C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 163
May 11, 2015
Tell Again Tuesday Why Fiction: History, Politics, and Real Human Costs
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
While for Donald history classes in high school were interesting, for Catherine they were a bore. However both agree if the history had been written with a little more story, rather than so much date information the classes could have been more enjoyable. Now here is a post about the very same idea.
Why Fiction: History, Politics, and Real Human Costs
May 7, 2015 by Caroline Warfield
The gradual disintegration of the Ottoman Empire underlies much unrelenting war, revolution, and vast human suffering that occurred throughout the nineteenth century. The diplomatic issues, for Britain at least, associated with that process are generally referred to as “The Eastern Question.” I stumbled into it researching my next novel. “The Eastern Question” has the dry tone of an academic thesis or the blandness of political discourse. Tidy papers drawn up by politicians in the comfort of Parisian palaces or quiet Swiss cities when the powers negotiate treaties offer cold words and no compassion. For the human story, the real human cost, we’re better off relying on novelists.
First a brief outline of the political history:
For the rest of the blog go to:
https://historyimagined.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/why-fiction-history-politics-and-real-human-costs/
May 7, 2015
Friday Feature DeAnn Smallwood Montana Man
Friday Feature
Welcomes
DeAnn Smallwood
Author of
Montana Man
DeAnn is here to share a snippet of the background for her recent book, Montana Man.
Take it away DeAnn:
I received many request after my book, Montana Star was published asking for a sequel. I was so busy writing more western historical romances, and a couple murder/suspense books, I didn’t respond as soon as I should have. Finally, here’s Montana Man, published this March, and it picks up the life of Ben, one of the main characters in Montana Star. I really enjoyed writing this book and doing the research. I’m currently writing another Montana book featuring a character in Montana Man…Montana Rose. So the beat goes on. I love writing and truly enjoy hearing from my readers.
Blurb:
Ben rose from the river, and like a dog, shook the water from his eyes. This was his third bath since he’d left Yuma Territorial Prison, and still the stench lived in his nostrils. Immersing his pain-wracked body, he reveled in the clear, cold water of the lazy moving Colorado.
Four years. Four years chained to stone floors and walls in a dark, crowded cell where daytime temperatures rose past 110 degrees. The prison, more aptly called ‘Hell Hole’, lived up to its name. He’d gone in a boy—he’d come out a man. Four years paying for a crime he didn’t commit.
Wisteria pulled on the wagon reins, her heart racing. On the rocky bank, lying on one, outstretched arm, fingers trailing in the river, was the body of a man. She jumped down from the wagon and with trepidation tried to move him, begging him to assist her.
“Can’t,” he muttered.
“Mister, I don’t know who you are, but ‘can’t’ isn’t working. Let me tell you a couple cant’s-I can’t lift you and I can’t leave you here to die.”
Excerpt:
Ben rose from the river and like a dog, shook the water from his eyes. Drops glistened on his blue-black hair, ran down his chest, and over his thin ribs. He grabbed a handful of sand and feebly scrubbed himself in an effort to wash away the prison stink. This was his third bath since he’d left Yuma Territorial Prison and still the stench lived in his nostrils. Immersing his pain wracked body, he reveled in the clear, cold water of the lazy moving Colorado. Was it his imagination, or did the water touch his feverish skin only to evaporate and rise like steam?
Four years. Four years chained to stone floors and walls, in a dark crowded cell where daytime temperatures rose past 110. The prison, more aptly called ‘Hell Hole’, lived up to its name. He’d gone in a boy; he’d come out a man. Four years paying for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, he was a taciturn, bitter soul, turned inward. Turned inward out of self-preservation, through repeated trips to the Dark Cell.
Ben fingered the raw wounds circling both wrists. He’d learned early on not to fight against the iron cuffs even when, out of perverse pleasure at inflicting pain, the guards tightened them until men fainted. He’d fainted, but he’d never begged. Not once. The last week of incarceration, he’d not only been punished unfairly by being denied food, he’d spent days and nights in leg irons so tight they’d cut grooves into his skin. His jailers laughed and bragged that Ben would carry Yuma Prison like a brand, for the rest of his life.
He glanced down at his ankles, at the wide band of oozing sores. They were infected. He blinked hazily. A raging fever grew, bent on consuming him.
A tremor rushed through him, the water cold, the memory bitter. He didn’t want to remember, but there it was, so fresh in his mind, as raw as his wrists and ankles. Four years past but still so fresh. His mind’s eye easily visualized the bar and the green boy, shot glass in hand.
He’d been drinking, but he wasn’t drunk. Ben was proud of holding his liquor. That’s what he’d told his new friends as they slapped him on the back and called for yet another round. In retrospect, he should have seen they weren’t matching him drink for drink. But, between them and the beautiful Rosita, he’d only focused on proving he was a man—downing every shot.
Held up by a ‘friend’ on either side, Ben staggered along as they left the noisy saloon and crossed the dirt street to the newly built bank. Whispering, they told him they were headed inside to play a prank on a friend, a bank teller. He’d giggled and put a finger to his lips and spit out a loud, “Shhh.” He was to wait there, and, to help make the prank more realistic, he was to take his gun out of his holster and wave it threateningly at anyone who came close. Thrilled to be part of the game, he readily agreed.
He stood alone and weaving in the street, brandishing his gun. Then a crowd gathered, hurling threats at him. A shot rang out from inside the bank. Several mounted horses burst from the building’s backside and warning shots were fired into the crowd. People ran for cover as men, their faces hidden behind bandanas, bent over horses and rode hell bent for leather out of town. They left behind an empty safe, a teller screaming, “Robbery”, and a drunken boy, grin still pasted to his face as he waved an empty pistol.
Men knocked him to the ground, his gun skittering across the packed dirt. Hands grabbed him and, before he could offer resistance, he was trussed up like a Christmas turkey. He laid there, hands bound to his legs, face in the dirt. That’s when the first kick came, followed by brutal laughter and a voice Ben would never forget.
“Hang him high and save us the trouble waiting for the circuit judge. We’re damned lucky he didn’t shoot an innocent person. Bank robber—that’s what he is. I’ll personally string the rope.” The words were accompanied by another kick hard against his ribs.
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B00TWMKA0C
AUTHOR BIO
I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. I’m a native of Colorado, but I lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for most of my books. My Western Historical Romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, Wyoming Heather, One Shingle To Hang, and of course my most recent, Montana Man. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I branched out and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ‘death’ series, Death Is A Habit, came out January 8, 2014. I am currently working on the third book in the ‘death’ series, Death Walks C Dock as well as another historical western. I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written.
Where to find DeAnn:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deann.smallwood.1
Website http://www.deannsmallwood.com/
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.com/e/B001JS9P7Q/
May 5, 2015
Wednesday Special Spotlight SUMMER FLING by MJ Compton
Shines today on
SUMMER FLING
By
MJ Compton
Cover artist: Mina Carter
BLURB:
Caroline Maplethorpe spent a summer as plaything for a minor league baseball team…and oh, how Win Winston played. Seven years later, she’s respectable, and he’s in the big leagues. Now that he’s found her again, he still wants her in a major way. But their second-chance relationship attracts too much publicity, and the third member of their long-ago ménage threatens to destroy the respectable life Caroline so carefully reconstructed after that crazy summer.
EXCERPT:
A lone figure lurched into view, shoulders hunched against the cold. Snow swirled around him. He stood under the streetlight, looking up at me.
Win.
Our gazes met. I swallowed hard. Just like that, he knew where I lived, and that was not a good thing. He stared at me for what seemed like forever, then ambled away.
My intercom belched again. I uncurled from my perch and stumbled to the speaker. “Yes?”
“Carrie Thorpe.”
I still heard that voice in my dreams. I was going to have to speak to Win eventually. Might as well get it over with.
I buzzed him in. Then I opened the door and watched him lumber up the dimly lit stairs.
He was larger than life, filling my doorway with his height and bulk, bringing the cold and the scent of winter with him.
I didn’t offer to take his coat. “What do you want?”
His dark eyes glittered in the flickering candlelight. Flakes of snow melted in his black curls. “Carrie Thorpe.”
“There’s no such person,” I said.
“No wonder I couldn’t find you.” His deep voice rumbled through me. “I looked, you know. For years. On every form of social media I heard of. But no Carrie Thorpe ever popped up.”
“She doesn’t exist,” I repeated, not believing him.
“Caroline Maplethorpe slumming it in Cortland.” His tone was bitter.
“Caroline Maplethorpe trying not to trade in on her father’s name,” I retorted, stung by his accusation. The truth was far less dramatic.
Win still had the power to annihilate me, but I’d never let him know how vulnerable he made me. Survival. That was my priority.
“You’ve done well for yourself,” I said. I’d followed his career to the majors, his injury two seasons ago, and the subsequent surgery that led him to a rehab stint in Syracuse.
“If you mean better than Flash, then yeah.”
Flash. Jordan “Flash” Gordon. He’d introduced Win to me, in a manner of speaking.
“I got called up for three games, and you disappeared,” Win said. “I went a little crazy.”
“It was time for me to leave. College was starting. The timing had nothing to do with your getting called up.”
That was the truth. Part of it anyway.
He stared at me. Through me. He’d always been able to peer into the crevices of my soul.
“What do you want?” My voice shook.
The intensity of his gaze never wavered. “I don’t know.”
That was new. Seven years ago, Win Winston had always known what he wanted.
“I thought I wanted you, but now you’re telling me you don’t exist.”
There were many things I could have said. I could have asked if he’d never had a meaningful relationship with another woman, but that would imply he’d found our relationship meaningful. While it was certainly memorable, I doubted it had much meaning for him.
Didn’t he understand the rules? What we’d had that long-ago summer was a fling. He was a young, good-looking, up-and-coming pitcher, and I was a young, out-of-control, self-destructive girl on the run from emotions I couldn’t handle. I would have done anything to be able to feel.
I did everything I could in order to feel something. Anything.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“I’m pitching for the Saltboilers until I’m ready for the majors again.”
“I meant, why did you follow me out of the restaurant?”
“Why are you surprised I did?” he countered. “Although I guess that should tell me something.”
We stared at each other for several silent moments.
“You sent your boyfriend home,” Win finally said. His voice was husky, and his gaze flicked to my left hand. “A husband wouldn’t have left, so I know you’re not married. You should have known I’d be knocking on your door.”
I struggled for cool. A third party had never stopped him—or me—in the past. “I think you’d better leave.”
Was it the muted light, or did his expression darken? I couldn’t tell.
“I meant what I said to you that summer,” he said.
The problem was that he’d said a lot of things. We both had. I hadn’t meant much of what I’d said, and based on the facts, I’d assumed he hadn’t either. Besides, the spoken words hadn’t defined the rest of my life.
I wasn’t prepared for his hand to hover over my cheek. Heat from his palm drew my face like night-vision goggles to prey. His thumb flicked a strand of hair off my brow. When his lips brushed mine, a shock of familiarity, of yearning, bolted through me.
“You’re right,” he said, his voice a harsh rasp in the quiet of the room. “I’d better leave while I still can.”
MJ COMPTON LINKS
BUY LINK:
http://www.loose-id.com/summer-fling.html
OTHER LINKS
Website & Blog http://www.comptonplations.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/Comptonplations
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMJCompton
Tsu http://www.tsu.co/mj_compton
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075221.M_J_Compton
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/MJ-Compton/e/B00J9DFFIG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
May 4, 2015
Tell Again Tuesday 155th Anniversary of the Pony Express Doodle
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
April 14, 2015 was the 155th Anniversary of the Pony Express. We came across this interesting tidbit on Google but, we didn’t Google it.
To play the game talked about in the video clip you have to click on the doodle at the top of the page. Happy riding!
For the rest of the blog go to:
https://www.google.com/doodles/155th-anniversary-of-the-pony-express
April 30, 2015
Friday Feature Erin Bevan Cupid’s Angels
Welcomes
Erin Bevan
Author of
Cupid’s Angels
Erin has agreed to share where her inspiration for and a little bit about the publishing journey of her new book Cupid’s Angels, soon to be released by Soul Mate Publishing. Take it away Erin:
As I’m gearing up for my release date, I sit here and think back to where the idea for Cupid’s Angels came from. The idea, like several of my stories, came from a calling The Wild Rose Press was doing for their Flower Basket Series.
The Flower Basket Series was set in a fictional town in California, with fictional shops and tons of fictional characters. I could incorporate the shops and characters as well as make up my own, but of course, I couldn’t use any of the previous story lines.
I was coming late into the series, and so previous authors before me had made this town a thriving place with several rich and vibrant characters. And while, most of the love stories were based on younger people, I thought, why not add some old ones to the mix? I just love funny old people, don’t you?
Well, at the time, I was still pretty new to this whole writing thing, and my story was good, but it just wasn’t good enough. I still had a few tricks of the trade to learn, you could say.
I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason. I was devastated my story, or in my mind my child, didn’t get chosen for publication, but now I can look back and say I’m thankful.
I’m thankful for many reasons. One, I have no idea what it’s like to live in California. The only dealings I have ever had with California was in an airport, and I have a feeling that’s not ‘really’ California. I don’t know how the people talk or what the surroundings look like, but what I do know is the south. I’m a southern girl through and through and while I might not be able to take you on a tour of Hollywood, I can show you how to make some real good collard greens!
Fast forward a couple of years and many edits later, Cupid’s Angels has found a spot of it’s very own with Soul Mate Publishing.
And while Cupid’s Angels might not have a recipe for collard greens in it, it does have sweet Southern charm, a feisty old red head that was inspired by my very own Great Aunt Hazel, and a sexy handyman. Those are all the ingredients you need for a great book!
Thank you Erin for sharing that interesting tease about your book. Watch this space for the release of Cupid’s Angels.
Now how about a little hint at what the story is about.
Blurb
Ellie Childs isn’t looking for love. She’s looking for an AC technician for the Forest Wood Senior Center. But, when the repairman happens to be tall, dark, and handsome, he has the goods to make her change her mind. Unfortunately, he’s taken by a blonde Barbie.
David White moved to Cupid, Arkansas, to be closer to the woman he loves, his grandma, and away from his ex-fiancée. Believing his broken heart would never work again, he’s proven wrong. Ellie’s shimmering auburn curls and compassionate nature sends his heart thumping. His mind soars with thoughts of giving love another shot. But as luck would have it, she’s taken, and the guy she’s seeing is a real jerk.
When David’s grandmother sees how perfect Ellie would be for her grandson, she gathers the troops. She and her three friends form Cupid’s Angels. Their mission, to bring David and Ellie together. Despite their best efforts, the Angels’ plans backfire, pushing David and Ellie farther apart and into the arms of others. Or, so they think.
Will the Angels’ good intentions win out, or will their plots and schemes undermine what could have been the love of a lifetime for David and Ellie?
Bio
Erin Bevan was born and raised in Southwest Arkansas. She spent her teenage years working for her aunt at the local gas station flipping burgers and making milkshakes dreaming of the day when something better would come her way.
Fast forward ten years later, she found herself stuck inside an apartment in South Korea while her daughter went to preschool and her husband went to work. Alone and unable to speak the local language she turned to books for a friend. After reading a few hundred in such a short time, she decided to try her hand at writing one.
That first one sucked, but by the fifth and sixth book, Erin started to get the hang of this writing thing. Getting the first contract in the mail was a dream come true. Now, with three babies at home, she squeezes in stories one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one day at a time. She’s a full time mom, a full time wife, with a little writer sprinkled in whenever she can get the chance.
Where to find Erin:
www.facebook.com/erinbevanwrites
Twitter: @ErinBevan
Thursday Threads UNSAFE HAVEN Char Chaffin
Features
UNSAFE HAVEN
By
Char Chaffin
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: Sensual
Blurb:
For Kendall Martin, a small, remote village in Southwest Alaska seems like a good place to start over. On the run from an abusive relationship, she leaves everything familiar behind and begins a new life as owner of a small souvenir and sportsman trading post in picturesque Staamat.
Denn Nulo knows everyone in town: he’s the Chief of Police in Staamat. He’s lived there all his life, except for his college years, spent in Anchorage. Originally planning on practicing criminal law and living in Anchorage permanently, Denn is forced to change his plans when he receives word that his widowed mother has passed away, leaving his young sister, Luna, alone. Denn comes back to Staamat to care for Luna.
When Kendall meets Denn, she begins to believe there are truly good men in the world. Denn is everything she wants: strong, loving, dedicated to family, protective . . . and patient. There is instant attraction between them, but Kendall is leery of men, and Denn craves a serious relationship that includes marriage and children. Their courtship is a conflicting mix of hesitancy and passion, with Luna, desperately needing a mother figure in her life, cheering them on.
As Kendall learns how to trust again and her romance with Denn grows more intense, a local woman who’s had her eye on Denn for years releases a torrent of damaging jealousy . . . and the nightmare from Kendall’s past discovers where she’s hidden herself.
Excerpt:
“Ah, Christ. You’re killing me.” He fumbled for the nearest wall, propped her against it, and took her mouth hungrily. She fisted her hands in his hair, nipping his full bottom lip. The kiss went deeper, and she could have sobbed from the glory of it.
They broke apart, both panting. Kendall slowly unwound her legs and Denn loosened his hold, letting her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. She felt every hard muscle along the way.
“Hell.” He sucked in a shaky breath. “I don’t want to leave you here.”
“I’ll be all right,” Kendall lied. She wanted him to stay, wanted him in her bed, all night, and then she wanted to awaken in the morning, safe in his arms. They’d known each other less than two months, and she wanted forever.
I must be crazed with lust. That’s the only explanation.
“You know, you don’t have to stay here alone.” He caressed her cheek as he gazed at her, still pressed intimately against her. “You could come home with me.”
“Eventually I have to live here, Denn. By myself. I have to get used to it,” she pointed out.
“But not tonight, okay? Come home with me, Kendall. Stay with me, tonight.”
“We’ll end up in bed together.” It was a question and a statement.
He slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
She whispered into his shirt, “We’ll end up making love.”
“I can just about guarantee it.”
Fascinated by the strong, steady pulse at the side of his neck, she shuddered to think of what lay ahead, if she said ‘yes.’ Most of the shudders were from excitement.
He waited patiently in her dimly lit store while she battled inner demons he might never understand or be able to accept.
“Kendall . . .” His voice held a rough plea.
She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to his. “I should pack a few things.” She hesitated, and took the final plunge. “I’ll need my contact lens case, too.”
His smile, wide and happy, blinded her. “I can wait.”
Book Trailer for Unsafe Haven :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJieck3U17Y
Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B0097A0NY2
Where to find Char Chaffin:
My website: http://char.chaffin.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/char.chaffin
Twitter: http://twitter.com/char_chaffin
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5337737.Char_Chaffin
Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/char-chaffin/
April 28, 2015
Wednesday Special Spotlight Forest Mist Travelers Carly Jordynn
Shines Today On
Forest Mist Travelers
By
Carly Jordynn
Carly Jordynn writes YA and MG fiction
Blurb:
Lily Lavery never dreamed her homecoming night would turn out like this. She never expected to become orphaned, in a coma, and enter an alternate reality, all in one evening. She thought she would arrive at the dance to the cheers of her classmates after being crowned homecoming princess at the big game, dance the night away with her handsome boyfriend, Alex McGuire, and maybe end the night in his arms. Her heart betrayed her when she met and fell in love with Connor O’Brien in the alternate realm known as Paradise Valley. Now she must battle foes in the Dark Land and her own feelings as she struggles to return to reality.
Excerpt:
Lily noticed a light up ahead. Her stomach flipped into overdrive. She realized this was it. Her portal. She did not want to go. She did not want to leave Connor or say goodbye to David. Her heart pounded a mile a minute. They drew closer to the oval that entered her room. She realized she could not put it off any longer. She grabbed Connor’s hand and crept forward.
She sucked in her breath when she saw her comatose body lying on the bed. She did not have many tubes stuck in her anymore. She could see the brand on her arm, a dark contrast on her pale skin. She glanced down her legs and noticed with a start that most of her tattoo Robert had put on her had faded. She hoped it would last until she woke again. She let her eyes travel from her body to the occupied chair next to her. Alex was sitting in it. He was holding her hand and rubbing his thumb across her palm. She turned from him to face Connor, who stared at Alex. She knew he was taking in the condition of her body and Alex’s care for her. Connor looked down at her upturned face. “He is still here. I was hoping he would have given up by now.”
David joined them at the opening. “He has been here every day since the accident. He rubs her limbs and stretches her legs for her. He has not given up on her and will not. Alex is a good man. I shall be sorry to see him hurt by what is to come.”
Guilt slammed through her body. How would she tell Alex that she married another man while in a coma? Alex would think she was insane and have her committed to the asylum. She glanced at Connor again, needing the reassurance that he could provide. “How do I explain this to him? He has done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve his girlfriend leaving him.”
Connor stiffened next to her. He took a deep breath. “If it grieves you this much to see him hurt, then maybe we should not be together.”
She gasped. “No! How can you even suggest such a thing? We are married.”
Connor placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “We are married in another world, not this one. Our marriage is not legal in this reality. If you want to be with Alex, I will give you his ring back and you can replace your wedding band with it. I will not try to stop you. I love you too much to see you in pain and I can see that this is hurting you.”
She was frustrated. “How do I make you understand? I care a great deal for Alex. He was a huge part of my life, but you are my husband no matter what world I am residing in. You are the one I cannot live without.”
Connor smiled, his dimples showing prominently. “I know you love me. I am just saying that I will step aside if you wish it. I hope you do not, though.”
She wound her arms around her husband. “You are the only man for me. It will be hard to explain all this to Alex, but I will manage.”
David spoke up, “Your doctor is coming in. You might want to listen to what he has to say.”
Buy Link:
Social Media Links:
www.facebook.com/carlyjordynn777
www.pinterest.com/CarlyJordynn
http://carlyjordynn.blogspot.com/
April 27, 2015
Tell Again Tuesday Pinned Tweets
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Are You Using Pinned Tweets?
Nat Russo April 5, 2015
Twitter recently rolled out a new feature for profile pages that allows you to keep your vital content visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This feature is known as Pinned Tweets, and it’s an important part of your content delivery strategy.
And you’re not using it.
You read that correctly. It’s one of the single greatest content delivery features Twitter has graced us with, and you’re completely ignoring it! How do I know? Allow me to explain (in an admittedly roundabout way).
For the rest of the blog go to:
http://www.erindorpress.com/2015/04/are-you-using-pinned-tweets/
April 23, 2015
Friday Feature S.B.K. Burns A Far Far Better Thing
Interviews
S.B.K. Burns
Author of
A Far Far Better Thing
Today we are sitting down with S.B.K. Burns for a little chat about her and her book A Far Far Better Thing .
Welcome Susan. Could you please tell the readers about the book that is being showcased today.
I’m excited to share the world of the Goldens with you. Goldens are psychic vampires (the good guys). Their supernatural powers consist mainly of orbweaving—weaving or creating universes out of their imaginations. Legend says they can telepath, teleport, shapeshift, and heal. They also like to save those they come in contact with, whether or not any one of their “victims” want to be saved.
A Far Far Better Thing is a novella I wrote to introduce the world of the Goldens and the young people—humans, Goldens, hybrids and androids—caught up in it.
The Goldens, having returned home from the stars and bound by their prime directive of noninterference with humans, are fleeing the Dacons, spacefaring nasties. They’re also dealing with a revolution by their human-lookalike androids. But the worst threat to their civilization comes from one of their own, Kira. She’s secretly mated with a human and her soon to be born hybrid daughter is much more powerful than the other Goldens and bound to break all their rules. Lucky for Kira, she has an android protector, Max, watching out for her. Except he too has a secret and it isn’t just that he’s fallen in love with her, willing to do anything to keep her and her dangerous child alive.
That sounds very interesting. How did you come up with the concept for this book?
The first two books in this Legends of the Goldens Series were published by Soul Mate: Forbidden Playground and Dancing Dragons. I’ve always been fascinated by science fictions that spoke of societies where two factions complementary talents and yet judge each other as less. On my philosophy website—TheUnionOfOpposites.com—I share ideas coming out of my scientific research and those dealing with the diversity in society. The Goldens have supernatural powers through concentrating their energy, but that exhausts them and they must retreat to their Snow Country in the Arctic to meditate and refresh themselves. Humans are laid back and can chill out. So the Goldens return to Earth to hybridize with humans, hoping to use their powers without exhausting themselves. Kira’s daughter Chastity is the first hybrid, but she is dangerous to the Goldens because she does not follow their antiquated rules.
Now that this book is out what are you working on now? Do you have a release date for this book?
As far as the Legends series is concerned, I’m almost finished with a book about Chastity (Called Love Me. Bite Me.) coming out in a month or two. In this story, Chastity falls for her high school quarterback, Zander, who is determined to join the nasty clan of Dacon vampires by getting bitten the last day of Comic-Con (the vampires have their own comic book stand and human groupies willing to volunteer their time and blood).
I also have a steampunk series coming out soon about an alternate science history where women have a quantum computer/time machine that they use to save the great men of science (Entangled and Fly Like An Eagle)
In 2014, I won the Golden Claddagh Contest (Celtic Hearts RWA Chapter) for my contemporary about tennis, A Perfect Match, which I will self-publish later this year.
When we write our Turning Stone Chronicle we tend to write the story in stages: dialogue first, then go back and put in the different layers—sensory, visceral, emotional, settings. What is does your writing process look like?
Yes, I use the layering process to write. As a teenager, I attended clay sculpture classes where material was added and removed as needed. That’s what I do after letting my characters talk with each other as if they were in a play. Then I add their ID tags and behavioral beats. That keeps me from getting lost in backstory.
What does your revision process look like?
I work about eight hours (4 am until noon) in creating, editing, and promoting my stories each day. Because writing can be a somewhat isolating profession, I submit my WIPs to about sixty people a month for feedback from the three read-and-critique groups which I physically attend.
That’s a lot of readers. Thinking of reading what’s the first book you ever remember reading as a child?
At seven, I snuck The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling from my parents’ bookshelf.
What’s the book you are reading now?
After reading Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher, I’m now reading her The Ophelia Prophecy. Just like her, I like to play around inside the characters’ minds.
Even if you don’t write with music, what’s in your CD player right now?
When I exercise on my elliptical, I listen to these on my iPhone, imagining my stories set to film: Parachute, E.T., We Run The Night, Vehicle, Poker Face, Moves Like Jagger, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, I Hate Myself for Loving You, Derp, Beat It, and Bad Romance.
We love going to the movies. Do you have an all-time favorite movie that has stuck in your mind or that you’d watch over and over?
Of course, it’s Avatar. I have to admit that adventure films are my thing, especially sci-fi adventures where the audience is challenged to hang in there as the characters jump from one scene in one world to another, never knowing where they might end up.
Obviously you like paranormal or SyFY as we do. So, if you could have one of your characters’ powers what would it be? Why?
My WIP, Flat Spin, a space opera thriller, stars a heroine who, unknown to her, is a space alien who has the power to put people to sleep. What’s attractive to me about this power is its ability to quell disputes before they get out of hand.
Have you written about other paranormal creatures besides those featured in this book? If so what?
The first book I published with Whiskey Creek was a novella called Getting Them Up.
In it a young man, a geeky marine biologist, gets bitten by a sea creature and morphs into an Adonis of a man. Unfortunately, he wakes up on a hospital ship run by giant, green, reptilian women who are more into sucking his toes than making love.
Like us you also seem to write time travel. What’s your favorite time travel method? (i.e. mechanical, natural phenomenon, magic, etc.)
In my steampunk series (not yet published) Ages of Invention, a quantum computer has the ability to take a person’s brainwaves, magnifying and filtering the static, to project the individual into his or her past life.
Why do you like to write time travel?
Time travel into the past allows me to dip my toe into the waters of great historical periods, without jumping in with both feet, a time-consuming and most difficult task.
It’s been a pleasure having you here today. As you say goodbye, can you leave the readers with an encapsulation of your life’s philosophy? (a quote, a verse, a precept you live by or have tried to instill in your children?)
Thanks for having me on your blog, Catherine & Donald. I guess you’d have to call me an incurable romantic. I’m inspired by the sweetly innocent lines Leslie Caron speaks to Louis Jordan in Gigi when she’s encouraged by her aunt to show herself off to her best: “You don’t have to turn yourself inside out for an old friend. It’s just silly.”
Now for a little more about Susan and the book she is featuring with us today, A Far Far Better Thing .
Blurb
Kira, a psychic, a vampire–one of the good ones–has been a very bad girl. She’s run away from the protection of Maxwell, her guardian android, got herself pregnant by a human, and now she wants Max to lie about it.
But androids don’t lie. And if he told the truth to protect her, he’d be dismantled, executed for not properly fulfilling his duties.
Secretly designed as a fully functioning human with supernatural powers, Max has been a very bad android. He’s lied to everyone about everything he is, especially the truth about Kira. If he tells the truth about her pregnancy, her people will kill her unborn child who’s destined to be a dangerous psychic.
Worst of all, Max has fallen in love with Kira and is willing to sacrifice his life for her–a headstrong, yet beautifully delicate young woman who believes him to be her inferior.
Excerpt
Everett had engineered Maxwell, handsome and responsible, with the most vigorous human genes. And for some crazy reason she wished with all her might this male could have been the father of the child she carried.
Of course, as an Everett android, Maxwell had been designed without the necessary equipment for sex or procreation. The bitter taste of what that meant assaulted her. He can never be the father of my child. Nor could he ever be her lover.
“What were you thinking, just then?” Maxwell said, standing at his full height, so tall and masculine and so very close.
Relief washed through her. The android had no talent for reading her thoughts without the help of a device. So maybe he wouldn’t notice her physical attraction to him—a raised heart rate, the flush in her normally very white and colorless cheeks, and the green fluorescing from her emotion-filled eyes. What had she been thinking? He didn’t need psychic powers to read that.
Untrained psychically, Kira would soon take her vows as a Golden elder when her schooling began. The only skill she did possess—for the most part—sometimes blocking others from her thoughts. Silly to feel so intimidated by this harmless servant that the Goldens had programmed to obey any command she might give it.
With his genetics psychically engineered for height and strength, the android functioned as a guardian on her excursions away from the Goldens’ compound. He now stood too close, creating a long shadow eclipsing her in the last light of the sun.
“The Everett androids gave you a great party for your first birthday.” She patted her stomach, trying to change the subject, attempting to counteract the strange and distracting feeling of Arctic springtails hopping around inside her. “Do you think my Golden relatives will do the same for my little Chastity on her first?” She wanted her baby to survive, but feared the Golden elders, if they discovered her secret, would urge her to abort. Had her jitters come from the android’s closeness or her unborn child?
Maxwell forced his lips together inhibiting a smile as he sometimes did in indulging her. He couldn’t, however, keep the laughter from his eyes. “You know I’ve studied your baby’s genetics. She will reach her first birthday. I’ll make sure she’s born healthy. She’ll be safe with me.”
What could he mean? Was he going to monitor the baby for the rest of its gestation? She angled her head, waiting for his further explanation.
Joyful and reassuring, he allowed a smile to curl his lips. Their warmth reached his eyes radiating so much heat that, for a moment, Kira believed the sun, instead of setting, had just risen.
Buy Link http://amzn.com/B00SI9NOX0/
Short Bio
The graduate of more coursework than I want to remember. The wife of the next Bill Gates of alternate energy. The mother of the smartest son on the planet.
Author Website: http://www.susanburnsauthor.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B00GFWV5PQ/
Thursday Thread Claire Gem Phantom Traces
Welcomes
Claire Gem
Author of
Phantom Traces
We thought we would substitute a recently read book since our regular Thursday Threader was unavailable.
Clare Gem writes romance stories infused with haunting and ghosts. Her book Phantom Traces has romance, ghosts, and a library as characters. Well, the library is a central figure not a character. LOL.
Donald read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are twists, turns, ghosts, and a fun happy ending. See what you think yourself with the following cover, blurb, and excerpt. Don’t forget to look at the book trailer.
Blurb:A history professor in a tweed jacket, a cheeky Goth chick, and a pipe-smoking, book-hurling ghost. Put them all together in an antiquated library and, well…
Professor Jack Wood’s silver-streaked hair definitely ages him, and he can thank Killer Dawn for that. He won’t be falling into the love trap again anytime real soon. But this new librarian has him curious, with her head-to-toe black Goth garb, piercings, and a defiant attitude to match. Definitely not his type of girl, but still…
Abigail Stryker’s got her work cut out for her. The last two librarians didn’t last a month before airborne books chased them off. But Abby’s determined to make her new life a go – and to stay as far away from older men as possible. Once was enough. Might be tough to do when the library’s best patron is none other than dreamy-eyed Jack Wood. And it seems the eccentric ghost may have taken a shine to her as well.
Excerpt:
At that moment, the lights in the building flickered, dropping dim and pale. They pulsed for a beat, then went completely out. It was still light outside, though the fading twilight cast the interior into near blackness.
“What the . . .” She looked around, wrapping her arms around herself and instinctively moving a step closer to Jack.
“Oh, that’s not unusual around here.” His voice was calm and reassuring. “Blue Ridge Power is infamous for testing transformers at the darnedest times of day.”
By the time he finished speaking, the lights began to glow, then steadily increased until they were fully illuminated. He grinned over at her. “At least it doesn’t last long.”
His killer smile shot a jitter through her middle again. She smiled back but found she couldn’t hold his gaze long without feeling as if she had a fever coming on. She turned away.
“I’d better let you get to work,” she mumbled, then scooted around the reception desk and into the back room.
Tea. I just need a cup of peppermint tea to get my mind back where it belongs.
As she stood in the small anteroom, she could feel Jack watching her from his seat across the way. She dunked the tea bag in the steaming water for way longer than necessary. As the pale green essence oozed into the water, all she could think of was how the hue almost matched the color of his eyes.
Book Trailer Link: http://bit.ly/1EIj4IY
Bio:
Claire Gem writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance, sometimes with a paranormal twist. A voracious reader, she’s an avid fan of strong but sensitive heroes, spunky, sexy heroines, and a ghost story worth at least a few goose bumps. Her vision is to transport her readers into another place and time, and loves creating characters so real, readers miss them when the book is closed.
Always fascinated by the paranormal, she holds a Certificate in Paranormal Studies from Duke University’s Rhine’s Research Center. When she’s not writing, she can be found glued to the latest episode of Ghost Adventures, out to dinner with her happy-ever-after husband, or enjoying cocktail hour with her daughter, who is also her very best girlfriend.
Book Trailer Link: http://bit.ly/1EIj4IY
Website: http://www.clairegem.com/
Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1JrjWoH
