Anna Butler's Blog, page 26

A Winter’s Tale – Happy Holidays, Everyone

If ever I’m asked when is my favourite time of year I usually say autumn. Or spring. The two temperate seasons, you understand, where the temperatures are like Goldilock’s porridge: neither too hot nor yet too cold.

Then we have winter days like this, a day earlier this month when we had a combination of dense fog and a thick, white hoar-frost:

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The gate to our courtyard, decorated by ice spiders

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Spiders were busy on the Church Paddock fence, too.

 

…if the secret ministry of frost,

Shall hang them up in silent icicles

Quietly shining to the quiet moon

Coleridge

 

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The road we live on peters out 20 yards from our gate into a bridleway and footpath. It doesn’t often look quite this eerie.

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The local ponds support probably a couple of hundred mallard. Here, a few graze frozen winter wheat.

 

You are ice and fire, the touch of you burns my hands like snow

Amy Lowell

 

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Molly always thinks ducks are fair game. Luckily D caught them on camera as they broke into flight.

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Molly and me on the bridlepath.

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Iced blackberry leaves. The colour underneath is just glorious.

 

There’s a certain Slant of light,

Winter Afternoons—

That oppresses…

Emily Dickenson

 

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Spicules of ice on holly.

A day like that, pictures like these, words like those of Coleridge, Lowell and Dickinson… and I come to realise that truly, cruel winter is really my favourite month, when everything is glorified by rimy frost and hard cold ice leaches warmth and colour out of the world.

Whatever winter festival you celebrate, I do hope you have a happy one. Seasons greetings and blessings to you all.

Anne Barwell’s Musical “Winter Duet”

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A special musical post today to celebrate the publication of Anne Barwell’s new book, Winter Duet. Anne’s compiled a playlist for us to enjoy, which I think is a first here on the blog. I’m handing over now to Anne to explain the significance of her playlist, and then I’m off to listen. Enjoy!!

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Thanks for hosting me today, Anna.

I always have music playing when I write. Sometimes it’s just background music and whatever is on the radio while at other times it’s my writing soundtrack—music that puts in the mood for whatever I’m working on. The playlist/soundtrack for Winter Duet, book 2 of my WII Echoes Rising series, has two different parts to it.  There is the music that is mentioned in the story itself, and the music I had playing when I wrote it. The latter is more character based, and most of the music is from a later time than 1944 when the book is set.  Sometimes the lyrics work really well, for others it’s just the feel of the music.

I figured I’d mix up the order a bit—some of these are story specific, others are part of the soundtrack for the series. There are also a couple of New Zealand artists in the mix although they’re not just for Leo, the downed RAF pilot they meet in the Black Forest.

I had fun looking for the Youtube links, and hearing all this music again brought back memories of when I was writing the book.  I’m going to miss these guys once the final book—Comes of Horseman—is published in August.

Frühlingstraum from Winterreise – Schubert

When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating

The Magic Flute (Overture) – Mozart

The Sounds of Silence – Simon and Garfunkle

Touch of Your Hand – Glass Tiger

Lean on Me – Bill Withers

Sway – Bic Runga

All It Takes – Stellar

There You’ll Be – Faith Hill

String of Pearls – Glenn Miller

 

 

Winter Duet

Echoes Rising book 2 – Sequel to Shadowboxing

Germany 1944

Hunted for treason and the information Kristopher carries, he and Michel leave the security of their safe house to journey across Germany toward Switzerland. Caught in a series of Allied bombings, they stop to help civilians and narrowly escape capture by German forces.

While investigating a downed aircraft in the Black Forest, the two men discover an injured RAF pilot.  After they are separated, Kristopher and the pilot are discovered by a German officer who claims he is not who he appears to be. Determined to find Michel again, Kristopher has to trust the stranger and hope he is not connected to those searching for him and the information he carries. Meanwhile Michel is intercepted by one of the Allied soldiers he met in Berlin. His help is needed to save one of their own.

Time quickly runs out. Loyalties are tested and betrayed as the Gestapo closes in. Michel can only hope they can reach safety before information is revealed that could compromise not only his and Kristopher’s lives, but those of the remaining members of their team—if it is not already too late.

 

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[image error]Kristopher jerked awake with a start. Michel was leaning over him. His expression was grim. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Kristopher asked. They’d been in Feuerbach less than twenty-four hours. Surely Reiniger hadn’t found them already?

Before Michel could answer, a loud explosion sounded nearby. Kristopher was on his feet immediately, reaching for his gun, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the flashlight Michel held. The wooden beams groaned. The building shook. Dust fell from the ceiling. He grabbed his satchel, not wanting to leave it behind.

“Bombing raid,” Michel said, already on the stairs of the apartment building, heading outside. Kristopher was only a couple of steps behind him. The wailing of sirens echoed around them. “We need to get out of here.”

Outside, people were running. A woman screamed. A baby’s wail filled the air. The top story of the building next door was gone, rubble lying in the street in big chunks.

Engines roared. Something swooped low above them. Kristopher ducked. Michel grabbed him and dived, both of them hitting the ground and landing in the snow.

Kristopher coughed. He wiped wet snow from his face and shivered. Luckily he’d slept in his coat and boots. Smoke filled the air. “The river,” he gasped. “We need to get to the river.” There was a tower shelter by the Feuerbach River. He was sure he remembered someone talking about it the previous evening.

The ground moved, or seemed to, as another explosion lit up the sky, this time in the distance, from the center of Stuttgart itself. “Can you walk?” Michel helped Kristopher as he struggled to his feet.

“I’m fine,” Kristopher reassured him. “You?”

“Yes.” Michel retrieved the flashlight from the ground. It lit up for a moment, and then they were plunged into blackness. “Damn it!” Michel shook it and switched it off, then on, but nothing happened. He shoved it into the pocket of his coat and glanced around. The streetlights were off—they would have been extinguished at the first sign of attack. All they had for light was the waning crescent moon above them and the fires burning as the aircraft dropped their bombs.

“What about the ambulance?” Kristopher suggested. They’d left it parked out of sight but nearby.

“I’m more worried about us surviving this than the ambulance,” Michel said. He gazed up at the sky. “I think the river is this way. We can’t stay here.”

“I don’t remember where on the river the shelter is,” Kristopher said.

A boy pushed past them. He couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old. “The shelter’s this way,” he yelled. “Follow me.”

Kristopher hesitated. What if the boy was wrong? And even if he wasn’t, there was no way of knowing if he might lead them into more of this.

“We don’t have a choice,” Michel said. “Keep close to me. I don’t want to lose you in this.” He began to run, Kristopher close behind, his eyes adjusting to the little light there was.

The boy tripped and went sprawling. Michel stopped just in time before he too lost his footing.

“Oomph,” Kristopher grunted when he ran into Michel. “What happened?”

The boy groaned loudly. Michel pulled out his flashlight and tried it again. A dim light shone from it, barely enough to see by, but it would have to do. Remains of a shattered chimney from a nearby house were spread across the ground just ahead of them. The boy lay next to one of the larger pieces, half on top of it. In his haste and with the lack of light he wouldn’t have seen it until it was too late.

 

 

Buy Link: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/winter-duet-by-anne-barwell-339-b

 

 

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Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand.  She shares her home with two cats who are convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date it appears as though the cats may be winning.

In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth.

Anne’s books have received honorable mentions four times and reached the finals three times in the Rainbow Awards.  She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

Blog:  http://anne-barwell.livejournal.com/

Website: http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sylvrebarwellhoffmann/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115084832208481414034/posts

Instagram: https://instagram.com/anne.barwell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annebarwell

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4862410.Anne_Barwell

Our Story: https://ourstoryglbtqhistoricalfiction.com/

Dreamspinner Press Author Page:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/anne-barwell

DSP Publications Author Page:

https://www.dsppublications.com/authors/anne-barwell-49

This Wish Tonight – a seasonal guest post with J. Scott Coatsworth

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On 14 December, Mischief Corner books published This Wish Tonight, an anthology of seasonal stories.

Warmth, family, good cheer? Not everyone associates these things with the winter holidays. For some, it’s a time of longing and reflection. Mischief Corner Books invited authors to create stories set during the holiday season and centered on the fulfillment of a wish or desire. This is the result.

Today, J. Scott Coatsworth, one of the three authors featured in the anthology, talks about a sense of place. Welcome, Scott!

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Scott on “Finding the Right Place”

They always say “write what you know.”

But half the fun of writing is writing what you don’t know. After all, none of us know what it’s truly like to be on a starship, to change into a werewolf, or to sink your feet into the bright red sand of an alien world.

When I write a new story, I spend a fair amount of time deciding where it should take place. For “Wonderland”, my entry in the new anthology “This Wish Tonight”, I wanted somewhere rural, somewhere far enough north to still get snow in a warming world.

Somewhere that might be on the way from Vermont if you were to walk across what used to be the United States, on your way to Vancouver.

I scoured Google Maps, looking for the perfect place, Something by a river, in a mountain valley, near a highway.

I ended up in Thompson Falls, Montana.

To be clear, I’ve never actually been to Thompson Falls. Heck, I’ve never been to Montana. So I scoured the town website. I haunted Google’s image search. I looked for the names of mountains. I scanned satellite images in Google and Apple Maps. All in the service of learning as much as I could about this little Montana town.

One thing Earth-based fiction offers that off-world sci fi doesn’t – lots and lots of resources to explore your chosen destination.

In the end, I created my own version of Thompson Falls. I’m sure it bears little resemblance to the real one, but it does have its own unique sense of place, and delivers a whole little world for my readers to explore.

I hope readers will enjoy the attention to detail as much as I enjoyed gathering all those details together!

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Fear of Fire by Gregory L. Norris

Glass Artist Lucius Price works desperately to create a holiday symbol intended to help the town of Villatopia heal from a rash of unsolved hate crimes against gay men. When he is targeted next and his studio set ablaze, handsome firefighter Oscar Ramos rescues Lucius from the flames, creating a different kind of fire during an unforgettable Christmas.

Wonderland by J. Scott Coatsworth

Zeke is a loner his late forties, living in a small cabin in rural Montana. Nathan has been traveling across country on foot since the zombie apocalypse, dealing with his OCD in an empty world.  Zeke just wants someone to love. Nathan just wants to be home again.

Fate brings them together in a winter wonderland, but their own fears and baggage may tear them apart.

Is there still hope for love at Christmas, at the end of the world?

Eve of the Great Frost by Wendy Rathbone

Remi has prepared for over a year to be the king’s gift at the annual celebration of the Eve of the Great Frost on the planet Niobe. Twelve men, taught under the tutelage of the Pleasure Master, hope to be the one (or one of several) chosen to spend an erotic night with the mysterious alien king who always wears a mask. But when Remi’s turn comes to be presented to His Majesty, everything goes wrong from a costume malfunction to breaking protocol. What happens next is a shock, and a night he will never forget.

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books

Authors: Gregory L. Norris, J. Scott Coatsworth & Wendy Rathbone

Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

Length: 40.8k, 228 pages

Format: eBook, Paperback

Release Date: 12/14/16

Pairing: MM

Price: 4.99, 10.99

Goodreads 

 

 

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Excerpt from Wonderland:

December 19

Zeke stared up at the darkening sky from the porch of his log cabin. The clouds were rolling in over the mountains, thick as cotton. A year and four months he’d been here all alone, since he’d last seen another living human being. At forty-eight, he was resigned to the fact that nothing much was likely to change in his life from now on.

A good storm was coming—he felt it in his bones, although the winter had been unusually warm and dry so far. He’d need to haul some firewood inside the cabin and check his food stocks. He scratched at his scraggly beard as he carried in the chopped wood to lay it next to the fireplace.

Zeke lived off a combination of trout from the Clark Fork River and an assortment of canned goods from the local Grocery Surplus store, but even that vast source of food was starting to wear thin. Winter was just starting—and still not an inch of snow, though that looked to be changing quickly.

Sometimes he wished that he wasn’t the last man on Earth. He’d always been a loner. He’d lived up here on the slopes of the Reservation Divide his whole life, first with his father, and then these last ten years by himself. He’d acted on his impulses once or twice, driving down to Missoula for some big-city life in the town’s two gay bars, but he’d never found what he was looking for, and now it was too late.

It turned out that absence really did make the heart grow fonder. He wished that he had someone—anyone—to talk to. He snorted. If wishes were fishes, we’d all live in the sea—one of his father’s favorite sayings.

Maybe I should think about heading south.

The first year after the plague, he’d stayed put as it ravaged Thompson Falls down in the valley below. Even rural Montana hadn’t escaped its reach. Even so, he’d run into one of the besotted, still living a couple weeks after the end, and had blown it away with his rifle. Its blood had splattered all over his face, but he hadn’t gotten sick.

He shrugged. Someone had to be immune. Maybe I was the unlucky sod.

Zeke covered the rest of the wood with a new waterproof tarp to keep out the snow and sleet. That was one advantage of being the last man in the world—there were so many things at his disposal, right there for the taking, and he didn’t have to pay a dime for them.

He snorted. Money—such a strange, strange thing. Sometimes he would crack open a cash register in town to grab a handful of metal coins—quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies—just to run them through his hands.

He cranked up the generator out back and went into his library room to check the shortwave radio, just like he’d done every day since the plague. It was his ritual, though he’d long since given up hope.

He sat down and scanned through the bands, listening intently for anything signifying human contact. There was only static.

Zeke went back outside and sniffed the air. Cold wind whipped at his beard. Snow was coming, for sure, but he should have enough time to make it down to the market for a quick supply run before the storm began.

He checked the fuel gauge on his ATV. It was low—he should probably top off in town. The first month after the plague, when he’d deemed it safe again to go out, he’d found a way to tap the underground tanks at the old Sinclair gas station, so he had all the fuel he needed.

He strapped one of his heavy-duty canvas sacks onto the back of the vehicle and hopped on, firing her up. He took a deep breath of the cool pine-scented air and then started off down the canyon toward the empty town of Thompson Falls.

 

 

Excerpt from Eve of the Great Frost:

I stood quiet and still as instructed, my hands clasped behind my back, my head slightly bowed. The red jewels on my sleeves caught the light, winking. All twelve of us glimmered in rubies.

We waited.

The pleasure master was a short, portly man with gray-silver hair tied tightly back. His black shirt was trimmed in white fur. He held a traditional leather whip, black as onyx, that he gestured with the way a conductor of an orchestra might use his baton. Since the new ways and laws came into effect, whips were for ornament only, never used for punishment.

Some said the new young king wanted to do away with slavery for good. I did not know. If it were true, why were we here tonight, clad in the Cloaks of Erotic Promise? Was it for the ritual and nothing more?

My stomach lurched at the thought. I wanted more than ritual. I wanted this night to prove to myself I had something to give. I’d trained hard and with great dedication. I longed to belong to another in pleasure, in surrender. Decadence, sensual ardor, red passion’s heat—these were things I craved. To be worthy. To be wanted. I would not have sold myself otherwise. I knew my family would be taken care of by being chosen, but honestly, I was doing this for myself.

I stood on that gold stage worried, nervous, excited. My fingers clenched to fists, something we were told not to do. The sounds of revelry began to diminish, the volume softening across the ocean of dancing, moving bodies until only the voices from the guests outside could be heard wafting on the cool breeze.

Heads turned. The celebrants looked in the direction behind me. I was not allowed to move. I could not see what was happening, but I could feel it: the electricity of his approach; the change in air pressure.

The king had made his entrance.

The air seemed to flutter about me. Light and flame, gilt and tinsel—everything glowed. The great hall seemed too small to contain it all.

I could feel his presence looming closer, a psychic weight, a change in the dimensions of reality both subtle and dramatic. Everything blurred, all heat and distant ringing of stemware and held breaths mixing with raised pulse rates, the inner hum of awe, the rustle of silks as people realized they now occupied the same space as a legend.

Every part of my being wished to break formation, to turn and look upon the origin of this catalyst of change and upheaval, this man who’d brought an end to our suffering ways.

Only my vow of discipline kept me in my place.

The pleasure master said from somewhere behind me in a voice of wavering bass tones, “Welcome, Your Highness, Emperor of Niobe, Greatest of Venerables, King Shin. I have the honor of presenting to you on this glorious evening the revered and most exotic gifts of our land, the finest and most beautiful physical representatives of our male citizens, trained in the esteemed art of exquisite gratification.”

An enthralling voice replied, “The honor is mine.”

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAEIP8C

All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thiswishtonight-2181667-166.html

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thiswishtonight-2181667-166.html  (preorder until 12/14)

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/this-wish-tonight

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/686756

 

[image error]Gregory L. Norris

[image error]I am a full-time professional writer, with numerous publication credits to my resume, mostly in national magazines and fiction anthologies. A former writer at Sci Fi, the official magazine of the Sci Fi Channel (before all those ridiculous Ys invaded), I once worked as a screenwriter on two episodes of Paramount’s modern classic, Star Trek: Voyager and am the author of the handbook to all-things-Sunnydale, The Q Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Alyson Books, 2008).

In late 2009, two of my paranormal romance novels for Ravenous Romance (www.ravenousromance.com) were reprinted as special editions by Home Shopping Network as part of their “Escape with Romance” segment – the first time HSN has offered novels to their customers. In late 2011, my collection of brandy-new terrifying short and long fiction, The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse: A Baker’s Dozen From the Terrifying Mind of Gregory L. Norris is being published by Evil Jester Press. I have fiction forthcoming from the fine people at Cleis Press, STARbooks, EJP, The Library of Horror, Simon and Shuster, and Pill Hill Press, to name a few.

Website: http://www.gregorylnorris.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregory.norris.10

J.Scott Coatsworth

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Scott has been writing since elementary school, when he and won a University of Arizona writing contest in 4th grade for his first sci fi story (with illustrations!). He finished his first novel in his mid twenties, but after seeing it rejected by ten publishers, he gave up on writing for a while.

 

Over the ensuing years, he came back to it periodically, but it never stuck. Then one day, he was complaining to Mark, his husband, early last year about how he had been derailed yet again by the death of a family member, and Mark said to him “the only one stopping you from writing is you.”

Since then, Scott has gone back to writing in a big way. He has sold more than a dozen short stories – some new, some that he had started years before. He is currenty working on two sci fi trilogies, and also runs the Queer Sci Fi (http://www.queerscifi.com) site, a group for readers and writers of gay sci fi, fantasy, and paranormal fiction.

Website: http://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jscoatsworth

 

Wendy Rathbone

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Wendy Rathbone has been writing for many years in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance and erotica. Her poetry and short stories have been widely published in magazines and anthologies, and won many awards. She is a Writers of the Future alum (second place, vol 8) and has two stories in the classic, still in print Hot Blood series, as well as a story in the scifi volume of the classic gay anthology Bending the Landscape.

While she has always written GLBTQ characters in her fiction and fan fiction, in 2011 she began to delve deeply into the realm of male/male romance and erotica. She has many indie m/m romance novels, the most recent being “The Moonling Prince” and its sequel “The Coming of the Light”. This year she sold her newest novel “The Android and the Thief” to Dreamspinner Press for publication in April, 2017.

Wendy lives in Yucca Valley, CA with her partner of 36 years, Della Van Hise, and is currently hard at work on a new m/m romance novel.

Website: http://wendyrathbone.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.rathbone.3

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wendyrathbone1

Passing Shadows: Release Day!!

PUBLISHED TODAY

 

WHOOPEEE!!! Today’s the day. Passing Shadows goes live on Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited.

 

Li Liang has found a berth to suit her: chief pilot and first officer of the all-female crew of an old space freighter, the Sappho. Then one ordinary, unremarkable morning, Liang retunes the Sappho’s communications systems just in time to catch the breathless, terrible accounts from Mars of the total destruction of Earth.

Earth’s a cinder. The unknown alien race that destroyed it has left Mars, too, in flames and is ravening outward from the solar system, devouring every human colony on the way.

Liang’s one of the few survivors, racing ahead of the Devourers, rescuing as many frightened, shocked people as she can. Will Liang and the pitiful remnants of humanity find a new haven, somewhere to start again? Or will she, too, echo the dreadful last message coming out of their dead home?

They’re coming. Oh God, they’re coming.

 

Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 144:4

Passing Shadows is a trilogy of short stories with a lesbian main character, Li Liang, who is one of the sole surviving witnesses of the destruction of Earth. The stories tell of the beginning of a long exodus across the galaxy looking for a haven where mankind can start again. A prequel to the Taking Shield series.

The stories are:

Overthrown By Strangers

Habitation Of Dragons

Winterlight

Publication Date :  12 December 2016

Publisher: Self-published through Glass Hat Press

Editing: Val Hughes at Scarlet Tie

Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design

Wordcount: c 29,400

Category: Sci Fi, Gay mainstream, Short Story trilogy

Goodreads Page

 

Passing Shadows is available to buy at an Amazon near you, and available for loan on Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon.com ($2.99)  and Amazon.co.uk (£2.42)

It will be available in print version soon.

 

Win $25 (or equivalent) gift card at Amazon

CLICK HERE TO GO TO RAFFLECOPTER

 

12 December
The Way She Reads
http://helenasheat.blogspot.co.uk/ 


12 December
My Time Out Book Blog
http://www.mytimeoutbookblog.blogspot.com


12 December
Out Of My Head
https://midnightamie.wordpress.com/


12 December
United Indie Book Blog
http://unitedindiebookblog.blogspot.com


12 December
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
http://wickedfaeriesreviews.blogspot.com


12 December
Antonia Aquilante
http://www.antoniaaquilante.com/blog


13 December
Bayou Book Junkie
http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com


13 December
Bonkers about books
http://felinewyvern.blogspot.co.uk/ 


13 December
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
http://ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.com


13 December
MM Good Book Reviews
https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/


13 December
MJ’s Book Blog and Reviews
https://www.facebook.com/MJsBookBlogandReviews/


13 December
My Fiction Nook
http://myfictionnook.com


13 December
yah gotta read this
www.yahgottareadthis.blogspot.ca


13 December
Nicole’s Musings
http://nicolesbookmusings.blogspot.com/


14 December
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.blogspot.com


14 December
PNR Book Lover Reviews
https://www.facebook.com/PNRBookLoverReviews/


14 December
Divine Magazine
https://divinemagazine.net/


14 December
Bella’s Blog
http://bellasblog56.weebly.com


14 December
Boy Meets Boy
boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com


17 December
Queer Sci Fi
https://queerscifi.com/

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Makepeace wins recognition in Rainbow Awards

I was over the moon to find that as well as gaining several nicely glowing ‘honorable mentions’ from the judges, Makepeace was yesterday named in the 2016 Rainbow Awards, gaining joint second place in the Best SciFi//Futuristic section.

Elisa, who runs the Awards every year and deserves our best thanks and appreciation for all her hard work, describes every book in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places as winners, although only the book in first place gets a certificate for being the actual best. I think it detracts from that Best Book’s achievement for the silver winner, so to speak, to use the same banner. So I’ve tinkered with mine to show that second place position.

But the bottom line? I am thrilled to have this recognition for Makepeace. It was my first foray into the Rainbow Awards, Makepeace is my favourite book of the Taking Shield series so far and… well, I am so smug tonight I’m probably setting off smug-warning klaxons in a twenty-mile radius!

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A Divine 2016 Christmas

I’m delighted to be participating in Divine Magazine’s Christmas blog hop this year. It gives me an excuse (do I need one?!) to share favourite recipes and get myself all geared up for the Festive Season. The very idea of decorating the house fills me with joy and my poor husband with groans, since he has to do all the brawn work of carting stuff around and running up and down stepladders.

Divine asked participants to think about what Christmas means to us. I’m going to be honest here. Not religious, so that element doesn’t really impinge on me. No children, so I can’t share their excitement by proxy. Getting older and don’t need ‘stuff’, so even the presents are viewed with a jaundiced eye these days. More and more aware that this time of year isn’t just Christmas, it’s a multitude of other cultural holidays that are just as significant.

Creative Commons from Margus Kulden on Flickr

But still Christmas is my cultural holiday, and I can speak only to that. Christmas is still special and gives me the warm fuzzies. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because it has associated with it this:

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew. “Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

Why I love this time of year is indefinable, even rather inchoate, but still Christmas is a kind forgiving, charitable and pleasant time. I’ll decorate my house; fill it with the smell of Christmas cake and gingerbread; read A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve as I’ve done every Christmas for many, many years now; make the dog wear silly reindeer antlers and post pictures of her up on Facebook; yes, try to do something for those less fortunate than me; and most of all, hold my family and friends close and dear.

 

Divine asked us to post up a favourite recipe. This is a recipe I’ve shared before, but I love gingerbread so much it *is* Christmas to me, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t share it again. It’s in UK measures, but to convert to US cups etc go here

Gingerbread cookies    

Creative Commons from Sergey Galyonkin on Flickr

400g plain flour

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2tsp ground ginger

2tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

180g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g soft dark brown or dark muscovado sugar

1 large egg

125g black treacle (or golden syrup if you want a lighter colour)

1tsp grated lemon zest

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and set aside for a minute while you have a sip of a nice cold Chablis. Or two sips. I don’t judge.

2. Cream together butter and sugar. I use the trusty ancient Kenwood Chef, but any freestanding electric mixer will do. Use the paddle shaped attachment, not the dough hook. Cream on slow speed until the butter/sugar mix is light and fluffy.

3. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat in the egg and treacle and lemon zest. This is messy, and you’ll have that delightful moment when you’re scraping unmixed bits in from the side of the bowl with a spatula and then an instant of cursing later, you’re scraping bits of treacle out of your hair where the mixer has merrily thrown it.

4. Turn the mixer back down to slow speed and add the dry ingredients mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. You’ll have to stop the mixer now and again to scrape in the bits that have been flung around the side of the bowl—that’s because you’ve learned from your mishap with the treacle, that stopping the mixer first for a second or two may be wise. Go you.

5. Once the dough has formed and is even in colour and texture, take it out of the mixer bowl, divide into 3 and wrap each piece in clingfilm.

6. Leave to rest overnight in the fridge. Retire to the sofa with your glass of Chablis and watch the Muppet Christmas Carol.

7. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.

8. Take the dough out of the fridge and leave to soften for about 10 minutes. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the first batch of dough to a thickness of about 4 mm

9. Cut out shapes with the biscuit cutters. I never do gingerbread men because that smacks of festival cannibalism. Instead I have more snowflake biscuit cutters than is reasonable, so I make lots of snowflakes and stars, instead. Arrange the cookies on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for about 10–15 minutes. Roll out batches 2 and 3 while the previous ones are baking. You can get a neat little production line going here.

10. Leave the cookies to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

11. Then, if you’re feeling particularly crafty and dextrous, you can ice them. Good luck with that. Seeing me with an icing bag and you will wince and run for cover. It’s usually a repeat of getting treacle out of my hair (see step 3 above). Believe me, I’d never win Great British Bake-Off.

Enjoy! And if you are a really generous, big hearted person, put a few into a pretty bag, tie with a nice tag and give them to people who either you love very much or who you want in hock to you for next year.

 

GIVEAWAY

And now… the  grand prize giveaway on the Divine Promotions Blog. All you have to do is go to the blog and leave a comment on their blog post, telling them your favorite part about Christmas.

Grand Prizes for this blog hop


3D fun face Charms Bracelet – 3 pieces
18 K Gold Filled Crystal Pearls Heart Party Dress Jewelry Set

$10 Amazon Gift Card from RAM PA Group
5 Days Promo Tour from Divine Promotions
Dreamspinner Press Vouchers
$5 gift voucher from Pride Publishing
Ebook of your choice from Author Grein Murray
Swag donated by Author Grein Murray (only available to those living in the USA)
Ebook of your choice from Author Sean Kerr (from his series Dead Camp)
Ebook – The Hard Boys: Alien Abduction (Case #1) from Ian Cadena


Go to Divine Promotions blog  for the chance to win

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Participating blogs

If you want to visit other participating blogs to see what they’re posting about Christmas, here’s the list:


Two Chicks Obsessed with Books http://twochicksobsessed.com/
Cathy Writes Romance http://cathybrockman.com
Hot Men in Hot Water http://www.sarahmadisonfiction.com/
The Wasp Nest http://aewasp.com/blog/
Passionate Reads http://paularadell.com/passionate-reads
Alpha Book Club http://alphabookclub.org
Tempeste O’Riley http://tempesteoriley.com/blog
Laz and Lachi Publications http://www.lazandlachi.com/
Cody Kennedy http://ckennedyauthor.blogspot.com
Sue Brown’s Stories http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk/
Author Susan Mac Nicol https://www.susanmacnicol.net
Imaginative Dreams http://thebooksocial.weebly.com/imaginative-dreams

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And finally, whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, I hope you all have a wonderful time.

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Sarah Madison’s Holiday House Swap – Pre-order, Giveaway and Review

I’m delighted to host Sarah Madison here today as her latest book, the Christmassy Holiday House Swap is made available on pre-order. It’s a cracking book and I’m pleased to wave it at you and exhort you to buy it, and to (drum roll!!) do a review

 

Reclusive writer Noah Kinley is facing a dilemma: how to confess to the world he’s really the author of a best-selling romance series. For years, his friend Julie has been the face of his brand, but she wants her life back now. Fast running out of ideas for his popular series, Noah wants to break out into other genres. Not that he’s writing much of anything at the moment anyway, thanks to paralyzing writer’s block. With his publisher breathing down his neck for the next installment, he hopes a change of scene will get his writer’s juices flowing again. Desperate enough to try anything, during the holidays Noah swaps his isolated cabin in the woods for a gentrified horse farm.

USAF Major Connor Harrison has chosen forced retirement over facing charges for an unauthorized mission to rescue a buddy from behind enemy lines. No one expects him home for the holidays, and he certainly didn’t anticipate finding a stranger in his house, much less Noah Kinley with his acid tongue and a wry sense of humor that pierces all of Connor’s defenses.

Both men need to figure out what the next chapter in their lives will be—and whether it will include each other.

Genre: M/M Romance

Publisher: Dreamspinner

Release: December 21, 2016

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33117466-holiday-house-swap

 

To his delight, a wall switch within arm’s length turned out to be for a sound system. He fiddled with the dial until he found a radio station playing Christmas music. He sank down into the bubbling water until just his toes and head were sticking out. Bing Crosby sang a rousing rendition of “Mele Kalikimaka.” Obviously another indication the station was getting desperate for different Christmas songs already. Then the playlist segued into one of many versions of “Santa Baby,” all of which Noah hated. Still, the sheer bliss of soaking in a steaming tub without having to cross a snow-covered porch to get there had him humming along when “The Twelve Days of Christmas” came on.

Noah had just belted out “five go-old rings” when he opened his eyes to see the bathroom door slowly swinging toward him. His jaw dropped in horror when he saw a soldier dressed in desert camo standing in the entranceway. The man had a 9mm in his hand and had used the barrel to open the door.

Noah couldn’t help it. He shrieked and flung the Kindle aside, ducking down into the Jacuzzi. It didn’t take him long to realize this wasn’t a workable escape plan, and he burst up out of the water, gasping for air. Blinking soapy water out of his eyes, he grasped the wine bottle by the neck and swung it overhead with the intent of throwing it.

To his surprise, while he’d been underwater, the soldier had holstered his gun. The man had also taken off his cap to reveal a shock of short brown hair practically sticking up on end. He was leaning against the sink with his arms folded across his chest. The overhead light made his eyes gleam like a cat’s, almost amber in color. His two-day stubble made him look like an extra from Miami Vice. Although he no longer acted as though he planned to shoot Noah, he gave off a dangerous vibe just the same.

“Calm down.” He was unimpressed by Noah’s defensive posture. “I’m guessing you’re not a burglar after all. Unless you’re the kind of thief who enjoys breaking into other people’s houses to take bubble baths.”

“I’m not a thief!” Fear sharpened into anger. “Your first clue should have been the Ford Fiesta sitting in the driveway. A real thief would drive something more impressive, like a black Hummer or something. The second tip-off should have been the fact there’s no evidence of a break-in, and the third should’ve been, I don’t know, perhaps my luggage sitting in the guest room?” Rage made his blood pressure go up like a rocket. “Whereas you came busting in here with a gun in your hand, so tell me, Lieutenant Soldier Man, why the hell I shouldn’t call the police right now?”

Noah noted his hand holding the wine was trembling, and he hastily set the bottle down. Awareness of his naked state, damp and only thinly covered by soap, made him ooze back down into the bubbles. He swept some toward him to cover strategic areas, all while glaring at the soldier.

“Well, I don’t know,” the military man drawled in a lazy manner that sent a little chill down Noah’s spine, even though he was hunkered down in the steaming water. “Maybe because I’m between you and the phone. Maybe because I still have a gun and you don’t. Or maybe—” The man pushed himself off the sink and took a step closer to the tub, pressing his fists into his hips as he leaned over to speak with emphasis. “Maybe because I live here.”

Noah gasped. “You do not!”

 

5*****

I’m lucky, in that I’m a member of the same crit group as Sarah Madison, so I get to read these long before everyone else. I don’t think there’s a book of hers I haven’t loved as she wrote it, polished it, published it. Holiday House Swap is no exception.

What I’ve noticed most about Sarah’s work is the characters she creates. Sarah doesn’t do easy characters. She depicts people who have been challenged and who are challenging, who can be prickly and difficult, who have been tested and hurt in the testing. She writes people who are, at some level, damaged by life and whose defences, consequently, can often be dense and almost impenetrable. And then she pulls them out from behind their walls and makes them find someone who can keep them there, someone who will see beyond the hurt, the irascible temper, the snark and sarcasm and who will then love what they see.

Holiday House Swap delivers two of those difficult-to-like, easier-to-love characters in spades. It’s a topical premise in these days of AirBnB alternative type holidays (vacations, to my transAtlantic readers!). Noah Kinley, a writer who hides behind a pseudonym to write romantic thrillers and behind snippy sarcasm to hide from life, takes a house swap for Christmas. Only the house he’s moved to isn’t quite as devoid of inhabitants as he expects, when its real owner turns up. Connor Harrison is reeling from what’s happened on his last deployment and considering his future, making him as prickly and ill-at-ease with life as Noah is.

I think you’ll love the way Sarah’s story unfolds, as Noah and Connor learn to trust each other and learn, too, that if they’re ever to have any contentment and happiness in life, it’s with each other. As an extra plus, Sarah weaves into the story her boundless love for and knowledge of horses, to add the ring of authenticity and perfect world-building that infuse the narrative.

It’s a feel good story. It’s a lovely, warm Christmassy story. It’s a horses and snow and eggnog and party time story. It’s a “why are you reading this and not at an ebook store near you buying this?” story. You’ll love it, I guarantee.

 

.PreOrder:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2gT2a1o

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2gOUf6c

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2gOVv9w

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gGsV9P

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2gfbQDo

Dreamspinner Press: http://bit.ly/2gIcJ8B

All Romance: http://bit.ly/2fS1JDy

 

 

Win a $10 Amazon card and an ebook copy of any backlist novel

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER

 

 

Sarah Madison is a writer with a little dog, a big dog, an even bigger horse, too many cats, and a very patient boyfriend. An amateur photographer and a former competitor in the horse sport known as eventing, when she’s not out hiking with the dogs or down at the stables, she’s at the laptop working on her next story. When she’s in the middle of a chapter, she relies on the smoke detector to tell her dinner is ready. She writes because it’s cheaper than therapy.

Sarah enjoys placing hot men in hot water to see how strong they are—like teabags, only sexier. This motto allows her to play in a wide variety of genres, from FBI guys to shifters, with some WW2 fighter pilots and space adventurers tossed in for good measure.

Sarah Madison was a finalist in the 2013 and 2015 Rainbow Awards. The Boys of Summer won Best M/M Romance in the 2013 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Awards. The Sixth Sense series was voted 2nd place in the 2014 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Awards for Best M/M Mystery series, and 3rd place in the 2105 PGR Reviewer’s Choice Awards for Best M/M Paranormal/Urban Fantasy series.

If you want to make her day, e-mail her and tell you how much you like her stories.

 

Social Media Links:

Website: www.SarahMadisonFiction.com

E-mail: akasarahmadison@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SarahMadisonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahMadisonFic

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4057853.Sarah_Madison

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Madison/e/B004K9QY5C

 

 

 

Operation Better Tomorrow – Brandi Evans

The interview of a lifetime.

When Aaron Strickland’s assigned to write a feature article on Caleb Douglas, the first openly gay soldier to receive the Medal of Honor, he’s over-the-moon. Meet a sexy, real-life hero? Yes, please. And in the weeks leading up to their interview, the former soldier becomes a recurring player in Aaron’s fantasies.

A man Caleb can’t forget.

Years earlier, lost in the throes of depression and PTSD after an ambush left his body and soul scarred, Caleb was on the brink of giving up when a magazine article changed his life forever—an article written by Aaron. Emerging from the depths of his pain, Operation Better Tomorrow—part homestead, part halfway house for those down on their luck—was born.

Tragedy lurking on the horizon.

As the days pass, Caleb and Aaron’s tragic pasts bind them in ways they aren’t prepared for, but it also leaves them vulnerable. Pushing forward means breaking down walls they’ve built to protect themselves, and just as they’re poised on the precipice of happiness, a darkness descends on the homestead, a hatred that will leave one man clinging to life and the other willing to risk everything to save him.

Watch the Operation Better Tomorrow Book Trailer

 

 

Caleb’s lower lip trembled ever so slightly. “You didn’t know me back then. I could barely walk or—”

“I don’t give a flying fuck. You don’t walk away from the person you profess to love just because they’re a little wounded.”

“You didn’t see me back then. The braces, the crutches. The fresh scars.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Aaron grazed his thumb over the largest scar along Caleb’s cheek. “And please, for the love of God, stop defending that asshole. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“The scars’re bad. Really bad.”

“Is that the reason you’re wearing this shirt?” Aaron tugged on the collar. “Do you think I’ll find you less attractive if I see your…” Aaron tried to devise the best word to describe Caleb, but words failed him. For a writer, that was pretty damn telling. “Imperfections?”

“He did.”

“But I’m not an asshole. Besides, news flash, handsome. I saw you shirtless when I first arrived, and as you might remember, I found you pretty damn hawt.”

“I was careful to keep you on my right side.”

Frustration forced Aaron to his feet. He could think of one surefire way to get it through Caleb’s stubborn skull that the scars didn’t matter. Besides, they couldn’t be that bad, could they?

Aaron held his hand toward the former soldier. “Come here and show me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Get up here and show me your scars.”

Caleb didn’t move.

Aaron took the other man by the hands and tugged until Caleb relented and they stood face to face. Caleb stood an inch or so taller, but in the soft overhead light, he seemed to loom.

Without a word, but careful to maintain eye contact, Aaron released Caleb’s hands, took hold of the edges of the T-shirt, and stepped closer.

Caleb shook his head, his arms remaining at his side, his body still and unmoving. It was like holding a tree trunk, only warmer.

Aaron held tighter. “I want to see you. All of you.”

“I can’t, Aaron. I don’t… I… They’re… Fuck. I hate this.”

“Shh.” Aaron pressed a palm to the other man’s cheek. “I want to see all of you, Caleb. You’re not gonna scare me away.”

“I scared him. I showed him everything, and he thought I was disgusting.”

Fuck. Caleb might as well just stab Aaron in the heart. No wonder Caleb wanted to hide himself. Those we loved the most had the ability to cut us the deepest.

“I’m not him.” Aaron pushed a hand down the hard lines of Caleb’s torso, to the elastic of his trunks, and slipped an index finger inside. Just the index finger. “I wanted you before I got here, and I still do. Let me prove to you just how undisgusting I find you.”

 Download a sample of the book HERE

 

 

Buy Operation Better Tomorrow HERE

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway – Win a Kindle!!

 

Brandi Evans was raised by a caravan of traveling Gypsies. She spent her days learning the ways of her people and her nights lost in legends as old as time. Okay, not really, but that’s way more interesting than the truth!

In reality, Brandi grew up the oldest child of an ordinary family. Grade school, middle school, high school. Nothing extraordinary happened until she left the nest. She joined the military, went to college, got married, and became a mom. And somewhere along the way, she discovered she liked to read—and write!—stories hot enough to melt eReaders.

These days, she calls The Natural State home where she lives with her hubby, two beautiful daughters, two dogs and a cat who has yet to realize she doesn’t own the place. Soldier. Wife. Mom. Multi-published smut writer. Brandi’s life might not be “traveling Gypsy” interesting, but she’s had fun. And in the end, isn’t that all that really matters?

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Release Day and Giveaway – Antonia Aquilante’s “The Sorcerer’s Guardian”

Antonia Aquilante’s new novel is published today by Dreamspinner Press. I’m delighted to support the launch – read an excerpt here!

 

Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, has honed his Talent through years of study and made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, and arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings, which is how Savarin prefers it. Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack. They are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. To his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompanies him.

Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain and takes pride in his service. He must obey the princes’ orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere. And despite his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, he has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. Loriot and Savarin clash during their journey, but there’s another reason for the tension between them, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still fortify Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution endangers both him and the royal family.

Series: Chronicles of Tournai

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Release Date: November 28, 2016

Goodreads

 

A sharp knock came at the door as Lord Etan chuckled. Prince Philip called out a command to enter. “Captain Loriot,” Prince Philip said after the door opened and closed, “perfect timing. Thank you for joining us.”

“Of course, Your Highness. You had need of me?”

Savarin glanced over as Loriot stepped up beside Lord Etan’s chair. The captain looked his usual competent self this afternoon; Savarin hadn’t seen him look less than competent in all of their association. His thick, dark hair all in place, short beard neatly trimmed, deep red and brown uniform perfectly pressed. The royal seal was embroidered on its breast, his captain’s insignia displayed on the jacket’s arm.

“Yes, Captain,” Prince Philip said. “Master Savarin will be traveling along Tournai’s borders on an important mission for us. I’d like you to accompany him.”

Shock stole Savarin’s thoughts for a moment, but the protest came quickly. “Your Highness, that’s hardly necessary.”

“There have been reports of bandits in the area, perhaps crossing the border in and out of Amaranta,” Prince Philip said with an inquiring glance at Loriot.

“Yes, Your Highness. There are, of course, patrols out looking for them,” Loriot said, supplying the requested information.

“I’m sure the patrols will take care of the problem,” Savarin said, trying to keep his voice even and calm. Amaranta was the neighboring kingdom to Tournai’s west, one that Tournai had a good relationship with. Savarin had traveled extensively in Amaranta and knew it well enough to be assured that Amaranta would have its own patrols out too if the bandits were troubling them as well. The bandits would be found before long. “And in the meantime, I’ll be fine on my own, Your Highness.”

“I think it best you have someone with you.”

“I need not remind you that I’m a powerful sorcerer, Your Highness. I can take care of myself,” Savarin said through gritted teeth. He didn’t need a nursemaid or a protector.

“No, you needn’t.” Prince Philip’s voice was mild. “Nevertheless, all it would take is one bandit catching you unaware while you concentrate on the magic, and none of your power would help you.”

“I hardly think that likely, Your Highness.”

“Likely or not. I think it’s possible, and I don’t want that to happen.” Prince Philip glanced at Loriot, standing silently by. Lord Etan and Prince Amory were silent as well. “Captain Loriot will accompany you on your journey to ensure your safety.”

Savarin wanted to argue. He didn’t want anyone with him on this trip; he preferred to work alone, to travel alone. He didn’t need anyone with him, especially not for protection. But he also recognized the futility of arguing with Prince Philip at this point. He probably shouldn’t argue with Prince Philip at any time, but sometimes a discussion was warranted.

Apparently not today.

“Yes, Your Highness,” he said, giving in as gracefully as he could. Prince Philip nodded and turned to Loriot. “Keep Savarin safe

while he does what he needs to do, Captain. Brief your second because you may be away from the city for some time.”

“Your Highness, perhaps it would be best to send someone else, even several guards, with Master Savarin,” Loriot said far more diplomatically than Savarin had managed, though he could see Loriot wanted to go with him as little as he wanted Loriot to. “My place is here, with you.”

“I do not need several guards.” Savarin couldn’t resist saying it, though Loriot was the only one who spared him a look.

“You’ve trained your second well, and he’s experienced. We’ll be fine without you for a little while, and we’ll call you back if we need you.”

Loriot obviously heard the unyielding note in Prince Philip’s voice too. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Good. Speak to Master Savarin about his plans.”

And that was plainly a dismissal. Savarin was going to have company on his travels whether he liked it or not.

He didn’t like it.

 

 

Dreamspinner Press

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Win an e-book of Antonia’s novel “The Scholar’s Heart”

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Antonia Aquilante has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and at the age of twelve, decided she would be a writer when she grew up. After many years and a few career detours, she has returned to that original plan. Her stories have changed over the years, but one thing has remained consistent – they all end in happily ever after.

She has a fondness for travel (and a long list of places she wants to visit and revisit), taking photos, family history, fabulous shoes, baking treats which she shares with friends and family, and of course reading. She usually has at least two books started at once and never goes anywhere without her Kindle. Though she is a convert to ebooks, she still loves paper books the best, and there are a couple thousand of them residing in her home with her.

Born and raised in New Jersey, she is living there again after years in Washington, DC, and North Carolina for school and work. She enjoys being back in the Garden State but admits to being tempted every so often to run away from home and live in Italy.

She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the New Jersey Romance Writers, and the Rainbow Romance Writers.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Passing Shadows – Cover Reveal and Publication Date!

Coming to an Amazon near you on

12 December!!

 

 

Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 144:4

A prequel to the Taking Shield series, Passing Shadows is a trilogy of short stories with a lesbian main character, Li Liang, who is one of the few surviving witnesses of the destruction of Earth. The stories tell of the beginning of a long exodus across the galaxy looking for a haven where mankind can start again.

The stories are Overthrown By Strangers | Habitation Of Dragons | Winterlight

Book Title: Passing Shadows

Publication Date :  12 December 2016

Publisher: Self-published through Glass Hat Press

Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis at Book Covers By Design

Wordcount: c 29,100

Category: Sci Fi, Gay mainstream, Short Story trilogy

 

Blurb

Li Liang has found a berth to suit her: chief pilot and first officer of the all-female crew of an old space freighter, the Sappho. Then one ordinary, unremarkable morning, Liang retunes the Sappho’s communications systems just in time to catch the breathless, terrible accounts from Mars of the total destruction of Earth.

Earth’s a cinder. The unknown alien race that destroyed it has left Mars, too, in flames and is ravening outward from the solar system, devouring every human colony on the way.

Liang’s one of the few survivors, racing ahead of the Devourers, rescuing as many frightened, shocked people as she can. Will Liang and the pitiful remnants of humanity find a new haven, somewhere to start again? Or will she, too, echo the dreadful last message coming out of their dead home?

They’re coming. Oh God, they’re coming.

 

 

 

 

Editing by Val Hughes at Scarlet Tie Editing

Cover Art by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design