B.L. Blair's Blog, page 50

Monday Excerpt - Convince Me (Holton Series #1)

Blurb:Anna is afraid of love, but Steven changes everything.
Anna West just wants to start over in a new town far away from her past. The only child of a mixed race couple, Anna learned about the ugly side of human behavior at an early age.  After watching her abusive father mistreat her mother, Anna knows that love is not for her.
Steven Carson has always known what he wanted, and from the moment he saw her, he wanted Anna.  Steven is ready for love.  He is ready to settle down, start a family, and he knows Anna is the one for him.  Now all he has to do is convince her.
Come visit Holton, Texas to see if Steven can convince Anna to take a chance on love. Convince Me is the first book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.
Excerpt:Driving cautiously, she slowed the car and rounded the curve moving the car closer to the center stripe as she couldn’t see the right hand edge. The car coming from the opposite direction had done the same, and suddenly, Anna was faced with two bright headlights bearing down on her.
For a moment, she did not know what to do, then reacting instinctively, she jerked the car to the right and her bumper narrowly missed hitting the other vehicle. The slick road made it difficult to control the car, but she had been driving slowly enough that she managed to slide into the side ditch unharmed.
Anna sat in her car stunned and unbelieving. She had never been in a car accident before and wasn’t sure what to do which was an unusual situation. Anna had learned at an early age to be calm and efficient. It was the only way to survive. Her abusive father had hated inefficiency and commotion so she had learned to be controlled and competent. Anna hated not being in control.
Anna shook her head and then leaned forward to check on Sophie. The cat appeared unharmed but began protesting the rough treatment. Anna tried to reassure her and soon the cat settled. Anna took a deep breath then reached for the insurance manual in her glove compartment. The manual would tell her what she needed to do. She felt better already. She had a plan.
All thoughts of a plan immediately flew out of her head when the door of her car swung open and a deep, soft voice asked, “Are you all right?”
Anna turned and looked up into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Eyes that were the color of a cloudless sky on an early spring day. They were framed with dark thick lashes that lightened on the tips. The lean, clean face went well with the eyes. It was a pleasant face, not too hard or too soft, but a man’s face nonetheless. It was lean and powerful. He had strong cheekbones and a straight nose. Light blond hair fell across his forehead. She stared at him unable to move. Her heart began to pound, and her body reacted to his nearness. She had never responded so strongly to any man before, and she forced herself to take a deep breath.
He leaned into the car and asked again, “Miss, are you all right?”
This time his voice propelled her into action. She shook off the fog that had come over her and nodded once before saying, “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little shaken. Was anyone hurt?”
She glanced again at the man staring at her with a concerned look on his face. Their gazes locked, and he watched her silently with his calm blue eyes. He seemed very close, and Anna leaned back against the seat to get farther away. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, and she felt a small jolt of fear. She hated feeling physically intimidated. But the fear quickly faded as he looked at her a moment longer then a slow, gentle smile crossed his face. Anna felt her heart stop. She willed it to begin beating again.
“There is only you and me,” he said softly.
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and Google.

Sunday Quote

Thought I'd lighten it up a little this month. For March, the Sunday Quotes will be funny or sarcastic depending on your sense of humor. I hope you enjoy them. :)

Annabel's Wedding by Susan Murphy - Giveaway

BLURB:With the planning for Annabel's wedding underway, Genevieve is distracted by family bickering and an unexpected life-altering discovery. With Annabel threatening to cancel her wedding and Julia hiding a dark secret, her life once again descends into the perfect mix of hilarious chaos. Will the sisters be able to sort everything out and get their happy endings?
Annabel's wedding is a tale of sisterhood, relationships and learning to find happiness in spite of the sometimes crazy hand you're dealt.
Excerpt:‘Viv, it’s your turn,’ Annabel called from the kitchen when the hairdresser had let her assistant in.
I grabbed a cup of tea and took my seat, eager to look as fabulous as Carrie. ‘How are you doing it?’ I asked the girl, who looked younger than my sons.
‘Up-style isn’t it, Tanya?’ she asked her boss.
‘Yep, something high. You wanted a mix of styles, didn’t you, Bel?’ Annabel didn’t answer and appeared to be asleep. ‘We should probably let her rest, so just do an up-style.’
I shrugged. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m in your hands.’
An hour later it appeared that the assistant didn’t know what we were talking about either. She clearly didn’t have the skill of her boss. As she proudly paraded the oversized mirror around for me to see, I wondered how to politely scream for her to start over. It was awful. I looked like a founding member of the B52s with a gigantic beehive straight out of the sixties.
‘It looks great from the back,’ she said.
Was it possible for me to walk backwards all day? Because from the front it was hideous. I pretended to need the bathroom so I could investigate further. I promised myself to take a minute before going into total and complete meltdown, but a larger mirror only magnified its ugliness.
‘Why me?’ I moaned. Why did Carrie look so completely fabulous and glamorous, while I looked like I was attempting to smuggle a flock of birds across the border in a fake hair nest.
Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Confetti-Confidential-Annabels-Susan-Murphy-ebook/dp/B00RKU7UU6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Susan Murphy is a marriage and funeral celebrant from South Australia with a passion for telling stories. She's also Mum to three fabulous kids, a wife of many years, and self-confessed chocolate addict. When not writing she can be found standing on the edge of a cliff, on a P&O cruise ship or even getting blown away on a beach somewhere while officiating wedding ceremonies. You might also find her at the SA Writers Centre where she is currently the Writer in Residence. http://www.susanmurphyauthor.com/https://www.facebook.com/susanmurphyauthor/https://twitter.com/SMurphyAuthorhttp://theweddinggurus.blogspot.com.au/

GIVEAWAY:Susan will be awarding an eCopy of Annabel's Wedding to 3 randomly drawn winners:
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Follow the tour for more chances to win:February 29: Queen of All She Reads
March 1: jbiggarblog
March 3: Christine Young
March 4: The Avid Reader
March 7: Urban Girl Reader
March 8: Booklover Sue
March 9: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
March 10: Liz Gavin's Blog
March 10: Two Ends of the Pen
March 11: Long and Short Reviews

Free eCopy of Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2

Monthly Giveaway
This month's giveaway is an eCopy of Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2. You may enter each day, but please note that entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.


When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.

Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.

Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?

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Monday Excerpt - Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2

This month’s Monday excerpts are from Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2.
Griggs and Reddish were standing at my door. I stepped back automatically which they took as an invitation. Before I knew it, both men were in my living room. Griggs watched me as David greeted Harry. Harry loves David and demands attention every time the captain stops by the store. I glanced at them briefly before returning my attention to Griggs. He stood in a relaxed stance with a blank look on this face. He has the best poker face of anyone I have ever met. I couldn’t stop the flutter in my stomach, but I schooled my features into what I hoped was simply a friendly expression.
“This is a surprise,” I said. “What are you two doing here?”
“Are you alone?” Griggs asked sharply. I didn’t like his attitude so I crossed my arms and glared at him. I saw his lips twitch briefly. He raised his hand as if in apology. “I meant we need to speak with you, but I’d like to keep it confidential as long as possible.”
“I’m the only person here. I doubt Harry or Pandora will be spreading any gossip.”
“Pandora?” Griggs asked in a perplexed voice.
“Her cat,” David supplied, pointing to the black bundle of fur on the couch.
“You have a cat, too?”
“Yes. I have a cat too,” I said. “What’s the big deal?”
“I was just…no, never mind,” Griggs said. “We need to ask you some more questions.”
“All right. Have a seat. Does anyone want anything to eat or drink? I was about to have some pie.”
“Strawberry pie?” David asked.
“Is there any other kind?” I asked with a grin.Although I’m not a great cook, I can make a really good strawberry pie. David knows this as he had the opportunity to taste one. When I bake, I usually make two pies and take one to work. The last time was the same day he had stopped by to visit.
He grinned back. “I’d love a piece of pie, but we should probably get on with the questions.”
I sighed and nodded before sitting on the couch. Pandora immediately crawled into my lap while Harry settled at my feet. Griggs shook his head at the animals. I'm not sure why he thought my having a dog and cat was so odd, but he seemed preoccupied by it. David sat on the other end of the couch, and Griggs took the chair. He studied me a moment.
“You said you didn’t know the victim?”
“I said I didn’t think I knew the victim. I couldn’t see much of his face so I can’t say for sure. Should I know him?”
David pulled a picture from his coat pocket and handed it to me. “This is the man. Do you recognize him?”
I studied the picture a moment. It was a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes. As when I had found him, he was dressed in a suit. It looked odd on him as it was similar to the other one. Dark with long, broad lapels and stripes. The picture only showed his upper body, but it appeared to be a double-breasted suit. Very strange attire for such a young man. Both Griggs and Reddish seemed to think I should know him, but I had never seen him before. “No, I don’t recognize him. Should I?”
“His name is Donald Collins,” Griggs said. “Goes by Donnie.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t know him…wait, my grandmother’s maiden name was Collins.”Griggs nodded. “Young Donnie is a distant cousin of yours.”
“Really?” I looked back down at the picture. My grandmother had passed away about three years ago. She and I had been very close, but I hadn’t met anyone from her side of the family. I didn't see any resemblance between Donnie and anyone in my family, but then I didn't look like anyone in my family either.
“Yes,” Griggs continued. “Donnie had been arrested numerous times in New York so when we ran his fingerprints, his record popped. We got his picture off the Internet. I didn’t think you would want to see his mugshot. We wouldn’t have traced him to you except for the ring.”
“What ring?”

David pulled out a small plastic bag with a ring inside. When he held it up, I gasped. “That’s my great-grandmother’s ring.”
Available on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and Google.

Sunday Quote

Only 4 days left to enter - Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Monthly Giveaway
This month's giveaway is a $10 Amazon gift card. You may enter each day, but please note that entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.


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The Alex Chronicles: What My Friends Don't Know by Tracy Reed - $10 Gift Card Giveaway

BLURB:They’ve been friends over twenty years and have seen each other through marriage, divorce, broken engagement, death and other minor crisis.  But it’s the secrets they’ve failed to trust each other with.   Each of them is holding on to a secret they believe could destroy not only their reputation, but their friendship as well.
Alex and her best friends, Chloe, Taylor, Kendell and Dionne all long for one thing, a happy ending.  As they’ve gotten older, they’ve discovered, not everyone gets the fairytale happy ending they want, but the reality life has orchestrated for them.
Excerpt:I couldn’t move. That was the most uncomfortable experience I’ve ever had, much worse than my first pelvic exam.  In fact, right about now, those stirrups are looking pretty good, because that would distract me from all the memories that brief encounter resurrected.  It’s been over twenty years and he still makes my stomach jump.
“Who was that man?”  Bas asked.
I couldn’t dance around his question like I did last night. “Uhm...did I ever tell you how I got the money to start my business?”
“Does it have anything to do with the couple we just met?”
“It has everything to do with them.”  I took a deep breath and continued.  “My girlfriends know about Jonathan, but only a handful of people know about Terrence.”
“Come on, let’s sit down.”  He guided me back to the club chairs, we sat down and I stared out the window.
“I spent the summer before my junior year and my junior year of college working at Motif Magazine in Paris.  The short version, Terrence and I met at the Louvre.  We were both trying to see the Mona Lisa.  Unfortunately, so was everyone else.  Instead, we spent the afternoon exploring the museum and by closing time, we were in love.  He was in Paris working for his father’s company.”
“That’s your ex?”
“Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to be married and no one know?”  He looked perplexed.  “Let me answer it for you.  Yes.”
“Excuse me?”
“Towards the end of summer we were hooked at the hip.  We spent all of our free time together.  Instead of going home for the holidays, I stayed in Paris and spent them with Terrence.  Spring came and the air was filled with love.   He proposed and two weeks after Valentine’s Day we got married.  When his parents found out, they came over and yanked him out of our apartment.  The last time I saw him was that morning.”
BUY LINK: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-my-friends-dont-know/id1050811861?mt=11
GUEST POST:Character development - How do you develop your characters and make them different?
How do I develop my characters?  This is a great question for which I have no pat answer.  Smile. 
I’m not going to make myself sound deep, philosophical or artistic and say I go into some long drawn out research process developing my characters.  What usually happens is, a name or a situation catches my attention.  Or I’ll see someone while I’m out and think, what is their story. 
Most of my characters are Christians, so more than likely they have some flaw or a past that is very colorful.  For me, the more flawed, the better.  In What My Friends Don’t Know, Alex’s professional background, is loosely based on mine.  The Dionne character and her husband’s public relations company is from my short stint in PR.  I draw from what’s around me.
As for what the characters look like, I keep boards on Pinterest for reference.  I pick a few images to get a collage of the character’s exterior.  Once I get in to writing, I set up a Pinterest board for the characters and pin images based on their personality.  If you view the boards for The Alex Series, you’ll notice each girl has a board as well as one of the male characters.  Each board has things that pertain to their fashion style, home, work, hobbies, etc.  At some point, I’ll actually make a bible for all of my characters.
For me, if I over think every detail of my character, it will slow me down in the writing process.  I like discovering things about my babies as I write.  It may not be the most effective way of working, but it’s what works for me. 
Thank you for hosting me today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:I am a single Christian woman who loves God, Fashion and Cute Guys. Not all women who write Christian fiction will admit to that.
The subjects I write about are considered taboo in Christian fiction. If you want to read about Christians dealing with unrequited love, apprehension to give love another chance, arranged marriages, physical attraction, divorce, annulment, controlling their urges, infidelity, abortion, dating younger men, being a single mother, slipping up and sleeping with your estranged ex, standing up for yourself, being honest about not liking your in-laws, still being attracted to your ex, battling postpartum depression, having challenges in your walk with Christ or if you aren't too proud to admit you sometimes get angry and yell at God, then you're in the right place.
The people that read my books have a thing for designer clothes and accessories and aren't ashamed to admit it. To them a cute Christian guy on their arm is the finish to the perfect outfit. Sort of like lipstick, you don't have to have it, but it sure makes you feel prettier when you do.
WEBSITE: www.readtracyreed.comBLOG: www.readtracyreed.wordpress.comTWITTER: www.twitter.com/readtracyreedFACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/readtracyreed
GIVEAWAY:
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Follow the tour for more chances to win!February 1: Christine Young
February 2: Welcome to My World of Dreams
February 3: Where the Story Comes First
February 4: T's Stuff
February 5: Dena Garson-Real... Hot... Romance
February 8: Long and Short Reviews
February 9: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
February 10: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
February 11: Room With Books
February 12: Independent Authors
February 15: Sharing Links and Wisdom
February 16: Romance Novel Giveaways
February 17: It's Raining Books
February 18: Rachel Brimble Romance
February 19: The Avid Reader
February 22: BooksChatter
February 23: Harps Romance Book Review
February 25: Musings and Ramblings
February 26: Louise Lyndon Romance Author Hear Me Roar

Monday Excerpt - Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2

This month’s Monday excerpts are from Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2.
“According to my grandfather, who was Albert’s oldest son, Arthur refused to give Albert his share of the money and after Arthur died, Rose took off with it. After Rose disappeared, Albert changed and he refused to discuss the money or Rose ever again.”
“If she took the money, my grandmother never saw it.”
“She didn’t take the money,” Wade said.
“You seem very sure of that.”
“I am. My grandfather died five months ago. He lived in the same house all of his life. It had been Albert’s house as well. When we were cleaning it out, we found a box with a letter from Rose and a sketchbook.”
“Really?” I asked excitedly. My grandmother had often talked about her father’s sketches. She had been nine when he died, but she remembered looking through his books and watching him draw.
Wade nodded. “The letter was dated a month after Rose disappeared. She told Albert that the money was gone, and that she had left the gems where Arthur had hidden them. She said they had caused their family nothing but pain. She begged him to leave them and her alone. With the letter, she sent the sketchbook.”
“When Arthur died, his jewelry was in high demand. Those sketches would have been worth a good deal,” I said. “He never sold them?”
“No,” Wade replied. “As far as I can tell, they’re all still there. The letter and the sketchbook were wrapped in an old cloth and stored in a box. The letter was postmarked Dallas, Texas.”

We were both silent as I took it all in. When I looked back at Wade, he was watching me. I smiled slightly. “He let her go.”
Available on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and Google.

Sunday Quote