishing)EM Lynley’s Precious Gems Series (Dreamspinner Press)Lee Brazil and Raven McAllan’s Behind Closed Door Series (Evernight Publishing)T.A. Webb’s City Knight’s Series (A Bear on Books)Laura Harner’s Willow Springs Ranch Series (Hot Corner Press)Tara Lain’s The Aloysius Tales (Loose Id Publishing)Jean C. Joachim’s Hollywood Hearts (Secret Cravings Publishing)
Best Western Book nominees:
Amanda McIntyre’s Rugged Hearts (Decadent Publishing)LB Shire’s The Damned (Breathless Press)Cathryn Fox’s A Cowboy’s Way (Entangled Publishing)Sandy Sullivan’s Trouble with a Cowboy (Secret Cravings Publishing)RJ Scott’s Crooked Tree Ranch (Totally Bound)
Best Publisher (includes their imprint lines) nominees:
Decadent PublishingEntangled PublishingChangeling PressBreathless PressLoose IdSecret Cravings PublishingDreamspinner PressManlove Romance PressRiptide PublishingEllora’s CaveMusa PublishingCarina PressTotally Bound
Best BDSM/Kink Book nominees:
Virginia Nelson’s Dom of the Dead (Decadent Publishing)Lyn Gala’s Fettered (Dreamspinner Press)KC Wells’s An Unlocked Heart (Dreamspinner Press)Sean Michael’s Shibari Auction House: James (Changeling Press)Rachel Haimowitz & Heidi Belleau’s Flesh Cartel 4: Consequences (Riptide Publishing)Melinda Barron’s Dungeon Building (Loose Id)Joely Sue Burkhart’s Lord Regent’s Price (Samhain)Jasmine Hill’s Serena’s Seduction (Totally Bound)Sierra Cartwright’s For the Sub (Totally Bound)
Best Anthology nominees:
Mischief Corner Books Horns and HalosRiptide Publishing’s Bump in the Night AnthologyDown on the Farm Vol. 1 by Dianne Hartsock, SJ Thomas, Leona Bushman & Raven McAllan (Breathless Press)Ad-Dick-Tion Vol. 3 Anthology (Breathless Press)
Best Author in 2013 nominees:
Scotty CadeCate MarstersMegan SlayerCharlie CochraneKim KnoxJenika SnowCindy Spencer PapeAshlynn MonroeSam CheeverAndrea SpeedMarie SextonLA WittMychael Black
Best Contemporary book Nominees:
CR Moss’s Sunset Heat (Decadent Publishing)
Cardeno C’s Something in the Way He Needs (Dreamspinner Press)
Sloane Taylor’s Photo Op! (Musa Publishing)
JS Wayne’s Even Groomsmen get the Blues (Changeling Pres)
Megan Slayer’s Watch Me (Changeling Press/Razor’s Edge line)
Rowan Speedwell’s Illumination (Riptide Publishing)
ZA Maxfield’s The Brothers Grime: Eddie (Loose Id)
Emily March’s Miracle Road (Random House)
Andrew Grey’s Crossing Divides (Dreamspinner Press)
Rick R. Reed’s Raining Men (Dreamspinner Press)
Carol Lynne’s Fingerprints and Muddy Feet (Totally Bound)

Best Erotic Romance Book in 2013 Nominees:
Christine d’Abo’s Choose Your Shot (Carina Press)
Ashlynn Monroe’s My Heroes (Changeling Press)
Stephanie Burke’s How to NOT date a Bear (Changeling Press)
Jodi Redford’s Three Ways to Wicked (Samhain Publishing)
Cherrie Lyn’s Take Me On (Samhain Publishing)
W. Lynn Chantal’s Beneath the Mistletoe (Evernight Publishing)
Tara Lain’s F.A.S.T. Balls (Etopia Press)
Diana DeRicci’s Learning to Live (MLR Press)
Selena Illyria’’s Mate Not Wanted (Etopia Press)

Best Book All Around Nominees:
Lauren Dane’s Drawn Together (Berkley)
Kevin Hearne’s Hunted (Del Ray)
Aleksandr Voinov’s Scorpion (Riptide Publishing)
Abigail Roux’s Shock and Awe (Riptide Publishing)
Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of Shadowlands 8: If Only (Loose Id)
JR Ward’s Lover at Last (New American Library)
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Styxx (St. Martin’s)
Andrew Grey’s Love Comes in Darkness (Dreamspinner Press)
Jo Ramsey’s Nail Polish and Feathers (Harmony Ink Publishing)
Jean C. Joachim’s Lovers & Liars (Secret Cravings Publishing)
It would appear that I’m in good company, and the competition is stiff (pun intended for those Erotica authors!). LOL! Wishing all the nominees listed above best wishes and good luck! Winners will be announced on January 28that noon EST (USA). So may the BEST authors rise to the top! Cheers and salute! 

Guest Post: YA Author S. G. Rogers shares her Special Seven...

Today I welcome author S.G. Rogers to my blog. Tell us, Suzanne, what seven periods/events of history would you like to visit and why?
1) Opening day at Disneyland, Anaheim, California (July 17th, 1955).  I can’t think of a place that has given as much happiness to more people.  It would have been great to be there at the beginning, back when I could afford the entrance fee.
2) Signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). What a thrilling moment for a country about to embark upon a brave new experiment in governance.  The atmosphere in the room must have been crackling with electricity.
3) Victorian England (1837 – 1901).  To borrow a phrase from Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  Beautiful mansions, balls, clothes, and sheer spectacle of the Upper Tens were juxtaposed with immense poverty.
4) Dresden, Germany before it was bombed in WWII. (before February, 1945).  By all accounts, it was an amazing city of wonderful historical and artistic significance.
5) Colossus of Rhodes - (280 BC) – This statue of the Greek Titan Helios was 107 feet tall, built on pedestals 50 feet high.  I would have loved to watch it being built, especially when you consider they had no access to cranes!

6) Fall of the Berlin Wall (November 9th, 1989) – I saw it on television, but it would have been better to be there in person and grab a chunk of history.
7) It would have been cool to watch Johannes Gutenberg inventing movable type printing (around 1439).  Could he have ever predicted all these centuries later we’d be reading print on a liquid crystal display?
What a great tour of history! Do you use a lot of history in your writing?
Yes, in fact 2013 seemed to be the year of historical romances for me. I focused on the Victorian era and Edwardian era, and wrote four separate titles. But I’ve been known to go WAY back to the medieval and Norse mythology eras too, with my fantasy titles. I expect 2014 will find me juggling between romance and fantasy, since I enjoy both genres.
Thanks, Suzanne, and happy writing! Where can we find you?
Visit my blog at http://childofyden.wordpress.com. My twitter handle is @suzannegrogers, and I’ve also got an author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneGRogers. I’d love to hear from you!

Beat the January Blues with Musa Publishing's Month-long Giveaway...

Enter daily to win one of 17 promotional paperbacks 
Outlaws by William WeldyOnly A Hero Will Do by Susan LodgeFirst Frost by Liz DeJesusGlass Frost by Liz DeJesus Trusting Sydney by Helen HardtTaming Angelina by Helen HardtTreasuring Amber by Helen Hardt2012: The Rising by Joanne HiraseTypical Day by Gary K. WolfObsession by JoAnne KeltnerStained Glass byMindy HardwickGrape Bubblegum by Beth Bowland
Dragon Drop by Jerry AckermanNew Girl by Joan B. FloodThe Fox's Mask by Anna FrostUnforgettable You by Marci BoudreauxStorm’s Fury by Nya RayneAnd one of 30 e-books:
3.99 by Richard Satterlie 100,000 Midnights by Aaron SmithA Company of Thieves by David PillingA Place to Call Their Own by L. Dean Pace-FrechA Reason To Stay by L.S. MurphyA Sense of the Ridiculous by Heather KingA Willing Spirit by Cindi MyersAlaska Heat by Vella MunnAn Incident on MSR Tampa by SS Hampton, Sr Apple of My Eye by Elizabeth BottsBaiting The Hook by Mary S. Palmer & David WiltonBetween by Clarissa JohalBlack Widow by Lena AustinBring Me To Life by Scarlett ParrishCaptain Westwood's Inheritance by Lynda DunwellContingency Plan by Anita EnsalCrazy Greta by David Hardy Daughter of the Earth and Sky by Kaitlin BevisDeep Into The Night by Tracie Ingersoll LoyDragon Revealed by Nulli Para OraEnchanted Realms by Eleni KonstantineForget the Misteltoe by Lizzie T. LeafHer Goblin Prince by Thalia FrostHigh Stakes by Chad StrongICE blue by Susan Rae Identity Thief by Milo James FowlerKeeper of Directions by L.K. MitchellKojiki by Keith YatsuhashiLittle Bird by Liza GainesLooney Dunes by Anne SkalitzaMasquerade by Sloane TaylorAll entrants are eligible for Grand Prize Drawing January 31
Grand Prize Warm Up for Winter Basket Snuggly Blanket$20.00 Musa Gift Certificate Starbucks CoffeeCoffee Mug Specialty Chocolates  PLUS 5 paperback books:  Marissa's Choice by Kadee McDonald The Dominus Runes by Peter Lukes Walking the Dog by Linda BensonLove Lies Bleeding by Laini GilesFor his Love by Nya Rayne

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Writing Process Blog Tour…

This is a Blog Tour where writers and authors answer questions about their writing process. My friend Eva Scott shared all about her writing process last week on her blog HERE. She has written both contemporary (The Reluctant Wedding Planner, and The Marriage Makeover) and historical romance (The Last Gladiatrix).What am I working on?I have a completed manuscript of the second book in the series entitled, The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, but there’s the fun job of revising it into Jordan Jensen’s point of view. Hopefully, I’ll have a refurbed first draft sometime in the spring. I’ve also signed on with literary agency, Walden House (Books & Stuff) in December 2012 to take on another young adult series I’ve created about teens with psychic abilities called, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, so it seems that I’ll be one busy gal!
How does my work differ from others of its same genre?Keyword: Atlantis. I wanted to create a book series for middle grade/young adults that had a different slant to the time travel genre. I love history. I also love myths and legends. There’s many time travel series out there, but nothing that has roots leading back to Atlantis—at least what I know about and have read. And since there’s no concrete evidence that Atlantis did exist, then that left the door (or arch) wide open to possibilities.
Why do I write what I do?I have a confession. I didn’t start out writing middle grade or young adult. Nope. I lurked in the deep pool of the paranormal romance genre before I ever considered dipping my toes into the welcoming waters of middle-grade/young adult fiction. The idea to write in this genre actually came to me through a dream. In this dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults) with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had an Indiana Jones feel to it. Then, boom. The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis was born.
How does my writing process work?Cut a vein and write. Kidding. My writing process is always the same for every book. First, I start with the characters and build the story around them. The characters, my characters, must carry the story to completion, give readers closure. It’s a must. In order to do this, I begin writing out character tracking sheets (stats on characters appearances, clothing, likes and dislikes, etc.) which have served me well throughout the writing process. Then the fun begins. Research, research, and more research. When you’re writing time travel, you’ve got to know your facts to create the fiction. I love this part of the process too. Only when I have enough facts, and I feel my characters are fleshed out sufficiently, then I begin to start the novel. Sometimes I’m a panser (writing by the seat of my pants), sometimes a plotter (outline entire storyline)—it all depends on the tone of the book and where my imagination directs me.
Cheers for taking the time to stop by! Next stop on the Writing Process Blog Tour are the amazing, and often sensual authors LIZZIE T. LEAF and SAM CHEEVER on the lucky 13th of January.
Here’s a little about Lizzie T. Leaf and Sam Cheever:
Award winning author, Lizzie T. Leaf started life in Kansas, continued her growing in North Carolina, and currently shivers through the winters in Colorado. 
Since discovering the fun of writing paranormal, she plays with creating vampires, faeries and other immortals. When she needs a touch of reality, her Contemporary Erotic Romances come into play.
If she’s not creating mischief for paranormal beings, or getting under the covers with her erotic heroes, she can be found exploring the other genres she wants to write.  She also is on the board of Heart of Denver Romance Writers.
Lizzie loves to read, spend time with her family and travel with her best friend husband during her free time.
Award winning Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.

Recharged and Ready for 2014…

Now that the holidays are behind us and a brand new shiny year looms in front of us, I’ve had some time to reflect on my past, present, and future. Inside I feel that it’s time for a change, to move upward and onward, and leave the past behind. There are so many things I want to accomplish in my personal, business, and spiritual life, but need to create the time to make it ALL happen. Since there’s no magic bullet to success and fulfillment, there are some things that you can do each and every day that will start to clear the path to your wildest dreams.Below is a list that, if followed, I believe will result in the actualization of my goals and dreams:

·         Always seek happiness (a.k.a. follow your bliss)
·         Don’t follow others
·         Find out who you really are and what you’re passionate about
·         Never work another day in your life (love that concept!) This list may come off as sounding a tad selfish, or even unrealistic. But trust me. If you think about how short life really is, then practicing these sage tips will open up so many doors for you in the future. If you want to have a position of advantage in whatever you put your heart, mind and soul to, then you must keep your head above the rest, and think differently. Remember, you have the advantage even if you don’t realize it.

So what are you waiting for? Are you with me? Are you ready to grow into a new phase of life? Wishing all my readers and followers a very happy and prosperous 2014! Salute!

Wenches of Words Guest Post: Dress for Success in 2014...

Dress Has Always Been My Strongest Suit NOT
 by Nancy DiMauro

Something strange happened to me when I turned 40. I became a girl. I was that Tom-boy on the school playground, who when forced to wear a skirt by her mother snuck a pair of shorts under it. After all, I couldn’t play on the monkey bars in a skirt. Now could I?

I didn’t experiment with makeup in high school. I was too busy running off to ride a horse, or three. My standard high school outfit was army surplus camo pants, a black t-shirt and ratty sneakers. Hey, it was the 80s. But I’m sure something in my mother died every day I went out of the house like that.

By law school, I’d learned the benefit of a little black dress and a few good suits. But my style was still a diamond in the rough. That started changing when I turned 40.

Why 40? I’m not sure, but maybe it’s because your forties is a magical decade. After all 42 is the answer to THE question. Sorry. I digress. Anyway, I finally had the money to buy shoes in those department stores where I bought my suits. There seems to be an unfortunate rule in shoe fashion. The more expensive the shoe the more comfortable it is. Spending all day in a set of heels became something to look forward to and not a torture.

Now I that had really cute shoes, I needed better clothes. At 42 (see, I told you that number was the answer to THE question), I hired a professional fashion consultant to take me from well-dressed to stunning and polished. Girlfriend, if you want to take your look from lukewarm to sizzle you need to call Annette Harris and her company, Harris Image Works.

Given the discovery of my inner girl there’s probably little surprise that one of my short stories focused on fashion turned deadly. The idea for Best Dressed and Obsessed (included in the Shots at Redemption collection) came from a computer glitch. I participated in Liberty Hall’s weekly writing prompt. One week a computer error made me receive the word “array” rather than the actual prompt. I hit a blank wall. So, I typed “array” into my word processor and hit the synonym button. The second group of words related to “dress.” I had the first half of a Medea myth retelling by the end of that hour. Best Dressed and Obsessed won an Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest.

And none of it would have happened without the perfect little dress.

To read excerpts from Nancy DiMauro's Musa Publishing books, please click HERE .

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog . Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter .

Tween the Weekends: Favorite Christmas Story Ever…

“Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge’s name was good upon ’change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.” Love those first lines in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Dead as a doornail really sticks out in my mind. Dickens sure had a way with words! And believe it or not, Charles Dickens wrote the classic Christmas tale as a novella—something I never knew. In fact, I decided to read A Christmas Carol for the first time a few years ago. I knew the story like the back of my hand, and most movies based on the book were true to form. But there’s nothing like reading the actual script written by an author’s hand. Though the language was a little archaic, it still didn’t take away from the magic of the story.

For many historians, the success of A Christmas Caroldirectly redefined the modern Western conception of Christmas and its sentiments, in effect creating the modern version of the holiday itself. Charles Dickens wrote four more novellas with a Christmas theme after the great success of A Christmas Carol, which was published in 1843: The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. Hey, when you’re on a roll, you don’t want to disappoint your readers! As this is a Tween the Weekends post, I thought I’d share the movie trailer of one of the most recent family oriented versions of A Christmas Carolproduced by Disney in 2009. Love Jim Carrey’s take on Ebenezer Scrooge!



Since it’s Christmas Day, and the Ghost of Christmas Present is probably hanging around, I thought I’d share that I have a free short story available for download only through Musa Publishinguntil the end of December. It’s called The Terrible, Mighty Crystal and features a teenage portrayal of Shu-Tu, the old, cross-eyed seer from the prequel of The Last Timekeepers series, Legend of the Timekeepers. Here’s the tagline and blurb:There is the known and the unknown. And then there is the unknowable.

A rumor around Atlantis whispers that the mighty crystal has the power of resurrection. Fourteen-year-old Shu-Tu believes this to be true and will do whatever it takes to bring her father back from the dead. Recruiting two trustworthy classmates, and with the help of her beloved teacher Thoth, Shu-Tu sets out to change her father’s fate, and right a wrong.Instructed to meet Thoth at his grotto, Shu-Tu and her friends are forced to flee underground, and must follow the maze of passages to find another way out. There, they come across a baboon-headed human hybrid possessing a rare firestone—one of six harvested from the mighty crystal—which has the power to restore life. Shu-Tu agrees to play the hybrid’s bizarre game to win the firestone, knowing that if she loses, she loses her father forever.

Wishing you and your families a very safe and happy holiday season, and a prosperous 2014! I thought I’d leave you with Charles Dickens’s preface to A Christmas Carol:“I have endeavoured in this ghostly little book, to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”

Their faithful friend and servant,Charles Dickens
December 1843