L.A. Sartor's Blog, page 8

December 11, 2019

Do You Know About Book Brush ~ And A COUPON!!

So, do you know about BookBrush, and what they can do for you?




Let me start at the beginning...

Co-founders, Josh Wiley & Corey Alderin, developed an email marketing platform specifically for authors called Author Reach.  As time went on, and being very receptive to the feedback they were getting from users, Josh and Corey expanded the platform and named it Covers Sell Books (because
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Published on December 11, 2019 23:30

December 8, 2019

R&R: Raves And Rants From Multi-Published Author Amanda Cabot

The Final Rant



As the title says, this will be my final rant or at least my final scheduled rant. As much as I’ve enjoyed discussing grammatical errors and seeing your reactions to the posts, I’m reaching the end of my list of subjects. And, just as importantly, I discovered a book that explains grammar far better than I could hope to. If you haven’t already read Dreyer’s English by
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Published on December 08, 2019 23:30

December 5, 2019

Design Cuts December $5 Bundle ~ Wow

This is not to be missed. 

Less expensive than a Venti Peppermint Mocha, 

and lasts longer, in fact, forever :)











The Enchanting Winter Design Collection

For $5!



Buy Now Because The Deal Won't Last Forever


(Yes, I am a proud affiliate of Design Cuts, and earn a small commission if you buy off this link. There is never an additional charge to you. Thanks.)




Happy Winter!
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Published on December 05, 2019 15:02

November 28, 2019

Friday Recipe ~ Brownies (with unique ingredients) by Nancy Lynn Jarvis!

Hi L.A., thanks for hosting me again. 
You asked why I love this recipe. It's because I realized when I take my copy of Cozy Food off the shelf, it flops open to contributor Joyce Oroz’s Sweet and chewy gluten-free brownies made with black beans!!

I don’t need to be gluten-free, although I have friends who do which is why I started making this recipe. I keep making it because it’s so good.
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Published on November 28, 2019 23:30

November 27, 2019

Author Spotlight Featuring Mary A. Felkins & Her Debut Novel ~ Call To Love

It's always a joy to host a debut author. 

Please welcome Inspy Author, Mary Felkins.






Thank you, L.A. for hosting me.




I began to wonder…what if two crisis-driven professions, trained to answer emergency calls, refuse to answer God’s call to love again? 




I’ve always been in awe of first responders, those who make headline news in times of tragedy but seem to gain little
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Published on November 27, 2019 23:30

November 10, 2019

Take Five With Caroline Warfield & Her New Novel ~ Christmas Hope

As an author myself, I love reading about other authors and how they approach some of the key elements of a novel.  



Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Caroline. Tell us, what inspired you to write your book Christmas Hope?




Hi, L.A., thank you for hosting me again. 




Stories bubble up from the girls in the basement by some mysterious process. I didn’t see this one coming. I was presented
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Published on November 10, 2019 23:30

November 5, 2019

Five Secrets From Author Keta Diablo

Author Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of gorgeous woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. 




A pair of barn owls returns to the property every year to birth their young and show them off in the high branches of the oak trees. 




There is nothing more adorable than these white fluffy babies with
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Published on November 05, 2019 23:30

October 29, 2019

5 Secrets From Author Nancy Lynn Jarvis


Don't you love learning secrets?  I do. Come learn 5 from Nancy Lynn Jarvis.
I started writing as a game because I was bored and finished my first book, The Death Contingency, because a writer friend told me I couldn’t just decide to write a book. I never intended to do anything with it, but when I got a call from my friend saying she was terminally ill and regretted never having finished a book and seen her name in print, I threw together a publishing company and published the book with a dedication to Charlotte Bridges so she could see her name in print before she died. Here’s the dedication.
To Charlotte Snowden Bridges, a much better writer than I will ever be, who was always going to publish when her works were perfect. She ran out of time on September 1st, 2008. Brain cancer took her life. Worry less about being perfect than the consequences of putting off dreams.
Hi, Nancy. please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about The Glass House or you, but will after today!
1)   Pat Pirard is based on a friend of mine who was the Santa Cruz Law Librarian for many years and is now a PI. My first series, the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries series rings true because I was a Realtor for more than twenty years, but I know nothing about how a private investigator works. The real Pat is consulting on the planned PIP Inc. series to keep me accurate. 
2)   Pat’s pets, Dot the Dalmatian, and ginger cat Lord Peter Wimsey were my pets. My Dalmatian was a fun dog who had a talent for opening refrigerator doors and once knocked herself out cold while trying to make off with the Thanksgiving turkey. I’ll be using some of her exploits in the books.
3)   I didn’t intend for Pat’s love interest to be the man she wound up with, but as the character’s developed, Pat clearly didn’t like her intended.
4)   Pat’s sidekick, Syda, was hard for me to develop, but now she’s become my favorite character to write. Normally when I start writing, I have a real person in mind for each character. As I write, characters’ names get changed and they diverge from their original inspiration, but with Syda, all I had was her name so she took some time to become real to me.
5)   The murder victim is a real glass artist of some renown who suggested how to kill him and said he would love to die at my hands.
Blurb :
At thirty-four, Santa Cruz County Law Librarian Pat Pirard is living her perfect life. She has a job she loves, she’s just purchased her dream car, and she is almost over being dumped by her long term boyfriend. But her thirty-fifth birthday marks the end of life as she knows it, and Pat has to reinvent herself. As a birthday present, Pat’s best friend enrolls her in a glass flower making class. She learns a lot in the class, but she never expects her final lesson will be all about murder.   Buy: Amazon | Website
Find Nancy Lynn: Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Facebook Good Read Publishers |  Facebook Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries





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Published on October 29, 2019 23:30

October 24, 2019

Recipe of the Month ~ Kris Bock's Cookie Dough Cupcakes


Cookie Dough Cupcakes From Kris Bock
I'm not typically a big fan of cupcakes or cake. Too often they are dry and bland. But not these!
If you love chocolate chip cookies, these are for you. A chocolate chip cupcake has a ball of chocolate chip cookie dough in the center. The cookie dough ball bakes less than the outer cupcake, leaving it gooey. Cookie dough frosting adds even more great cookie dough taste!
Ingredients1 package refrigerated  cookie dough (or 1 cup homemade)2 cups flour2 teaspoons baking powder1⁄2 teaspoon salt1⁄2 cup butter, softened3⁄4 cup sugar 2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup milk1 cup mini chocolate chips
Frosting1/2 cup brown sugar1/3 cup confectioners sugar1/2 cup butter1 teaspoon vanilla1 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt2 to 6 tablespoons milk, as needed1 cup mini chocolate chips
1.    Roll a tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball. Repeat until you have 12 balls. Chill them while you work.2.    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put cupcake liners in the cupcake pan and spray them with cooking spray.3.    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.4.    In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Blend in the vanilla.5.    Slowly add half of the dry mixture while mixing. Keep mixing as you add the milk. Blend in the remaining flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips.6.    Spoon the batter into the cupcake pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. 7.    Place a ball of cookie dough on each cupcake and gently press it down until the cupcake batter almost covers the ball of dough.8.    Bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the edge of the cupcakes should come out clean. The central dough balls will still be sticky. Cool while you make the frosting.9.    For the frosting, place the brown sugar, confectioners sugar, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix on low until combined and creamy. 10.   Add the flour. Mix on medium speed until blended and creamy. Slowly add milk until the frosting is a good thickness for spreading. Use a spoon to blend in the mini chocolate chips.11.    Spread or pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

Short Book Blurb:
What do you do when you meet the guy of your dreams? Set him up with your sister, of course.
Kari doesn't have time for love when she's opening her new cat café. Renovating an old restaurant, hiring employees, fighting with the health inspector – oh, and welcoming 16 shelter cats – keeps her plenty busy. She's doing this for the cats, the community, and most of all her family. The café will give her sister, Marley, a job worthy of her baking skills.
Then a tattooed military vet wanders in claiming to be a master baker himself. The café doesn't need another baker, but maybe Marley needs a man. Surely she'll fall for a guy this sweet, this sexy, this tasty.
Colin has other ideas. It's Kari who makes him want to pour on the sugar and turn up the heat. But he's spent the last two years recovering from physical and psychological wounds. Is he really ready for a relationship? He's not even sure he should commit to Samson, the fluffy marshmallow of a cat who steals his heart.
Buy: Amazon
Bio:Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.
Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Sign up for Kris Bock’s newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.
Find Kris: Newsletter | Website | Amazon Page



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Published on October 24, 2019 23:30

October 22, 2019

Guest Post by Marilyn Leach ~ The Draw of Writing British Cozy Mysteries



Though I grew up in the Western United States, I became a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast after exploring the UK and making friends there.  My travels throughout England color me and my written works.  My most recent works include the Berdie Elliott Mysteries, a series of English whodunits that tickle the brain and add a giggle or two.
If I can't live in England, then living lakeside on the Front Range of Colorado is the next best thing. 
Lindsfarne CastleThe North of England grabbed me by the throat and won my heart the moment I stepped onto its soil.  I knew this untamed part of England, Northumbria, near the Scottish borders, was abundant fuel for stories.  When first I saw Lindesfarne Castle loom over the landscape of tiny Holy Island, the wind blew the rush of modern life from my soul, and the history of the place settled in like a warm cup of tea on a blustery day.  My story would be a mystery set in current day but with roots reaching back into history.
Whitby Abby inspired Criswell Abby All Hallows Dead: A Berdie Elliott Saints Day Mystery is the fruit of that idea.  Berdie and husband Hugh, a vicar, are attending a church course in Northumbria when Berdie’s captivated by the mysteries of an ancient church.  Two “accidental” deaths occur in circumstances she finds questionable.  Set among the ruins of Criswell Abbey, Berdie discovers truths that will impact Criswell’s entire village, from a local pub owner to the lord of the manner.
Of course, there’s plenty of humor as Berdie and her best friend, Lillie, get into circumstances that make us chuckle, all while solving dastardly events.
Blurb:
How can a sixteenth-century saint help solve a twenty-first-century crime?
When Berdie Elliott, vicar’s wife and sleuth extraordinaire, attends a church course with her husband in the North of England, she bumps into her former newspaper boss who calls upon her to investigate beguiling circumstances that spell murder.  
From the landed Cavendish family to the local pub’s manager, Criswell Abbey and its village are steeped in a centuries-old mystery.  The legend of a departed churchman, a mysterious bell tower, England’s tangled history, a delayed marriage proposal, and a wily parrot all help Berdie to declare the truth in All Hallows Dead. 

All Hallows Dead is a perfect read for this time of year. 
All Saints Day, November 1, marks our collective memory of those devoted pilgrims that have marched on in faith before us.  During this season, a comfy chair, hot beverage, and snuggly throw are all amenities that make reading All Hallows Dead an enjoyable event.
Buy:  Amazon
Find Marilyn:Website | Amazon Page

Lastingham Stairs
And now All Hallows Dead 





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Published on October 22, 2019 23:30